Former ExxonMobil Counsel David Woodcock Joins Gibson Dunn in Dallas

Firm News  |  February 6, 2023

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.