Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Christopher Rosina has joined the firm’s New York office as an of counsel. Rosina serves as a member of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence and Automated Systems Practice Groups.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Rosina worked as a senior member of Apple’s legal team, where he was the principal architect of Apple’s global privacy compliance program, including in preparation for GDPR and CCPA, and served as the primary counsel to Apple’s Data Protection Officer. In this capacity, Rosina provided strategic counsel across Apple’s business units, relating to almost all of Apple’s products and services, in addition to managing global regulatory responses and filings. In addition to his role advising Apple’s consumer-facing business, Rosina provided extensive guidance to the company’s internal teams on matters related to corporate infrastructure and employee privacy. Prior to his work at Apple, Rosina was Global Privacy and Security Counsel at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he served as the legal department’s principal adviser on privacy and cybersecurity issues and led development of the company’s privacy compliance programs.
At Gibson Dunn, Rosina advises clients on all aspects of privacy and cybersecurity, including product counseling, compliance, advocacy, policy issues, and regulatory response in a dynamic legal landscape.
Rosina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2011.
Rosina’s arrival further builds on Gibson Dunn’s talent magnet effect, as demonstrated by the firm’s recent additions from the ranks of key growth industries, including Ron Hauben (formerly Americas Vice Chair and General Counsel at Ernst & Young), Jane Horvath (formerly Apple’s Chief Privacy Officer), Kira Idoko (formerly Senior Vice President, Private Funds at Brookfield Asset Management), and David Woodcock (formerly Assistant General Counsel – Corporate at ExxonMobil Corporation).
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Jason Cabral and Sara Weed have joined the firm’s New York and Washington D.C. offices, respectively. Cabral and Weed will continue their individual practices in regulatory and transactional matters for traditional financial services and FinTech clients, as well as advising clients in the development of payments, lending, and deposit products and services.
“Sara has deep domain experience on the counseling and supervisory side of cryptocurrency and FinTech, as well as an excellent read on regulatory dynamics,” said Ashlie Beringer, Co-Chair of the FinTech and Digital Assets Practice Group. “She is a talented and well regarded FinTech practitioner, and her skillset will be highly valuable to our clients as the both the FinTech and traditional financial services spaces continue to evolve. Her addition will further bolster our FinTech and Digital Assets group, particularly in highly regulated FinTech advisory work and, with her experience as a former state regulator, in government engagement and investigations.”
“Jason will be a fantastic addition to the firm”, said Stephanie Brooker, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice Group. “He has a unique mix of knowledge and experience of both traditional bank regulatory issues and fast-moving FinTech matters, but his experience also extends into transactional, policy and enforcement matters. His substantive experience will support our multiple practices across the firm.”
“I am very excited to join Gibson Dunn,” said Cabral. “I look forward to leveraging my financial services regulatory experience to support our preeminent financial services regulatory practices and complement our existing areas of strength in litigation, investigations and transactional work.”
“I’ve long admired Gibson Dunn and have followed the firm’s expansion in its FinTech practice nationally and internationally,” said Weed. “I look forward to the opportunity to join my new colleagues in bringing together a range of deep expertise — advisory, transactional, and enforcement — to drive value on this premier platform.”
The arrival of Weed and Cabral comes after several recent additions to Gibson Dunn’s robust bench of technology regulatory and transactional partners, including Jane Horvath (former Chief Privacy Officer at Apple) in Washington, D.C., Vivek Mohan (former Head of Information Security Law at Apple) in Palo Alto, Stephenie Gosnell Handler (former Director for Cybersecurity Strategy and Digital Acceleration at McKinsey & Company) in Washington, D.C., and Joel Harrison and Alison Beal in London.
About Jason Cabral
Cabral focuses his practice on federal and state financial services regulatory matters and complex transactions and regularly advises banks and non-bank financial services providers on a broad range of policy, legislative, regulatory, transactional, corporate governance, enforcement and other matters. He has substantial experience advising U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial services companies, FinTechs, payments companies, lending companies, and companies in the digital asset space, as well as their service providers, regarding the application of federal and state banking, consumer protection, lending, money transmission and related laws and regulations to their investments, activities, products and services.
He regularly represents clients before the federal financial services regulatory agencies and state banking departments on a variety of matters, including regulatory applications, notices and other submissions in connection with mergers, acquisitions, minority investments and other transactions, chartering or licensing initiatives, and enforcement matters. He also regularly advises clients in the establishment of commercial relationships to offer products and services, either independently or in partnership with banks or non-bank financial services providers, and related regulatory and consumer compliance matters.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Cabral practiced with Paul Hastings LLP, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
About Sara Weed
Weed has a blended regulatory and transactional FinTech practice that supports companies throughout their life cycles, spanning product development; regulatory strategy, including chartering, licensure, and partnerships; support specific to supervisory examinations and other regulatory inquiries; regulatory diligence incidental to acquisitions, investments, and exit events; and defense of regulatory enforcement actions. She has extensive experience representing clients in supervisory engagements and regulatory investigations, including in New York State Department of Financial Services and multi-state banking investigations. Her clients range from traditional financial institutions to non-bank financial services companies and technology companies that are seeking to offer payments, lending, and depository products delivered exclusively through digital channels and often augmented by technology.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Weed practiced with Paul Hastings LLP. Prior, she worked as Director and Counsel in the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks, where she oversaw the supervision of non-bank mortgage lenders and brokers, money services businesses and consumer finance companies. She also previously served in-house as Operations & Regulatory Counsel at IBM and as Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending.
About Gibson Dunn’s FinTech and Digital Assets Practice
Gibson Dunn’s FinTech and Digital Assets Practice Group advises traditional and emerging companies on a wide range of regulatory, policy, enforcement, transactional and litigation matters world-wide. The practice also includes FinTech, payments, open banking, digital assets (including cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), stablecoins and security tokens) and blockchain technology. Gibson Dunn’s lawyers have a substantive and technical understanding of the ever-evolving world of FinTech and digital assets – a competence that sets the team apart and is essential for comprehensive client counselling.
