Matthew Sessions is an associate at the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His practice specializes in labor and employment matters, commercial litigation, and white-collar defense and investigations.
Matthew has extensive experience in and out of the courtroom defending companies of various sizes against high-risk, complex, and class-action litigation. His successes include defeating class certification, securing complete dismissals of claims on the pleadings, and achieving favorable outcomes at the trial court and appellate levels.
Matthew’s representative matters include defending against claims of discrimination and wage and hour violations under state and federal law (including cases alleging misclassification of workers, failure to pay overtime, failure to provide meal and rest breaks, failure to provide accurate wage statements, and failure to reimburse business expenses); defending agency enforcement actions and investigations; and enforcing a variety of business-related contracts and employment agreements. Matthew also dedicates a significant portion of his practice to advising employers with respect to employment-related issues, as well as negotiating and drafting severance and separation agreements for employees.
Matthew’s representative matters include:
Representative Labor and Employment Experience
- Representing technology and aerospace companies in state and federal courts in wage and hour and wrongful termination class actions, PAGA matters, and individual lawsuits and arbitrations.
- Representing agriculture companies in multiple suits in California involving diverse issues regarding the California Labor Code.
- Representing insurance company in wage and hour suits brought throughout the U.S. regarding the FLSA.
- Representing gig economy companies in multiple suits and arbitrations across the U.S. regarding claims of misclassification.
- Representing education provider in suit regarding claims of failure to reimburse for business expenses.
- Representing auto manufacturer in multiple suits and arbitrations regarding various claims under the California Labor Code.
- Representing prominent retailer in appeal before the Ninth Circuit regarding claims under California law.
- Counseling employers on areas of both state and federal employment law.
- Serving as counsel on multiple M&A matters regarding areas of state and federal employment law.
Representative Complex Litigation and Investigations Experience
- Representing various private equity firms, privately held entities, and publicly traded companies in multiple suits regarding breach of contract and fraud.
- Representing prominent social media company in multidistrict litigation regarding data privacy.
- Representing food and beverage manufacturer in high profile suit regarding claims of environmental harm.
- Representing universities in high profile class actions.
- Representing multiple international companies in Latin America-based investigations regarding claims under the FCPA.
- Representing food manufacturer in investigations regarding claims under federal employment law.
Fluent in Spanish, Matthew leverages his language skills extensively in both labor and employment matters and white-collar defense and investigations, offering a unique perspective from a labor and employment and bilingual angle. He has represented clients across diverse industries such as tech, defense, aerospace, transportation, retail, insurance, and farming, among others.
Matthew has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for Commercial Litigation, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2022-2024). He also received the 2017 Attorney of the Year award from the Public Law Center for his involvement in a successful federal jury trial.
Matthew is admitted to practice law in the state of California and various federal courts. He earned his Juris Doctor summa cum laude and as the valedictorian from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2015, where he was the Essays & Reviews Editor of the Pepperdine Law Review and president of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Matthew also served as the litigation supervisor for Pepperdine’s Special Education Clinic. He received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Utah in 2012.
In 2016 and 2017, Matthew served as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Carol Bagley Amon of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Matthew has a strong commitment to pro bono work and community involvement. He also currently serves as a member of the Firm’s Associates Committee in which he provides regular trainings and guidance to associates in the Orange County office and throughout the Firm.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- Pepperdine University - 2015 Juris Doctor
- University of Utah - 2012 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
Clerkships:
- USDC, Eastern District of New York, Hon. Carol Bagley Amon, 2016 - 2017