Orin Snyder

Orin Snyder is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading trial lawyers, litigators, and corporate advisors. A former federal prosecutor, Orin is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. The prestigious Chambers USA 2024 ranks him in Band 1 in New York for both General Commercial Litigation and Media & Entertainment Litigation, and in Band 1 Nationwide for Litigation: Trial Lawyers.  Orin is co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Trials Practice Group.

Awards and Recognition

Acclaimed by clients as “a maestro in the courtroom" and "The only person I would hire in a crisis,” Orin is known for being “strategic, brilliant and able to find a solution to any issue." Orin is described as “absolutely the best – he’s an aggressive, highly motivated and incredibly effective courtroom litigator,” “ultra smart and highly focused,” “totally dedicated to winning,” with “exemplary trial skills” and a “strong voice at the table.” He is singled out for being “exceptional in high-stakes commercial litigation.” “His performance at trial is masterful.” In his Chambers USA Band 1 General Commercial Litigation ranking, clients have remarked: “He is just a very, very talented trial lawyer but also someone who is a great litigator and very strategic. He is the perfect storm.” “Orin is a superstar and one of the best trial lawyers in the country.” In his Band 1 Media & Entertainment Litigation ranking, clients have described him as “a heavyweight in the industry who makes things happen.” In his top Trial Lawyers ranking, clients note he “knows his way around commercial litigation and the courtroom” and have praised his “3-D, chess-playing leadership,” and his “aggressive and multifaceted approach” to trial.

Orin has been named a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500 – United States, where corporate counsel state that “we always use him as chief litigator,” he is “great in court” and has “excellent technical skills.” Following his cross-examination in one high-profile trial, an article described Orin as “the deadliest trial lawyer in tech.” Forbes named Orin to its inaugural America’s Top 200 Lawyers 2024 list, a “collection of elite lawyers who have been involved in the most consequential recent cases, deals or legal trends.” Benchmark Litigation, the definitive guide to litigation firms and attorneys in the United States, recognizes him as a “Litigation Star”, as one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America”, and a General Commercial Attorney of the Year for 2020. Orin was recognized by Law360 as a "Media & Entertainment MVP." He was named by Lawdragon as one of the "100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors," one of the "500 Leading Litigators in America," and honored in Lawdragon's  2024 Leading Global Litigators guide, highlighting "advisors...at the forefront resolving global disputes" with a "worldwide vision and reach." He has also been acknowledged by The Best Lawyers in America® as a Leading Lawyer and recognized by Who's Who Legal in its Commercial Litigation and Thought Leaders USA guides. The Daily Journal named him to its 2024 list of leading Commercial Litigators. For the third consecutive year, Billboard named him to its “Top Music Lawyers” list, which features “the best attorneys in the business” (2022-2024). The Hollywood Reporter consistently names him to its prestigious “Power Lawyers” list, and he was also named to Variety’s 2024, and prior, Legal Impact Reports, an annual list of the leading lawyers in the entertainment industry. At The National Law Journal’s annual awards ceremony, Orin was named a finalist in the 2022 Winning Litigators category, featuring attorneys who have “significant wins in a jury or bench trial,” including “prevailing when substantial damages were at stake, setting a legal precedent or overcoming an unfriendly jurisdiction.”

Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions, technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, media companies, and other enterprises hire Orin for their most important enterprise-shaping matters.

Representative Clients

Orin represents clients across virtually every industry sector, across numerous practice areas. Clients in the technology industry include Meta (Facebook), Uber, OpenAI, Square, Modern Health, Blink Health, Yahoo, Infor, VeriFone, Inc., Archer Aviation, Gro Intelligence and Hyperloop One Technologies. Media and entertainment clients have included Time Warner, NBC Universal, Sony, AMC Networks, Warner Music Group, Cablevision, DISH Network, Rocket Music Entertainment Group, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Home Box Office, and Cable News Network. Additional notable work has involved matters for clients such as MacAndrews & Forbes, Goldman Sachs, Aetna, Freddie Mac, Perella Weinberg, Chobani, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Capital One, and DraftKings.

Orin has represented well-known individuals in significant matters, including Julie Andrews, Marc Anthony, Mariah Carey, Gary Cohn, Anderson Cooper, Cindy Crawford, Jack Dorsey, Bob Dylan, Nancy Grace, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, LeBron James, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Led Zeppelin, David Letterman, Jennifer Lopez, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, The Rolling Stones, Jerry Seinfeld, Jessica Seinfeld, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Hamdi Ulukaya, Barbara Walters, Montel Williams and Mark Zuckerberg.

Orin has represented numerous nonprofit institutions, such as The Clinton Foundation, the American Red Cross, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Intrepid Air and Space Museum, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Larson Foundation and The Museum of the American Indian.

Technology Industry Experience

Orin is one of the go-to lawyers for Silicon Valley and other technology companies, representing clients in some of today’s most high-profile cases.  Orin has represented Facebook in some of its most significant matters dating back to 2007.  Orin has also represented Uber in a variety of high-profile matters, including important regulatory questions. Orin also has represented Rubicon Global in antitrust matters; Blink Health, Machine Zone and other clients in trade secret and commercial disputes; and has handled many of the most significant founders and board disputes in technology and other industries, including for OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, Facebook, Square, Hyperloop One, and YikYak.