Our team members have a wealth of extensive experience in private practice, in-house and at senior government levels, bringing knowledge from different disciplines and perspectives. This allows us to address seamlessly all significant issues – from counseling on regulatory and policy impacts to licensing and registration to product development and implementation. As relevant laws develop globally, we are effective client advocates before legislative bodies including the U.S. Congress, EU Parliament and EU Council. Accordingly, we can guide our clients through the implementation and registration processes that cut across regulatory agencies at state, federal and cross-border levels.
When matters turn contentious, we regularly represent clients in responding to some of the most sophisticated investigations brought by an array of financial regulators in the United States (at the state and federal level), Europe, and Asia.
About Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice
Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice Group offers services in all disciplines, including across-the-board regulatory advice; transactional design, planning and execution; advocacy before U.S. regulatory agencies and Congress; representation in connection with criminal and regulatory enforcement actions; litigation counseling and defense; and strategic advice and crisis management.
Our regulatory experience includes counseling and representing U.S. and international banks and financial holding companies before U.S. federal and state regulatory agencies. We advise on compliance with all aspects of regulation mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, including enhanced capital and liquidity standards, heightened corporate governance expectations and the Volcker Rule. Our derivatives regulatory lawyers, who have significant Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) expertise, handle the full range of issues raised by Title VII of Dodd-Frank.
We advise all types of financial institutions, including banks, securities broker-dealers, mutual funds, private equity funds, insurance companies and money services businesses, on compliance with U.S. federal and state anti-money laundering laws and regulations and OFAC requirements.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce the firm has appointed new Partners-in-Charge in its Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York offices.
“These outstanding partners have demonstrated leadership qualities and dedication to advancing the firm’s strategic vision,” said Barbara Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “We look forward to working with them in these new roles, as well as continuing our work with the Partners-in-Charge of the firm’s other offices around the world.”
The firm’s new Partner-in-Charge appointees are as follows:
- Renad Younes was named as the founding Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, which was opened in January. For more information about Gibson Dunn’s recent expansion in the region, please click here.
- Marwan Elaraby was named as Partner-in-Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Dubai office.
- Collin Cox and Hillary Holmes were appointed as Co-Partners-in-Charge of the Houston office, following Michael P. Darden in the Partner-in-Charge role.
- Candice Choh and Kahn Scolnick have been named as Co-Partners-in-Charge of the firm’s Los Angeles and Century City locations, following Jay Srinivasan and Peter Wardle’s tenures in these roles.
- Andrew Fabens has been named Co-Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s New York office, succeeding Andrew Lance in the role. Fabens will co-lead the office alongside Mylan Denerstein, who will continue her service in this role.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) P.J.S.C. and ADNOC Gas plc (ADNOC Gas) in connection with the initial public offering (IPO) of ADNOC Gas, marking the largest-ever listing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the largest IPO globally to date in 2023.
The IPO, which raised gross proceeds of approximately $2.5 billion, was more than 50 times oversubscribed in aggregate. The retail offering, which attracted the largest-ever demand in a MENA IPO, was over 58 times oversubscribed. ADNOC Gas’ debut on the ADX implied a market capitalization of approximately $50 billion.
ADNOC Gas was formed as part of the consolidation of the operations of ADNOC Gas Processing, ADNOC LNG and ADNOC Industrial Gas. The company became operational on 1 January 2023 as a new world scale entity, responsible for operations, maintenance and marketing across ADNOC’s downstream gas processing, liquified natural gas (LNG) and industrial gases businesses.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by Dubai partners Marwan Elaraby and Jade Chu, and of counsel Cason Moore; and included associates Thomas Barker, Omar Morsy, Gisele Zouein, Huw Thomas and Luisa de Belgique.
Plaintiff Deon Jones achieved a historic victory this morning, when a federal jury in California delivered a unanimous verdict in his favor. The jury found that a Los Angeles Police Officer used excessive force in violation of Mr. Jones’ Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution when the officer shot Mr. Jones in the face with a rubber bullet on May 30, 2020. The jury awarded Mr. Jones $250,000 in damages for the injuries he sustained and $125,000 in punitive damages.
Following a seven-day trial, the jury found that the police officer’s shooting was malicious, oppressive, or in reckless disregard of Mr. Jones’ rights. The trial featured extensive evidence, including body-worn camera videos that captured the events of the day. The evidence included videos showing the police officer on trial using excessive force against Mr. Jones and other innocent protesters. The trial also included testimony from eyewitnesses of the shooting as well as LAPD officers and other witnesses who testified that the officer violated LAPD’s use of force and other official policies.
Today’s verdict puts law enforcement on notice that there will be serious consequences if they abuse their authority by using their weapons against innocent protesters in violation of their Fourth Amendment rights.
We invite you to view this video offering a preview of his perspective, along with some highlights of the Gibson Dunn team’s winning strategy.
Orin Snyder of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the lead attorney for Mr. Jones, said:
“Deon Jones filed this case to hold the defendant accountable for shooting him in the face with a rubber bullet at a protest without any justification on May 30, 2020. Justice has now been done. The defendant is being held accountable. We are grateful to the Court and the jury for their time and attention to this important case. We are proud to have stood with Mr. Jones during this long-fought battle to vindicate his constitutional rights. The jury today sent a strong message that there will be consequences if the police abuse their authority and commit acts of violence against innocent protesters.”
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Chad Nichols has joined the firm as a partner in the Houston office, where he will continue his finance practice.
“We are excited to bring Chad on board,” said Scott J. Greenberg, Global Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. “Much of what we do has a heavy emphasis on finance. Chad has significant experience in financings in the rescue and distressed space and his skill set will strengthen the talent and experience we currently have to keep up with the inflow of new work in this area.”
“Chad is a talented lawyer with finance analytical skills and market experience,” said Aaron F. Adams, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Global Finance Practice Group. “In particular, he will enhance our capacity in three distinct areas that are becoming increasingly critical in finance transactions: distressed financing, sponsor-side acquisition financing, and direct lending and private credit transactions. Chad’s capabilities across these important areas will continue to position the firm well into the future.”
