Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

With a robust labor and employment disputes offering, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is regularly sought after by an impressive client roster, consisting of notable blue-chip companies from the technology, financial services, and telecoms sectors. The team is well-equipped to handle the full spectrum of mandates, ranging from wage-and-hour class actions to independent contractor misclassification cases and wrongful termination claims. Drawing on the firm’s wider national presence, the group is adept at representing clients before various federal and state courts – such as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Superior Court of California – as well as the Supreme Court. Spearheading the department are the capable duo, Jason Schwartz, based in Washington DC, and Katherine Smith, based in Los Angeles. Schwartz stands out for his breadth of expertise, which spans whistleblower claims, executive disputes, and workplace safety litigation, while Smith is the main point of contact for employers facing individual, representative, and class action litigation. The practice also benefits from the expertise of Washington DC’s Molly Senger, a specialist in disputes involving trade secret misappropriation, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Other key practitioners include Orange County-based Michele Maryott, Washington DC’s Ryan Stewart, and Cynthia Chen McTernan, who is based in Los Angeles.