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January 22, 2019

New York, NY (January 22, 2019) --- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that Michael J. Gottlieb, an award-winning litigator and crisis manager, has joined the firm’s Washington office as a litigation partner and a leader of the firm’s Crisis Management Practice.

Mr. Gottlieb brings to the firm an extraordinary record of public service, having served as a Supreme Court clerk, staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Associate White House Counsel, Assistant United States Attorney, and the civilian leader of an international and interagency task force in Afghanistan. In his private practice, Mr. Gottlieb has represented foreign governments, some of the world’s largest multinational corporations, innovative technology startups, boards, and senior executives in their most sensitive and challenging matters, including litigation, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions. His diverse practice has included representing clients in high-profile cybersecurity and data privacy incidents, sensitive congressional investigations, disputes under federal securities and antitrust laws, issues arising under various sanctions and anti-corruption regimes, transnational and cross-border disputes, and precedent-setting media and defamation matters. Mr. Gottlieb has a notable record of first-chair trial and appellate experience, the most recent of which included a unanimous victory in the Supreme Court last Term in Animal Science Inc. v. Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., an important transnational case arising out of a decade-long antitrust dispute.

“Michael’s distinguished record in court, combined with his unique background navigating high-profile and multi-dimensional disputes is a valuable and important addition to our firm’s premier offerings in litigation, compliance, and regulatory matters,” said Matthew Feldman, Co-Chairman and managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office. “His clients rely on his trusted counsel—and his experience in litigation, investigations, regulatory and other high-stakes matters, both from industry and government perspectives, is a perfect fit for our clients and our Crisis Management Practice.”

“Willkie’s extraordinary tradition, premier brand, global reach, and deep bench across transactional, litigation, and government-facing white collar and regulatory practices make the firm an ideal home for my practice. Today’s enterprise-threatening matters are rarely confined within a single court or agency. Navigating these challenges successfully requires teams with subject matter experience across a wide variety of practice areas, and I am thrilled to be joining a firm that offers such an extraordinary bench of talent,” said Mr. Gottlieb.

Mr. Gottlieb has been recognized as a Rising Star by The National Law Journal, one of the Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 in Washington D.C., a Cybersecurity Trailblazer, and a Law360 MVP. Last year, Mr. Gottlieb was recognized as a Litigator of the Week by the Litigation Daily for litigation he brought relating to internet-driven conspiracy theories about the murder of former DNC Staffer, Seth Rich. Mr. Gottlieb’s government experience includes serving as former Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Associate White House Counsel, Senior Civilian of Joint Task Force 435, an international civil-military task force devoted to rule of law development in Afghanistan, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, and as a staffer on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Early in his career, he held clerkships with Justice John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt, U.S. Court of Appeals: Ninth Circuit. Mr. Gottlieb received his B.A. from Northwestern University where he was a two-time winner of the National Debate Tournament, and graduated from Harvard Law School where he was the winner of the Sears Prize and an editor on the Harvard Law Review.

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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is an international law firm of more than 700 attorneys with offices in New York, Washington, Houston, Palo Alto, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Milan and Rome. The firm is headquartered in New York City at 787 Seventh Avenue. Tel: 212.728.8000
 

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