“Chad is a terrific addition to the firm,” said Hillary Holmes, Co-Partner-in-Charge of the Houston office of Gibson Dunn. “He is a versatile finance lawyer with a diverse practice that will work well with our busy Texas-based Corporate and Private Equity practices and strengthen the finance capabilities of our thriving Business Restructuring and Reorganization group.”
“Gibson Dunn is a world-class firm in finance, energy, private equity and restructuring, and this integrated platform is a perfect fit for the next chapter of my career,” said Nichols. “I look forward to working alongside my exceptional colleagues at Gibson Dunn and continuing to build a broad-based finance practice, both in Texas and nationally.”
Nichols’ addition to Gibson Dunn’s partnership further strengthens our top-flight finance and bankruptcy practices and follows on the heels of a number of other recent high-profile partner hires in the restructuring and distressed finance space, including bankruptcy litigator Lee Wilson, bankruptcy partner AnnElyse Gains, and finance partners Frederick Lee and Jim Hee Kim. Gibson Dunn’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group brings extensive experience to companies in financial distress, their creditors and investors, and parties interested in investing in distressed debt and equity, such as hedge funds, private equity funds and financial institutions, in a rapidly evolving global economy. The firm excels in the innovative use of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to implement restructuring of highly complicated, multijurisdictional, non-U.S. companies and is a leader in U.S., European and cross-border insolvencies and workouts. Additionally, the group is well-known for crafting innovative and practical solutions, including complex out-of-court workouts and in-court restructuring.
About Chad Nichols
Nichols represents credit funds, hedge funds, private equity funds and other alternative capital providers, as well as companies (both public and sponsor-backed) in a wide range of financing transactions. He focuses on stressed, distressed, rescue and other special situations financings and transactions, and in-court and out-of-court restructurings, as well as bespoke private credit transactions and high yield bond deals.
Nichols earned his J.D. cum laude from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He also received a Master of Accounting with honors from the University of Southern California.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that George Hazel will join the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner. Hazel, formerly a U.S. District Judge for the District of Maryland, will serve as a member of the firm’s Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups.
“We are thrilled to welcome Judge Hazel to Gibson Dunn,” said Helgi C. Walker, Co-Chair of the firm’s global Litigation Practice Group. “His exceptional reputation precedes him, and he brings remarkable experience from his time on the bench and as a former prosecutor that will be invaluable to our clients.”
“Judge Hazel is a wonderful addition to the firm,” said Stephanie Brooker, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. “He is a stellar legal talent, and we are delighted that our teams, including the next generation of Gibson Dunn lawyers and leaders, will benefit from working alongside him.”
“I am excited to begin the next chapter of my career at Gibson Dunn,” said Hazel. “The firm is known for fostering a collaborative culture, attracting the best teams, and getting results for its clients, and I look forward to growing my practice on the firm’s excellent litigation platform.”
Recently, the firm’s renowned litigation platform has attracted high caliber talent from the judiciary, including the additions of Gregg Costa (former Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge) in Texas and Robert Spano (former President of the European Court of Human Rights) in London. Further, the firm is building on its talent magnet effect, as demonstrated by the recent additions from the senior in-house counsel ranks in key areas, including Ron Hauben (formerly Americas Vice Chair and General Counsel at Ernst & Young), Jane Horvath (formerly Apple’s Chief Privacy Officer), Kira Idoko (formerly Senior Vice President, Private Funds at Brookfield Asset Management), and David Woodcock (formerly Assistant General Counsel – Corporate at ExxonMobil Corporation).
About George Hazel
Hazel will be based in Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office, and he will be a member of the firm’s Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Hazel has a broad range of trial experience, having previously presided over approximately 50 jury trials in federal court and handled 20 jury trials and 30 bench trials as an attorney in federal and state court.
Hazel just concluded an 18-year public service career, most recently serving as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Maryland. Previously, he served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney for the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, Maryland; as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He began his legal career at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Hazel graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1999, where he served on the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. He graduated cum laude from Morehouse College in 1996.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP has announced the hire of banking and finance partner Laleh Shahabi, who will join the firm’s newly opened Abu Dhabi office.
The news comes as part of significant investment and expansion for Gibson Dunn in the Middle East. Last month the firm announced the opening of its Abu Dhabi office and the hire of partners Renad Younes and Samuel Ogunlaja (Abu Dhabi) and Jade Chu (Dubai). The firm also hired capital markets partner Marwan Elaraby in Dubai last October, and promoted two additional Dubai lawyers – private equity lawyer Hanna Chalhoub and international arbitration lawyer Nooree Moola – to its partnership this year.
Commenting on the hire, Renad Younes, Partner-In-Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Abu Dhabi office, said: “We are seeing tremendous client demand and opportunities in the region and the hiring of Laleh, who is an accomplished banking and finance partner with experience working with corporate sponsors, financial institutions, and government entities, is a continuation of the investment the firm is making in the region to further strengthen our offering on the ground.”
About Laleh Shahabi
Laleh Shahabi advises on a wide range of banking and financing transactions, including project financing and refinancing, leveraged and acquisition financing, direct lending, and investment grade corporate financing. She is experienced in representing corporate sponsors, governments, government related entities, and financial institutions in a wide range of financing transactions in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She has a particular focus on the transitional energy, renewables and oil and gas sectors.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that David Woodcock has joined the firm’s Dallas office as a partner. Woodcock, formerly Assistant General Counsel – Corporate at ExxonMobil Corporation, will serve as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome David to the firm,” said Trey Cox, Co-Partner-in-Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Dallas office. “David possesses unique and extraordinary experience as a former CPA, senior officer at the SEC, and senior counsel at a Fortune 10 company. His skills and experiences will prove invaluable in guiding public companies, officers and directors, and audit and special committees through a vast array of complex issues, including investigations, securities enforcement, ESG, corporate governance, and shareholder-related matters. He will be a tremendous asset to our clients. He also represents an important component in the build-out of our capabilities in Texas.”