Media and Entertainment Experience

Orin represents both digital and traditional media and entertainment clients, which often seek him out for their bet-the-company cases. Orin is lead counsel defending AMC Networks Inc. in the biggest profit participation cases ever brought in the cable television industry relating to the hit show “The Walking Dead.” For VOOM HD Holdings, a former subsidiary of Cablevision, he obtained a lucrative settlement as lead trial counsel during a jury trial in a multibillion-dollar breach of contract action against DISH Network. The settlement, one of the largest in a breach of contract case in New York State court history, was valued at well over $1 billion. For NBC Universal Orin obtained a rare preliminary injunction victory following a three-day evidentiary hearing, blocking the move of one of cable TV’s most popular programs, “Project Runway,” to Lifetime. For Home Box Office he litigated and tried copyright and trademark cases that resulted in important legal precedents. Orin represents MGM Studios in connection with a lawsuit brought by A&E in the Southern District of New York, alleging copyright, trademark and unfair competition claims, and represents Netflix in a potential copyright infringement matter involving an individual. Orin also represents prominent individuals – including Bob Dylan, Jerry Seinfeld, Elton John, Lady Gaga, and David Letterman – in their litigation matters.

General Commercial Litigation

Orin’s broad trial lawyer practice has encompassed a wide range of other high-profile commercial matters. For example, he successfully represented the Chobani founder and CEO in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit brought by an individual seeking ownership of the company, and secured an appellate victory for the Chobani founder in New York’s Appellate Division (First Department) in a contract suit brought by his former wife. For Starbucks he secured dismissal in a dispute with singer-songwriter Carly Simon over the disappointing sales for her album. For Capital One he obtained a high-value settlement before trial against a former chief executive officer alleged to have breached a restrictive covenant. For Perella Weinberg he successfully served as lead trial counsel in complex litigation alleging trade secret misappropriation, fraud, and various breaches of contract and employment duties in connection with a joint venture. In a case ripped from the headlines after the 184^th running of the Kentucky Derby, he won a major victory for Churchill Downs, defeating a motion for preliminary injunction filed by controversial horse trainer Bob Baffert.  Also, Orin represents Esperion Therapeutics in a $300 Million milestone payment litigation under a license agreement for the sale of an innovative drug for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

New York Attorney General Experience

Orin’s practice extends to high-stakes matters involving the New York Attorney General. Among his achievements for clients is a groundbreaking settlement that he negotiated for Facebook in the area of Internet safety that was hailed as a model of compliance. For Warner Music Group he negotiated an industry-changing settlement concerning the record promotion industry. And for Freddie Mac he negotiated new standards for the home mortgage industry.

Investigations Experience

In addition to his very public litigation work, Orin regularly works in the regulatory and investigative arena, counseling clients – both corporations and senior executives – on confidential issues, such as criminal and other government investigations that require expert handling of public relations. These matters include whistleblower cases, FCPA and money laundering, sanctions, fraud investigations, obstruction of justice, insider trading, tax fraud and allegations of personal misconduct. He has handled numerous internal investigations involving alleged insider trading, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, tax evasion and alleged sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Advisory Experience

Orin often acts as an advisor to the CEOs of large companies, boards of directors, founders and fund owners in connection with governance and other corporate topics and concerns. Orin is also retained by companies to quarterback external communication strategies to help drive the client’s business objectives.

Pro Bono Experience

Orin is deeply committed to pro bono work and is engaged in cases ranging from racial justice and criminal justice reform, to defending the First Amendment, and advocating for the rights of individuals impacted by discriminatory policies. Orin took a stand against police brutality and led a team that won the first of its kind federal jury verdict for pro bono client, Deon Jones who was victimized by a Los Angeles police officer in connection with 2020 mass demonstrations in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.  He is also co-lead trial counsel in Buchanan v. Trump, seeking to hold accountable members of the Trump administration for their audacious and offensive—and obviously unconstitutional—attack on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square in June 2020. In addition, Orin recently led the Gibson Dunn team that filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Supreme Court on behalf of constitutional law scholars in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case addresses the constitutionality of a Mississippi law prohibiting abortions performed at or after 15 weeks. The brief argues that overturning Roe v. Wade, which Mississippi asks the Court to do in upholding its law, would place women and their families at the mercy of state legislatures, denying them the basic right to make among perhaps the most personal decisions about their bodies, their families, and their futures.

Boards and Other Professional Affiliations

Orin is active in the community and in public affairs. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a member of the Board of Trustees of the David Lynch Foundation, and a member of Tent Partnership for Refugees’ Board of Directors.

Prior Professional Experience

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Orin was a name partner at Parcher, Hayes & Snyder, a prominent litigation boutique firm. He also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted organized crime and white collar crime cases and served as Chief of the Narcotics Unit. As a federal prosecutor, Orin handled one of the largest pension fund fraud prosecutions ever brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Education

Orin earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with high honors.