Andrew LeGrand

Andrew LeGrand is a Dallas partner with extensive experience in a broad range of complex commercial litigation. He principally focuses on class actions and other high-stakes disputes, and he has successfully represented corporate clients—both inside and outside of the courtroom—in matters across various disciplines, including litigation involving claims under the consumer-protection, product liability, and antitrust laws.

Andrew’s recent accolades include being ranked by Chambers USA as an “Up and Coming” lawyer in Litigation: General Commercial. He was named a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation,  one of The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Commercial Litigation and Appellate practices, one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” by D Magazine, one of 500 Leading Litigators in America by Lawdragon, a “Minority Business Leader” and member of the “40 Under 40” list by the Dallas Business Journal, and a “Lawyer on the Rise” by Texas Lawyer. Andrew was also recognized by Super Lawyers as a Civil Litigation: Defense “Super Lawyer,” and previously as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star”, and recognized by the National Black Lawyers as a Top 40 Under 40.

Andrew’s recent representative matters include:

• Co-lead trial counsel in an age-discrimination case brought in the District of New Jersey by a former sales director against a health care products company. After the week-long trial, the jurors deliberated for less than an hour and unanimously found that Gibson Dunn’s client had not terminated the plaintiff’s employment because of his age.
• Co-lead trial counsel in a receivership case in California state court. After a 3-day bench trial, the court awarded Gibson Dunn’s client a substantial portion of the relief requested.   
• Lead trial counsel for a global media company in Fair Labor Standards Act litigation. Andrew served as lead trial counsel in one of the first in-person federal jury trials in the country during the COVID pandemic. At the conclusion of the five-day trial, the jury returned a complete verdict for Gibson Dunn’s client in a matter of minutes.
• Co-lead trial counsel for a title insurance and property valuations company involved in trade-secret and attorney’s fees litigation. After Gibson Dunn was retained for the case, Andrew successfully defended the company at trial against a claim for $80 million in attorney’s fees.
• Lead trial counsel for a global payments technology company in litigation related to merchant data breaches and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
• Lead trial counsel for a global telecommunications company in litigation involving claims of fraudulent overbilling. Andrew successfully persuaded the plaintiff to voluntarily dismiss its claims, with prejudice and without payment from Gibson Dunn’s client.
• Lead counsel for an insurance company in a putative class action brought on behalf of flexible premium adjustable life insurance policyholders who alleged the company unlawfully underbilled on the policies to capture “shock lapses” and “hostage premiums” and set Cost of Insurance rates “based on” factors beyond those expressly referenced in the policy.
• Counsel for the manufacturer and retailer of a highway safety product in three separate class actions in Wisconsin and Illinois. Both suits were voluntarily dismissed, without any payment from Gibson Dunn’s client, after Andrew deposed the class representative in those cases.
• Counsel for a major healthcare organization in antitrust class actions brought by employees who alleged that their wages were artificially suppressed by the defendants’ sharing of compensation information. Andrew served on the trial and appellate teams that defeated class certification.
• Trial and appellate counsel for client that successfully defeated class certification in a multibillion dollar putative class action brought by rail freight consumers who allege that the Class I railroads conspired to impose rate-based fuel surcharges.
• Counsel for a global telecommunications company in multiple lawsuits alleging False Claims Act violations in connection with the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries (“E-Rate”).
• Counsel for a private Texas company that successfully struck class allegations on the pleadings in a consumer-fraud class action filed in Illinois, asserting claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and for unjust enrichment.
• Counsel for a client that convinced a federal district court, in an issue of first impression, to apply the Trust Fund Doctrine and dismiss a strike suit filed by creditors of a major utility company and its Board of Directors.
• Counsel for the University of Texas at Austin at the certiorari and merits stage in the Supreme Court of the United States in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2016).

Andrew also proudly maintains an active pro bono docket. He received the firm’s 2016 Frank Wheat Individual Pro Bono Award for his individual pro bono efforts, and he recently detailed his commitment to pro bono during a podcast hosted by the Pro Bono Institute. Andrew’s pro bono matters include:

• Briefing and arguing an appeal related to the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and convincing the Third Court of Appeals in Texas to reverse and remand for further proceedings.
• Briefing and arguing an appeal of the denial of habeas relief to a Wisconsin state prisoner who was denied his Sixth Amendment right to represent himself at trial, and convincing the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to grant habeas relief.
• Briefing and arguing a direct criminal appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, convincing the Seventh Circuit to reverse our client’s conviction for structuring transactions in violation of 31 U.S.C. § 5324, and persuading the U.S. Attorney’s Office on remand to drop all charges.
• Briefing and arguing a prisoner’s rights appeal in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, convincing the court to reinstate the plaintiff’s pro se complaint, which alleged both deliberate-indifference and First Amendment retaliation claims, and instruct the district court to recruit pro bono counsel on remand.
• Filing amicus briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States in Byrd v. United States, Torres v. Lynch, and Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Busk.

Andrew is also active in his community. He was a member of the Dallas Regional Chambers’ Leadership Dallas Class of 2018 and a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers 2016 Leadership Class; he serves on the Board of Directors for Hope Cottage Pregnancy and Adoption Center and the Cedar Hill Economic Development Corporation; and he is a volunteer baseball coach. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the UNT Dallas College of Law, where he teaches legal writing.

Andrew earned his law degree from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar. He was elected by his peers to serve as the graduation speaker for the J.D. Class of 2009. As an undergraduate, Andrew obtained dual baccalaureate degrees in English and African American Studies from the University of Oklahoma. He graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and he was awarded the Letzeiser Award, which is given annually to three outstanding graduates. Andrew holds a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. He worked in education before beginning his legal career.

From 2010 to 2011, Andrew served as a law clerk to the Honorable A. Joe Fish in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. And from 2011 to 2012, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ann Claire Williams in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2011-2012).

Andrew is a member of the State Bar of Texas. He is member of the State Bar of Texas’s Pro Bono College and he is a Guardian member of the Texas Access to Justice Commission’s Champion of Justice Society.

Publications:

• Andrew LeGrand, Trey Cox & Thomas Molloy, “Best Practices for Texas Lawyers Negotiating Over Email,” Texas Lawyer
• Christopher Chorba, Andrew LeGrand & Will Thompson, “Post-Spokeo Issues Emerge in the 5th Circ.,” Law360
• Veronica Lewis, Andrew LeGrand & Bennett Rawicki, “No Anti-Competitive Intent, No Treble Damages: A Proposal,” Law360
• Karl G. Nelson & Andrew LeGrand, “Recent EEOC Activity Highlights the Importance of Assessing Law Firm Partnership Practices, 16 L.” Firm Partnership & Benefits 3 (May 2010)
• Note, Narrowing the Tailoring: How Parents Involved Limits the Use of Race in Higher Education Admissions, 21 Nat’l Black L.J. 53 (2009)

Capabilities

• Litigation
• Anti-Corruption & FCPA
• Antitrust and Competition
• Appellate and Constitutional Law
• Class Actions
• Trials

Credentials

Education:

• Columbia University - 2015 Doctor of Education
• Columbia University - 2009 Juris Doctor
• Columbia University - 2006 Master of Education
• University of Oklahoma - 2004 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• Texas Bar

Clerkships:

• US Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, Hon. Ann Claire Williams, 2011 - 2012
• USDC, Northern District of Texas, Hon. A. Joe Fish, 2010 - 2011