Recently, the firm has expanded our renowned litigation platform in Texas with the additions of former Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge Gregg Costa and noted Texas trial lawyers Collin Cox and Sydney Scott. Woodcock’s arrival also represents the latest of several pivotal hires from high-level in-house counsel ranks in key areas, including, most recently, Jane Horvath, formerly Apple’s Chief Privacy Officer, Kira Idoko, formerly at Brookfield Asset Management, and Ron Hauben, former Americas general counsel at Ernst & Young.
“David is a splendid addition to the firm,” said Richard Grime, Co-Chair of the Securities Enforcement Practice Group. “His background and credentials are impressive. His government and in-house counsel experience give him a diverse business and regulatory perspective that will benefit clients dealing with critical issues. Additionally, as the former head of the Fort Worth office of the SEC, David will add even more depth to our robust bench of white collar and SEC enforcement attorneys.”
“I am excited to join Gibson Dunn,” said Woodcock. “I look forward to returning to private practice and working with the firm’s top-notch securities enforcement team to guide clients through their most complex enforcement matters.”
About David Woodcock
Woodcock will be based in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas and Washington, D.C. offices. He will focus on internal investigations and securities enforcement, with an emphasis on accounting and financial reporting, corporate compliance, and audit/special committee investigations. He will also advise on corporate securities and governance, shareholder activism, and ESG-related issues and opportunities, which include the energy transition, climate disclosures, enterprise risk management practices, cybersecurity, and related U.S./European regulations.
Woodcock previously served as Assistant General Counsel – Corporate at ExxonMobil Corporation, where he led all aspects of corporate, securities, ESG/sustainability, and governance for the law department. During his tenure, he served as secretary of the Audit and Finance Committees and lead lawyer for the Corporate Secretary function, Sustainability Organization, Investor Relations, Public and Government Affairs, Controllers, Finance and Treasurers. From 2011 to 2015, he served as the Director of the Fort Worth Regional Office at the SEC. In this role, he oversaw all aspects of the SEC’s enforcement and examination activities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas and served as chair of the Financial Reporting and Auditing Task Force. He practiced with Jones Day in Dallas and Washington, D.C. from 2015 to 2020 and with Vinson & Elkins from 2001 to 2011.
He serves as an adjunct law professor at Texas A&M School of Law, Fort Worth, teaching securities enforcement, compliance, and ethics. Woodcock graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 2000. He clerked for Judge Howell Cobb in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas. Prior to law school, he worked for Ernst & Young LLP and Price Waterhouse LLP.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that C. Lee Wilson has joined the firm as a partner in the New York office. Wilson will continue to focus his practice on bankruptcy, M&A, and shareholder-related litigation.
“We are delighted to welcome Lee to the firm,” said Scott J. Greenberg, Global Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. “We are already seeing accelerated growth in the bankruptcy practice and do not expect that to subside any time soon. With his deep experience and sophistication in this field, Lee is well-suited to help us meet this demand and will enhance our Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group’s position as a market leader. I am excited to be reunited in working with Lee, and look forward to welcoming him to the Gibson Dunn family.”
“Not only is Lee deeply knowledgeable in bankruptcy litigation, but he also has significant M&A litigation experience. Lee is extremely well-versed in complex commercial transactions and financial instruments,” said Reed Brodsky, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation Practice Group. “He will be a tremendous asset to our transactional disputes practice, and will also support our transactional practices more broadly, both in New York and firmwide.”
“I am excited to join the team at Gibson Dunn,” said Wilson. “I look forward to collaborating with practices across the firm’s platform, and am delighted to once again be working alongside Scott Greenberg, whom I have long regarded as one of the preeminent practitioners in the restructuring bar.”
About C. Lee Wilson
Wilson focuses on bankruptcy-related litigation, M&A-related litigation, shareholder litigation, corporate governance disputes, and contractual litigation. He also frequently advises on securities and regulatory investigations and litigation, arbitrations, and other matters. He regularly advises on contractual drafting and interpretation and potential litigation exposure in advance of M&A, private equity, and finance transactions.
In 2006, he graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology. He served as law clerk for Chief Judge Danny Julian Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced today that Apple Inc.’s Chief Privacy Officer, Jane Horvath, has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner. Horvath will become Co-Chair of the Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group alongside Ahmed Baladi in Paris, Ashlie Beringer in Palo Alto and Alexander Southwell in New York.
“As the Chief Privacy Officer at Apple, Jane led the company’s regulatory, policy and product strategy on all privacy and cybersecurity related legal matters,” said Ashlie Beringer, Co-Chair of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group. “She is an industry powerhouse with deep relationships with global regulators and policymakers. Her experience and relationships are second to none, and she will further cement Gibson Dunn’s position as the market-leading platform for privacy, cybersecurity, data innovation and technology counsel.”
“Jane is a recognized thought leader with incredible strategic and technical depth, global policy and regulatory relationships, and hands-on practical experience building privacy, cybersecurity and data solutions on a global scale and at the very edge of innovation,” said Greta Williams, Co-Partner in Charge of the D.C. office. “She adds extraordinary technical expertise to our D.C. and global platform, and her decision to join our team reflects that our firm is the premier destination practice for clients at the forefront of next generation technologies.”
“I joined the legal profession as an associate in Gibson Dunn’s D.C. office and have had the pleasure of working with the Gibson Dunn team throughout my career. In many ways, this feels like a homecoming,” said Horvath. “This is an exciting time for anyone who has a passion for both technology and the law, and as I look to begin the next phase of my career, I look forward to working alongside my Gibson Dunn colleagues to help clients develop and implement critical business strategies at scale.”
