Gibson Dunn has announced the formation of a State Attorneys General Task Force, aimed at assisting clients with challenges posed by state-level investigations and litigation. The firm recognizes that State Attorneys General are becoming more active in enterprise-threatening cases across various industries.
Mylan Denerstein, former Executive Deputy Attorney General in the New York Attorney General’s Office and Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Public Policy Practice Group, noted, “State Attorneys General are increasingly taking a more expansive, sophisticated, and comprehensive approach to pursuing investigations and litigation, at times leveraging the expertise of private plaintiffs’ counsel.”
Nick Hanna, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group, added that their multidisciplinary team includes members with senior roles in State Attorneys General offices as well as former prosecutors experienced in government investigations.
The Task Force will utilize Gibson Dunn’s expertise in areas such as consumer protection, data privacy, employment law, antitrust issues, artificial intelligence regulation, diversity initiatives, environmental governance, product liability concerns, state false claims acts, government contracting matters, and securities.
Debra Wong Yang from the Crisis Management Practice Group emphasized that businesses face complex scrutiny from state authorities. She stated that the Task Force is designed to offer strategic solutions for these evolving enforcement landscapes.
Christopher Chorba of the Class Actions Practice Group highlighted their extensive experience handling cases involving State Attorneys General nationwide. He affirmed their commitment to supporting clients through these high-stakes matters.
Ashley Rogers from the Consumer Protection Practice Group pointed out significant shifts in enforcement dynamics. She remarked on how states are increasingly taking on roles traditionally held by federal agencies in areas like data privacy and online child safety. This trend poses challenges for companies dealing with varying demands from state regulators.
To keep regulated parties informed about these trends, the Task Force will provide resources such as client alerts on emerging topics of AG enforcement and interactive webinars. Members of this initiative include legal experts from Gibson Dunn’s offices across California, Colorado, Texas, New York, and Washington D.C., including Winston Chan; Gregg Costa; Collin Cox; Trey Cox; Stuart Delery; Mylan Denerstein; Theane Evangelis; Gustav Eyler; Natalie Hausknecht; Allyson Ho; Poonam Kumar; Rachel Levick; Vivek Mohan; Jonathan Phillips; Tina Samanta; Jason Schwartz; Prerak Shah; Katherine Smith; Eric Stock; Eric Vandevelde; Frances Waldmann and Jim Zelenay.
