TEL:+1 202.955.8242
FAX:+1 202.530.9522
1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-5306 USA
Jason C. Schwartz is a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group, and General Counsel of the law firm. He was recognized as one of the top five “MVPs” in employment law four times, in 2020, 2019, 2016 and 2012, awarded by Law360 to “attorneys whose achievements in major litigation or transactions have set a new standard for accomplishment in corporate law.” The practice group Jason co-leads was named D.C. Labor & Employment Litigation Department of the Year Winner by The National Law Journal four years in a row (2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017); Jason was profiled in the 2019 NLJ announcement. The group was also named a Labor & Employment Management Firm of the Year for 2019 by Benchmark Litigation, and was recognized six times since 2012 as a Law360 Employment Practice Group of the Year, in 2018 and 2011-16.
Jason’s practice includes sensitive workplace investigations, high-profile trade secret and non-compete matters, wage-hour and discrimination class actions, Sarbanes-Oxley and other whistleblower protection claims, executive and other significant employment disputes, labor union controversies, and workplace safety litigation. In 2017, Am Law Litigation Daily named him Litigator of the Week for his win in an independent contractor misclassification/wage-and-hour class action. Jason is a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers and has been recognized as a Top Lawyer in Employment Defense by Washingtonian Magazine; a Labor & Employment Star by Benchmark Litigation; in the Best Lawyers in America in the Employment Law-Management category; on the Top 100 list of the Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys by Human Resource Executive magazine; as a Super Lawyer by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers; and as a Leading Lawyer in Labor & Employment Disputes by The Legal 500 US. In addition, he has been recognized in Labor & Employment by Chambers USA, which stated, “Clients describe him as both an ‘outstanding’ and ‘terrific lawyer.’” According to Chambers USA, “[c]lients note: He’s an excellent litigator with a good sense of the client’s needs in a business environment. He’s just a pleasure to work with. He’s disciplined, a great writer and gets great results.”
Recent representative matters include:
Jason successfully tried several sensitive whistleblower matters for major national employers, and he prevailed in a precedent-setting Labor Department appeal of one of the first Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower cases to proceed to trial. In a case of first impression, he successfully argued in the Utah Supreme Court against the recognition of a tort for spoliation of evidence. In addition, he served as lead trial counsel for a retailer in a highly-publicized OSHA enforcement action relating to crowd control at a day-after-Thanksgiving sale.
Jason also has significant experience in administrative law and rulemakings. He served as counsel to the Fair Labor Standards Reform Coalition, and he played a leading role in preparing comments on behalf of the business community relating to the U.S. Department of Labor’s overtime exemption regulations.
Jason is the Secretary of the Retail Litigation Center, and he testified before Congress regarding OSHA enforcement programs on behalf of the U.S. Chamber. He frequently speaks and writes on employment law and trade secret related topics. He is the co-author of the treatise Whistleblower Law: A Practitioner’s Guide, published by American Lawyer Media/Law Journal Press, as well as the annual “Trade Secrets Litigation Round-Up” published by Bloomberg BNA.
Jason earned his law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and received the George Brent Mickum III Prize and the Charles A. Keigwin Award for the best academic record in first year courses. From 1995 to 1996, he worked as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jon D. Fox. Jason received a B.A. degree in international affairs cum laude in 1994 from The George Washington University.
Jason is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, as well as in numerous federal courts. He served for many years as an officer and board member of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, currently serves as a member of the Washington Lawyers Committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and provides pro bono employment counsel to numerous community organizations.
Georgetown University - 1998 Juris Doctor
The George Washington University - 1994 Bachelor of Arts
District of Columbia Bar
Maryland Bar
Virginia Bar