Horvath’s arrival follows on the heels of several recent additions in the last year that expand Gibson Dunn’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group, including Lauren Goldman in New York, Stephenie Gosnell Handler (former Director for Cybersecurity Strategy and Digital Acceleration at McKinsey & Company), Svetlana Gans (former Vice President and Associate General Counsel at the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association and former Chief of Staff for Acting Federal Trade Commission Chair Maureen K. Ohlhausen) and Gustav Eyler (former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch) in D.C., Vivek Mohan (former Head of Information Security Law at Apple Inc.) in Palo Alto, Joel Harrison in London and Rosemarie Ring in San Francisco. Beringer added, “Their addition to our partnership further strengthens our platform and expands our capabilities. Gibson Dunn’s collaborative approach leverages the firm’s talent across multiple practice areas to ensure the highest quality service, and Jane joins our partners in providing exceptional legal acumen and delivering results to our clients on their most critical matters.”
Gibson Dunn’s tech regulatory practice brings extensive legal expertise and experience to a wide range of technology-related matters in a rapidly evolving global economy. The firm’s top-ranked lawyers advise the world’s most dynamic tech companies on cutting-edge issues that often disrupt traditional business models. The collective experience of our attorneys uniquely positions Gibson Dunn to partner with clients in exploring new opportunities and finding innovative solutions when faced with challenges inherent in emerging areas of business and law.
About Jane Horvath
Horvath will focus her practice on advising companies on privacy, cybersecurity and data strategies, particularly those at the forefront of new regulation. She will also guide clients on advocacy and strategy with global regulators and policy makers on these issues.
She will advise company management and product teams on developing product and business strategies that involve privacy and data architecture, encryption and offensive security and data location. She will counsel public boards and audit committees on cybersecurity oversight and risk. She will also advise clients on legislative and policy strategy relating to privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and technology.
Horvath worked at Apple from 2011 to 2022, most recently serving as Chief Privacy Officer. During her 11-year tenure at Apple, she built and led the privacy legal team, gaining substantial experience in worldwide data protection laws, including in jurisdictions with omnibus privacy laws, surveillance laws and encryption and related laws. Prior to that, she served as Global Privacy Counsel at Google from 2007 to 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice’s first Chief Privacy Counsel and Civil Liberties Officer from 2006 to 2007 and the General Counsel at Digital City, an America Online subsidiary, from 1995 to 2001. She began her legal career as an associate at Gibson Dunn.
Horvath received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1991.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is significantly expanding in the Middle East, with the opening of an Abu Dhabi office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market and the hire of a seven-lawyer team in the United Arab Emirates.
The new team includes three of the leading partners in the Middle East: Renad Younes and Samuel Ogunlaja who will join the new Abu Dhabi office, and Jade Chu, who will be based in Dubai. Renad is one of the top-ranked lawyers in the region, recognized as a leading individual by Chambers for both M&A and Energy. She is the only lawyer listed in the Hall of Fame category for UAE Oil, Gas and Natural Resources in Legal 500 EMEA 2022.
The announcement closely follows news of the arrival of leading capital markets partner Marwan Elaraby to Gibson Dunn’s Dubai office last October. The firm also recently announced that it had promoted private equity lawyer Hanna Chalhoub and international arbitration lawyer Nooree Moola to its partnership in Dubai.
Commenting on the major expansion, Barbara Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn, said: “Gibson Dunn has had a presence in the Middle East for over four decades, and Abu Dhabi’s evolution into a global energy, finance and commerce center has led us to open our Abu Dhabi office. This is the latest exciting development for the firm in a region where we see tremendous opportunity and expect continued growth.”
“We are committed to continuing to broaden our work in the United Arab Emirates and wider Middle East, and are investing in this through the hire of additional best-in-class lawyers, as well as through the internal promotion of our outstanding talent.’’
Renad Younes
Younes advises companies, financial institutions, and governments on international M&A transactions and project development. She is focused on the energy sector, including renewable energy and infrastructure, and has extensive experience in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. She also has particular experience with structuring complex, regulated, and market-facing global joint ventures.
Jade Chu
Chu advises corporates, government entities, sponsors, and financial institutions on corporate transactions, including domestic and cross-border public and private M&A, joint ventures, and equity capital markets transactions.
Samuel Ogunlaja
Ogunlaja focuses on project development and finance in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He advises sponsors, governments, government-owned entities, and financial institutions on a broad range of corporate matters, including greenfield and brownfield project development, M&A, carve-outs, restructurings, and capital market transactions in the Middle East and Africa regions.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Amanda H. Neely has rejoined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as an of counsel after eight years of service on Capitol Hill. Neely serves as a member of the firm’s Public Policy and Congressional Investigations Practice Groups.
Prior to rejoining the firm, Neely served as Director of Governmental Affairs for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel to Senator Rob Portman. Under Senator Portman’s chairmanship, she also served as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In those roles, she managed Senator Portman’s regulatory reform agenda and led oversight of federal government agencies and investigations into private entities. She previously served in several other Capitol Hill offices including as Oversight Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means.
“For years, Amanda has been one of the most respected and well-liked staff persons on Capitol Hill. She has earned her reputation for working across the aisle and getting things done. We are thrilled to have her back at Gibson Dunn and our clients are as well,” said Michael Bopp, Chair of the firm’s Congressional Investigations Group and Co-Chair of the Public Policy Practice Group.
At Gibson Dunn, Neely has represented clients undergoing investigations by several congressional committees, including the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and both the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. She has helped witnesses prepare to testify before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, and the House Financial Services Committee. She also has assisted clients appearing before independent commissions such as the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission and the Commission on Wartime Contracting, as well as assisted clients engaging with regulatory agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission in their rulemaking processes.
Neely graduated cum laude from both Duke University School of Law in 2008 and Princeton University in 2003. She clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Akiva Shapiro has been appointed Chair of Gibson Dunn’s New York Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group. Shapiro will continue his practice focused on administrative law and constitutional challenges to government action, matters involving regulatory agencies, and high-stakes commercial and appellate litigation.
“We are excited for Akiva to lead our New York administrative law and regulatory practice and continue to successfully bring justice to our clients, challenging rules and regulations that exceed agencies’ authority,” said Mylan Denerstein, Co-Partner in Charge of the New York Office.
