Emily Naughton is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the Real Estate Practice Group where she advises clients on a broad array of commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on digital infrastructure. She represents data center owners, developers, operators, and investors globally in connection with acquisition and development projects, disposition and transition of data center facilities, and data center leases and collocation agreements. Emily has deep experience in the data center industry, and an in-depth understanding of the technology powering the cloud and the market for data center services, and applies this knowledge to assist clients with finding practical solutions to meet their business needs.
Emily has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2025.
Her recent experience includes the following representations:*
- Negotiation of data center leases and colocation agreements with hyperscale and enterprise customers globally on behalf of both privately held and publicly traded data center operators.
- Acquisition of greenfield sites across the U.S. on behalf of data center operators and infrastructure investors for development as data centers.
- Disposition and lease back of data center assets on behalf of enterprise owner/operators, including a Fortune 500 fintech company and a regional health care system.
- Development of data center lease and colocation agreement forms for data center owners and operators.
Emily received her B.A. with distinction from McGill University, and her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law where she was a member of the American University International Law Review. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.
*Includes representations prior to Emily’s association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- American University - Washington D.C. - 2004 Juris Doctor
- McGill University - 2002 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- District of Columbia Bar
- Maryland Bar
- New York Bar
- Virginia Bar