Madeleine F. McKenna

Associate Attorney

​Madeleine McKenna is a litigation associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. She practices in the firm’s Insurance, Class Actions, Labor and Employment, and Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Groups, with a focus on complex civil litigation in the trial courts and on appeal.

Madeleine has represented clients in a variety of high-stakes, complex litigation matters in state and federal courts, with a particular focus on class and representative actions involving employment and consumer protection claims. She has also litigated a wide variety of appellate matters.

Recent representative experience includes:

  • Defeating class certification in a first-of-its-kind action challenging “no poach” agreements under the federal antitrust laws;
  • Winning dismissal with prejudice of a putative, nationwide class action asserting breach of contract and consumer protection claims against an online retailer;
  • Successfully defending a summary judgment win on appeal on behalf of a major technology company;
  • Negotiating a favorable settlement of misclassification, wage and hour, and PAGA claims on behalf of a gig economy client;
  • Advising clients in a variety of industries regarding their arbitration agreements, and defending against mass arbitration claims.

Madeleine earned her law degree from Stanford Law School, where she served as an articles editor for the Stanford Law Review and a teaching assistant for evidence and the first-year writing course. While a student in Stanford’s Environmental Law Clinic, she argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and obtained reversal of the district court’s decision denying her pro bono client’s request for attorneys’ fees. Madeleine graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Washington, where she also served as student body president. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, she clerked for the Honorable Richard C. Tallman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is admitted to the State Bar of California and the Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Capabilities

Credentials

Education:
  • Stanford University - 2016 Juris Doctor
  • University of Washington - 2011 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
  • California Bar
Clerkships:
  • US Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, Hon. Richard C. Tallman, 2016 - 2017