“Gibson Dunn has an unparalleled national reputation for defending clients from regulatory overreach,” said Eugene Scalia, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice. “We are thrilled to have Akiva leading this practice in New York.”
“I’m excited to step into a new role at the firm and to continue to expand our administrative law and regulatory practice in New York,” said Shapiro.
About Akiva Shapiro
Shapiro’s practice focuses on a broad range of administrative law, constitutional, commercial, and appellate litigation matters. He is regularly engaged in front of New York’s trial courts, federal and state courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shapiro graduated in 2008 with a joint degree from Columbia Law School, where he served as a Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review, and Yale University, where he received an M.A. in religious studies and was a member of the Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP has elected 37 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1, 2023.
Commenting on the new partners, Gibson Dunn Chair and Managing Partner Barbara L. Becker said: “We have promoted these exceptional lawyers to our partnership in recognition of their excellent client work and significant contributions as ambassadors of our community. We look forward to their continued leadership and success in the years to come.”
The newly elected partners are:
Daniel S. Alterbaum (Mergers and Acquisitions / New York) represents buyers and sellers in a wide variety of transactions in the private equity, fintech, renewable energy and infrastructure sectors. He received his JD from Yale Law School in 2012.
Russell Balikian (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Washington, D.C.) has significant experience litigating high-stakes appeals and regulatory challenges in the U.S. Supreme Court, D.C. Circuit, and other courts across the country. He received his law degree from Yale Law School in 2012.
Hanna Chalhoub (Private Equity / Dubai) advises institutional investors, asset managers, and corporations on a wide range of complex cross-border transactions. He received his LLM from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2009 and his law degree from Saint Joseph University of Beirut in 2004.
Jaysen S. Chung (Intellectual Property / San Francisco) focuses on patent and appellate litigation, and has extensive experience in a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and virtualization technologies. He received his JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2011.
Martie Kutscher Clark (Litigation / Palo Alto) represents Silicon Valley technology companies in all stages of litigation, with a focus on high-stakes, bet-the-company matters, including founders’ disputes, consumer class actions, data privacy actions, securities actions, and trade secret disputes. She received her law degree from Columbia Law School in 2012.
Christine Demana (Litigation / Dallas) has deep trial-court experience in the technology industry and in litigating and counseling clients on high-profile commercial matters involving misappropriation of trade secrets/restrictive covenants, breaches of contract, securities and other frauds, and the press. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2011.
Naima L. Farrell (Litigation / Washington, D.C.) represents clients in a wide range of high-stakes employment litigation matters, including cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour violations. She received her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2013.
Amy Feagles (Antitrust and Competition / Washington, D.C.) has a wide range of experience in internal investigations, regulatory and criminal investigations by U.S. and international agencies, and complex commercial litigation. She graduated from Duke University School of Law in 2013.
Jason J. Fleischer (Energy, Regulation and Litigation / Washington, D.C.) focuses on energy litigation, regulatory and transactional matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, other federal agencies and the federal courts. He graduated from the American University Washington College of Law in 2006.
Jonathan D. Fortney (Securities Litigation / New York) has experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on securities litigation, corporate control contests, and shareholder actions alleging breaches of fiduciary duties. He received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2009.
Justine Marie Goeke (Litigation / New York) has substantial frontline trial and complex commercial litigation experience, including in tech, trade secrets, and bankruptcy matters. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2013.
Sarah L. Graham (Mergers and Acquisitions / Los Angeles) represents strategic and financial buyers, sellers and investors in public and private M&A, joint ventures, investments, and other business transactions, with a focus on the media and entertainment, private equity, technology, and gaming industries. She received her law degree from Columbia Law School in 2011.
Taylor Hathaway-Zepeda (Mergers and Acquisitions / Los Angeles) focuses on public and private company mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, restructuring transactions and general corporate governance. She received her law degree from Harvard Law School in 2011.
Tiaunia Henry (Litigation / Los Angeles) is an experienced trial attorney who focuses primarily on high-stakes complex business litigation, including antitrust, breach of contract and transnational cases. She received her JD and her LLM in Comparative and International Law from Duke University School of Law in 2007.
Brad G. Hubbard (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Dallas) represents clients in their most complex, high-stakes, and high-profile matters before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, and state and federal appellate courts throughout the nation. He earned his JD from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013.
Katharina E. Humphrey (White Collar Defense and Investigations / Munich) advises clients in connection with complex cross-border internal investigations and compliance management systems. She received her law degree from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2010.
Ashley E. Johnson (Litigation / Dallas) represents corporate clients across industries in complex, high-profile employment and antitrust disputes. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 2004.
Angelique Kaounis (Litigation and Intellectual Property / Century City) represents clients in a range of commercial litigation, with a focus on trade secret misappropriation cases, business torts, and contract disputes. She earned her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2000.
Daniel Landy (Real Estate / Los Angeles) represents real estate funds, lenders, and institutional and non-institutional investors in all areas of real estate. He graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2013.
Christopher Lang (Mergers and Acquisitions / New York) represents both public and private companies and financial sponsors in connection with M&A, divestitures, joint ventures, minority investments, recapitalizations, and other complex corporate transactions. He received his JD from the New York University School of Law in 2013.
Casey J. McCracken (Litigation / Orange County) practices complex commercial litigation, with particular experience in technology litigation, including patent litigation, software copyright, contract disputes, and licensing. He graduated from Stanford Law School in 2009.
Nooree Moola (International Arbitration / Dubai) represents clients in commercial and investment disputes, energy disputes, and anti-corruption matters in international arbitration and litigation. She received an LLB from the Queensland University of Technology in 2008 and an LLM from the University of Queensland in 2012.
Eve Mrozek (Investment Funds / New York) advises private capital sponsors on the formation and operation of their funds across a variety of strategies, including real estate, buyout and growth equity, and also represents clients on strategic secondary transactions and investments. She received her JD from Villanova University in 2013.
Joe Orien (Mergers and Acquisitions / Dallas) advises a diverse set of private and public clients in negotiating and completing complex business transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, growth and venture investments, minority investments, leveraged acquisitions, exits, and complex strategic and commercial agreements. He earned his law degree at Brigham Young University in 2013.
