Timothy Zimmerman

Of Counsel

Timothy M. Zimmerman is of counsel in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His practice includes both litigation and investigations, with a focus on Securities Enforcement, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Securities Litigation, and Securities Regulation matters.  Tim has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for Securities Regulation (2024). Some of Tim’s recent representations include:

  • Lynn Tilton and her company, Patriarch Partners, against Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fraud charges over her management of a distressed debt CLO fund, culminating in a three-week administrative proceeding that resulted in a complete victory for Ms. Tilton;
  • A Big Four accounting firm and employee auditors in an SEC investigation and administrative proceeding involving an audit in the financial services industry during the 2008 financial crisis, including successful appellate representation before the SEC and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; and
  • Multiple public companies, audit firms, and investment funds in SEC, Department of Justice (DOJ), and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) investigations. Representations included Boards of Directors, executives, accounting professionals, and investment advisers in a variety of industries, including banking and investments, IT consulting, retail sales, and for-profit education.  That work also included representation before securities regulators in several states.

Tim maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on both federal and state appellate matters in Colorado and elsewhere.  He has twice received the Firm’s Frank Wheat Award for excellence in pro bono service.  Recently he participated in the following pro bono engagements:

  • Serving as lead counsel in an immigration appeal in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals for a non-citizen from Belarus facing proceedings to exclude him from the US. After Tim delivered oral argument, the Seventh Circuit published a unanimous opinion in the client’s favor – Ruderman v. Whitaker, 914 F.3d 567 (7th Cir. 2019); and
  • Representing a widow in a successful appeal before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in her long-running pursuit of veteran’s benefits on behalf of her husband.

Tim is on the Board of Directors of the Tenth Circuit Historical Society, and formerly served as the Chair of the Antitrust Subcommittee of the Business Law Subsection of the Colorado Bar Association.

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and The Ohio State University, before joining Gibson Dunn, Tim clerked for the Honorable Timothy M. Tymkovich of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 2011 to 2012, and for the Honorable Allison H. Eid of the Colorado Supreme Court from 2010 to 2011.  He is registered to practice law in the states of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Tenth Circuit, and several district courts.

Since 2019, Tim has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming College of Law, teaching Securities Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Business Planning courses.

Capabilities

Credentials

Education:
  • University of Chicago - 2010 Juris Doctor
  • The Ohio State University - 2005 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
  • Colorado Bar
  • Wyoming Bar
Clerkships:
  • US Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, Hon. Timothy M. Tymkovich, 2011 - 2012
  • Colorado Supreme Court, Hon. Allison H. Eid, 2010 - 2011