Molly T. Senger is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and is a member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group. Molly serves as the co-Hiring Partner for the Washington, D.C. office, and is the D.C. partner representative on the Associates Committee.
Molly has represented clients in a wide range of employment litigation matters, including cases involving allegations of trade secret misappropriation, wage-and-hour violations, whistleblowing, race, age, and disability discrimination, and sexual harassment. Molly has significant experience in defending against employment-related putative class actions and litigating high-stakes executive compensation disputes. She has represented employers in federal district and appellate courts across the country, as well as in arbitration and mediation, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal and state agencies.
In addition to her litigation experience, Molly often assists clients in drafting employee handbooks, conducting anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training, investigating employment-related claims pre-litigation, and advising clients on a variety of employment-related issues ranging from sensitive personnel decisions to classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Benchmark Litigation named Molly to its 2024 40 & Under list, which identifies “the best and brightest litigators across the US.” Since 2023, Molly has been selected as one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers - a list that features the nation’s “top advisors on workforce issues.” The National Law Journal named Molly one of its 2021 D.C. Rising Stars—a recognition given to 40 D.C. attorneys who have “proven their mettle where it counts, representing high-profile clients and securing high-dollar victories.” In 2020, Law 360 likewise named Molly as one of five “Rising Star” employment attorneys nationwide—an accolade for “attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.” Euromoney Legal Media Group similarly named Molly as one of two Labor and Employment 2020 “Rising Stars.” In addition, Molly has been recognized by The Best Lawyers® in America since 2022 for Litigation – Labor and Employment, by The Legal 500 U.S. since 2021 as a “Next Generation Lawyer” for Labor and Employment Disputes, and as a 2022 Expert Guides Rising Star.
Representative litigation matters that Molly has handled include:
- Secured complete dismissal of nationwide wage-and-hour class action on behalf of major retailer; obtained affirmance of dismissal on appeal (Alminiana et al. v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC (W.D.N.C. 2020); McPhee et al. v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC (4th Cir. 2020)).
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of employer in whistleblower-retaliation lawsuit; secured affirmance of victory on appeal before the Third Circuit (Price v. UBS Financial Services LLC (D.N.J. 2022; 3d Cir. 2023).
- Defended The George Washington University in lawsuit seeking reinstatement of the University’s men’s rowing team; defeated motion for a TRO and motion for a preliminary injunction, after which the case was dismissed (George v. The George Washington University (D.D.C. 2022)).
- Successfully compelled to individual arbitration putative class action involving independent contractor misclassification claims (Finch v. Lowe’s Home Centers LLC (D.S.C. 2021)).
- Briefed and argued successful motion to dismiss in confidential JAMS executive compensation arbitration.
- Defeated two attempts at class certification in a 31-plaintiff sexual harassment lawsuit and secured exclusion of the plaintiffs’ expert’s testimony (Van et al. v. Ford Motor Co. (N.D. Ill. 2019)).
- Obtained dismissal of putative class action involving breach-of-contract and age discrimination claims (Zoller et al. v. UBS (N.D. Ill. 2019)).
- Secured affirmance of summary judgment in favor of employer in ADA reasonable accommodation case in the Sixth Circuit (Arndt v. Ford Motor Co. (6th Cir. 2017)).
- Achieved complete victory on behalf of major financial institution in executive compensation dispute, after a week-long arbitration before FINRA.
- Obtained $750,000 default judgment for pro bono client based on the court’s determination that the defendants had violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act (Lagasan v. Al-Ghasel et al. (E.D. Va. 2015)).
Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Molly served as a law clerk to Judge John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Molly received her law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and served as a teaching assistant for the First Year Legal Research and Writing Program. During law school, Molly interned for Judge Robin L. Rosenberg, then at the Circuit Court of Florida, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.
Molly graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. While at Princeton, Molly was awarded the C.O. Joline Prize in American History for her senior thesis on George F. Kennan.
Molly is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars, and also is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and D.C. Circuits.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- Harvard University - 2009 Juris Doctor
- Princeton University - 2006 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- District of Columbia Bar
- Maryland Bar
Clerkships:
- USDC, District of Columbia, Hon. John D. Bates, 2010 - 2011