Alexander L. Orr (Mergers and Acquisitions / Washington, D.C.) advises public and private companies, private equity firms, boards of directors and special committees in a wide variety of complex corporate transactions. He received his law degree from the Emory University School of Law in 2010.
Piers Plumptre (Litigation and International Arbitration / London) focuses on international arbitration and enforcement, complex commercial litigation, financial services disputes, and international fraud and white collar crime. He received his Graduate Diploma in Law from Oxford Institute of Legal Practice in 2010.
Karin Portlock (White Collar Defense and Investigations / New York) focuses on the full spectrum of internal corporate and government investigations, including highly sensitive workplace investigations and independent inquiries, as well as regulatory enforcement matters and criminal defense. She graduated from Columbia Law School in 2008.
Joseph R. Rose (Litigation / San Francisco) focuses on high-stakes employment disputes, commercial litigation, class actions, antitrust matters, and law firm defense. He received his JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2011.
Benjamin Saltsman (Land Use and Development / Los Angeles) focuses on land use and real estate matters, with an emphasis on successfully obtaining land use entitlements for major real estate development projects in California. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in 2014.
Jan Schubert (Private Equity / Frankfurt) advises private equity firms and strategic investors on domestic and cross-border private M&A transactions, joint ventures, management investment programs and venture capital financings. He received his JD from University of Potsdam in 2012.
Matthew Schwartz (Private Equity / New York) focuses on representing sponsors, and public and private companies, in mergers and acquisitions and represents clients in the sports and entertainment industry in a wide variety of transactions. He received his JD from the University of Chicago Law School in 2012.
Jeremy S. Smith (Litigation and Class Actions / Los Angeles) represents clients in complex litigation and class actions in both trial and appellate courts across numerous areas of law, including privacy, consumer fraud, constitutional law, and insurance law. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 2011.
Harrison Tucker (Capital Markets / Houston) represents public and private businesses in a broad range of corporate and securities matters, including equity, debt and Rule 144A offerings, reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, stock exchange compliance, and beneficial ownership reporting matters. He received his JD from the University of Houston Law Center in 2008.
David C. Ware (Securities Enforcement / Washington, D.C.) represents issuers and audit firms in SEC, PCAOB and other regulatory and criminal investigations and enforcement actions and conducts internal investigations in the areas of auditing, accounting, and securities compliance. He received his JD from Harvard Law School in 2002.
Chris Wilson (Antitrust and Competition / Washington, D.C.) assists clients in navigating DOJ, FTC, state attorney general, and international competition authority investigations as well as private party litigation involving complex antitrust and consumer protection issues. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 2009.
Betty X. Yang (Litigation / Dallas) practices complex civil litigation, with a focus on bet-the-company trials. She received her JD from Duke University School of Law in 2009.
Charline O. Yim (International Arbitration / New York) has extensive experience representing clients in investment treaty and international commercial arbitrations, including in the energy, telecommunications, construction, consumer products, financial services, and banking sectors, and advising clients on public international law matters. She earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 2011.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Gustav W. Eyler has rejoined the firm as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office. Eyler most recently served for five years as Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, having worked before then in other senior roles at DOJ. At Gibson Dunn, he will serve as Co-Chair of the firm’s FDA and Health Care Practice Group and will represent clients in government investigations and enforcement actions related to consumer protection, fraud, and privacy laws. He joins more than 60 former federal prosecutors and enforcers at the firm.
“We are delighted to welcome Gus back to Gibson Dunn,” said F. Joseph Warin, Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation Department in the Washington, D.C. office, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Global White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. “After successive senior positions in a variety of significant DOJ roles, Gus returns to the firm where he started his career. His government experience, particularly as Director of the Consumer Protection Branch, has given him significant experience across a range of criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement and policy issues that will be a tremendous resource to our clients.”
“We are very excited to have Gus back,” said Thomas H. Dupree Jr., Co-Partner-in-Charge of the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. “He has broad government experience at a senior level. He is smart, driven, and extremely talented. He will be a strong addition to multiple practices across the firm.”
“I am thrilled to return to Gibson Dunn,” said Eyler. “The white collar practice at Gibson Dunn has an unmatched record of success in handling complex government investigations and prosecutions. I am proud to rejoin that practice and to work again with the firm’s outstanding people.”
About Gustav W. Eyler
Eyler will represent companies and executives facing potential liability under consumer protection, fraud, and privacy laws. Leveraging his experience, he will focus on advising clients in the life-sciences, healthcare, consumer-product, retail, and technology sectors.
As Director of the DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch from 2017 to 2022, Eyler led more than 250 prosecutors and staff in the criminal and civil enforcement of consumer protection statutes, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Controlled Substances Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, numerous fraud laws, and statutes administered by the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Eyler supervised landmark litigation involving prescription drugs, medical devices, food, tobacco, consumer products, deceptive practices, and data privacy. As the Food and Drug Administration’s principal outside counsel, Eyler also oversaw defense of the agency’s actions in federal district courts throughout the country. Eyler recently served as a member of the Deputy Attorney General’s Corporate Crime Advisory Group, helping to craft the DOJ’s new corporate compliance and cooperation standards.
From 2014 to 2017, Eyler served as Counselor to the Attorney General and as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. He was a litigation associate at Gibson Dunn from 2010 to 2014. Before then, Eyler served as a counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and as a law clerk to Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Eyler graduated in 2008 from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review. He is a 2005 summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Daniel P. Smith has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as an of counsel. Smith serves as a member of the firm’s Public Policy and Congressional Investigations Practice Groups.
Smith’s practice focuses on advancing clients’ interests before the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch, including providing a range of public policy services to clients such as strategic counseling, advocacy, coalition building, political intelligence gathering, substantive policy expertise, legislative drafting, and message development.
“Danny brings almost a decade of Senate experience and expertise that will greatly benefit our clients,” said Roscoe Jones Jr., Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Public Policy Practice Group. “He is a tremendous talent who knows his way around Capitol Hill. He will be a valuable contributor to our Public Policy Practice Group and we are thrilled to have him on board.”
