Gibson Dunn

Gibson Dunn grows its powerhouse litigation practice with Barry Berke and elite team—we are thrilled to welcome Barry, one of the country’s preeminent trial lawyers and white-collar criminal defense attorneys, who has joined the firm as Co-Chair of our global Litigation Practice Group. Barry joins our New York office with an extraordinary team of first-chair trial partners, all of whom are former federal prosecutors: Dani James, Michael Martinez, Darren LaVerne, and Jordan Estes.

Congratulations to our Los Angeles partner Jeffrey Krause who has been appointed as Vice President – Education of the Turnaround Management Association’s 2025 Executive Board.   The Turnaround Management Association is a professional community that seeks to strengthen the global economy by working to save distressed businesses, assist management to navigate off-plan events, and help healthy companies avoid similar pitfalls.   Its membership includes turnaround specialists, lawyers, accountants, advisors, liquidators, and consultants, as well as academics, government employees, and members of the judiciary. His term begins on January 1, 2025.

Gibson Dunn welcomes Jordan Estes, who has joined the firm’s global Litigation Practice Group as a partner in our New York office. A former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, Jordan has been lead or co-lead counsel on 14 federal trials over the past eight years. Jordan spent more than eight years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she served as co-chief of the General Crimes Unit and tried some of the Office’s most high-profile cases as a senior member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Jordan joined Gibson Dunn together with preeminent trial lawyer Barry Berke and an elite team of litigation partners, all former federal prosecutors, who have handled many of the most sensitive and high-profile criminal and civil matters in the country: Dani James, Michael Martinez, and Darren LaVerne.

Los Angeles partner Matt Hoffman has been recognized as one of Law360’s 2024 Insurance MVPs.   Matthew told Law360 that the complexity and challenge of insurance cases means they are always thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating to work on. "Win or lose, I want others to think of me as being the most prepared and thoughtful attorney in the room. I get immense satisfaction when others see me as that trusted adviser to a client or trusted attorney in the courtroom."   Matthew practices in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and is a member of its Insurance and Reinsurance, Labor and Employment, Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort, and Class Actions Practice Groups.

Gibson Dunn welcomes Darren LaVerne, who has joined the firm’s global Litigation Practice Group as a partner in our New York office. A former federal prosecutor, Darren is a seasoned trial attorney who brings zealous advocacy, strategic insight, and creative thinking to all phases of a case. Darren draws on years of experience representing major corporations, top executives, and public officials dealing with complex and sometimes existential crises. He has achieved remarkable results — whether by warding off charges and claims before they are filed, relentlessly opposing government overreach and fighting for clients in court, or crafting original and persuasive legal arguments on appeal. Darren joined Gibson Dunn together with preeminent trial lawyer Barry Berke and an elite team of litigation partners, all former federal prosecutors, who have handled many of the most sensitive and high-profile criminal and civil matters in the country: Dani James, Michael Martinez, and Jordan Estes.

Partners Mark Schonfeld (New York) and David Woodcock (Dallas) have been named among Securities Docket’s 2024 Enforcement Elite, which honors “the best securities enforcement defense lawyers in the business.”   Mark and David are Co-Chairs of our firm’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g2yx4aqb

Orange County partner Michele Maryott has been recognized as one of Law360's 2024 Trials MVPs.   Michele told Law360 that her goal is always to “give 100%, since that is what clients deserve” and praised the work of her team in doing so. She said digging into the facts, understanding why, and finding themes that resonate drew her to being a trial lawyer. "I think so much of what we do is find a common human experience that fact finders, jurors, judges can all relate to, and then bring that out by telling the story."   Michele is Partner in Charge of the firm’s Orange County office. She is a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group and its Labor and Employment and Class Actions Practice Groups.

Our DEI Task Force provides an update on key developments, media coverage and commentary, and current litigation.

As global deal activity continues to rebound, Gibson Dunn has been named by The American Lawyer as “one of the biggest disruptions” to Dealogic Q3 league tables for deal volume, as the firm propelled into the top 10 M&A firms. Read more at https://lnkd.in/gR-Gnqat

Gibson Dunn has been named Law Firm of the Year for 2025 in the Antitrust Law and Securities/Capital Markets Law categories by Best Law Firms® US. Our firm also earned Tier 1 rankings in 160 practice area categories. Overall, the firm earned 202 rankings in nine metropolitan areas and nationally in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms, ranked by Best Lawyers®.   https://lnkd.in/eT6tWqRB