Natalie Hausknecht is a partner in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s litigation department. She is an experienced trial and consumer protection/privacy defense attorney with experience in high-exposure representations of major technology and fintech companies, global energy leaders, and corporate executives. Her experience also has included handling high priority state and federal government investigations involving state Attorneys General, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Natalie has continuously received recognition in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America since 2021.
For two decades, Natalie has advised global government and business leaders in high-stakes situations during which she has built a reputation for sound judgment and creativity. As an attorney, she is an experienced product counselor on marketing, consumer experience, and privacy issues. She also has successfully defended clients in several important litigation, investigative, and appellate matters, including:
- High-profile worker classification disputes for gig economy companies, including defeating preliminary injunction motions seeking the reclassification of independent workers as employees and securing dismissal of multiple putative class action complaints.
- Multiple high priority Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigations for large technology companies—none of which have resulted in any action or consent decree with the Commission.
- Numerous complex putative class actions and law enforcement suits in federal and state court involving consumer disclosures and privacy claims, many of which have been resolved pre-discovery.
- A broad-ranging SEC investigation into the actions of a Board of Directors and several executives that resulted in no prosecutorial action.
- An FCPA investigation concerning business contracts in Latin America.
- Multiple bench and jury trials successfully resolved in commercial litigation involving fraud or trade secret claims.
- Successful early dismissal or resolution of privacy and First Amendment claims for major technology companies and platforms, including those involving the Stored Communications Act.
Natalie also maintains an active pro bono practice. In 2019, she obtained a unanimous reversal and a remand to the Board of Immigration Appeals from the Seventh Circuit in a pro bono immigration appeal: Ruderman v. Whitaker, 914 F.3d 567 (7th Cir. 2019). She also works frequently with non-profits to evaluate and investigate claims of actual innocence for incarcerated criminal defendants.
Natalie earned her law degree from Yale Law School. During law school, she served as an advocate for children in abuse and neglect proceedings, including in hearings and trials. She received the Florence M. Kelley Family Law Prize in recognition of her outstanding courtroom advocacy work.
Prior to joining the firm, Natalie clerked for the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Honorable James E. Boasberg of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
She is also an international security and development expert with broad experience advising leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Before attending law school, she worked as a senior special advisor to president of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq for almost a decade. She won a Marshall Scholarship during this time and earned her Doctorate in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and her Masters of Science with honors from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Natalie also graduated summa cum laude from American University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Service. She was recognized as the Outstanding Academic in her class at American, where she also won several other academic and athletic awards, including a 2002 Boren National Security Scholarship.
She is a member of the State Bar of Colorado.
Capabilities
- Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Energy and Infrastructure
- Labor and Employment
- Oil and Gas
- Tech and Innovation
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- Yale University - 2015 Juris Doctor
- University of St Andrews - 2013 Doctor of Philosophy
- SOAS - University of London - 2007 Master of Science
- American University - Washington D.C. - 2004 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- Colorado Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, Hon. Thomas Griffith, 2016 - 2017
- USDC, District of Columbia, Hon. James Boasberg, 2015 - 2016