Prior to joining the firm, Smith worked for U.S. Senator Cory A. Booker for nearly a decade, starting as a Legislative Correspondent and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Counsel, Counsel, and Chief Counsel. As Senator Booker’s Chief Counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, Smith managed and directed Senator Booker’s work before the Committee and provided strategic and political advice to the Senator on a range of policy issues, including antitrust, civil rights, criminal justice, homeland security, intellectual property, national security, nominations to the Executive and Judicial Branches, privacy, and technology.
Smith received his law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Smith is currently only admitted to the practice of law in Illinois; in D.C. he is presently practicing under the supervision of members of the District of Columbia Bar under D.C. App. R. 49.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that James M. Hays will join the firm’s Houston office as a partner, where he will continue to counsel private fund sponsors on the organization and administration of private investment funds across a diverse range of asset classes and strategies.
“We are delighted to welcome James to Gibson Dunn,” said Michael P. Darden, Partner-in-Charge of the Houston office of Gibson Dunn. “James is a highly talented investment funds lawyer whose deep market knowledge and in-house experience at Blackstone will add further breadth to our premier investment funds practice.”
“James has the benefit of having practiced both in-house and as outside counsel, which make his skillset particularly attractive for investment fund sponsors navigating today’s highly competitive fundraising environment and deepens our bench of practitioners with similar experiences,” said Shukie Grossman, Co-Chair of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group. “In addition to advising on fund formation matters across all key asset classes, James also has extensive experience with European fund distribution and the establishment of investment funds in Luxembourg which are increasingly featured in the market. He will not only be an excellent addition to our practice in the growing Texas market but a key asset to our distinguished global practice as well.”
“I am thrilled to join Gibson Dunn,” said Hays. “The firm’s sophisticated investment funds platform and depth of capabilities are a terrific bolster to the service of my clients and the expansion of my practice. The firm’s reputation for a truly collaborative culture precedes it, and I look forward to working alongside my new colleagues as we help our clients achieve their fundraising goals.”
About James M. Hays
Hays focuses on representing sponsors in the organization and administration of private investment funds across a diverse range of asset classes and strategies, including real estate, energy, and infrastructure. In addition, he also frequently advises asset managers on matters related to the distribution of alternative investment funds in Europe and the establishment of funds in Luxembourg.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Hays led the private funds practice in Houston at another international law firm. Previously, he was a vice president in the real estate group at Blackstone Inc. In this role, he advised on multiple fund-raises and co-investments, as well as regulatory and strategic initiatives for Blackstone’s global real estate portfolio. Hays was also integral to the establishment of Blackstone’s Luxembourg-based alternative investment fund manager, Blackstone Europe Fund Management. He began his career at Simpson Thacher in New York.
Hays graduated summa cum laude in 2010 from Brooklyn Law School, where he was valedictorian. Following graduation, Hays served as a law clerk for Judge Edward R. Korman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that AnnElyse Scarlett Gains has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner, where she will continue her business restructuring and reorganization practice.
“AnnElyse is a fantastic addition to the Gibson Dunn team,” said Greta B. Williams, Co-Partner-in-Charge of the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. “She is a well-respected, experienced lawyer who will add further bench strength to our premier business restructuring and reorganization practice.”
“We are excited to have AnnElyse join Gibson Dunn,” said Scott J. Greenberg, Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. “Her vast experience in large complex restructurings specifically and in the distressed finance space more generally will allow her to contribute immediately to our practice. Adding someone of AnnElyse’s caliber will help ensure that we continue to have the bandwidth necessary to handle the growing demand we are seeing as a result of the uncertain economic forecast facing a number of business sectors today.”
“I am delighted to begin the next chapter of my career at Gibson Dunn,” said Gains. “The firm’s strong restructuring and reorganization practice has a market-leading reputation, which will serve as an excellent platform as I continue to grow my practice, but the real draw was the firm’s truly collaborative culture. I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues as we help our clients achieve their business objectives.”
About AnnElyse Scarlett Gains
Gains focuses on representing businesses in corporate restructurings, distressed financing, liability management transactions, recapitalizations, and other special situation transactions in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings, and Chapter 11 cases. She advises boards of directors, board committees, and senior management on a range of issues, including fiduciary duties and corporate governance, as well as investors, purchasers, and other stakeholders evaluating strategic transactions with target companies facing actual and potential economic stress.
Gains earned her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2013, where she served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Law, Technology & Policy and was recognized as a Harno Scholar and a Lincoln Scholar. After graduation, she served as a law clerk for Judge Peter J. Walsh in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Judge Robert Spano, will join Gibson Dunn in London following the end of his term this 31 October 2022.
Judge Spano is an acknowledged expert in the field of digital rights, having been involved extra-judicially in extensive policy work in relation to challenges in the areas of disinformation, online content moderation and freedom of expression, and decided some of the landmark judgments in the field. He will join the firm as Of Counsel on 1 January 2023, advising clients on multi-national disputes, particularly in the fields of digital rights, public international law and investor-state arbitration, on business and human rights, ESG (environment, social and governance), and on government affairs and public policy.
Commenting on the hire, Philip Rocher, head of the London Dispute Resolution Group at Gibson Dunn, said: “Judge Spano has overseen transformational change at the Court, and has presided over a period of multiple generational human rights challenges for Europe. His role has involved extensive diplomatic and policy engagement with the governments of individual signatory states within the Council of Europe, and with the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission. We are looking forward to having him apply that drive and energy to our clients’ most significant global disputes and regulatory challenges.”
Robert’s arrival is part of a period of expansion at Gibson Dunn in London over the past 12 months, with the hires of technology partners Alison Beal and Joel Harrison, private equity partners Isabel Berger, Alice Brogi, Robert Dixon, Federico Fruhbeck, Till Lefranc, and Wim De Vlieger, and capital markets partner Hugo Hernandez-Mancha.