Meet the Gibson Dunn Dukies
Of the 32 Duke Law alumni working at Gibson Dunn, these are some who serve in senior roles:
Robert K. Montgomery ’64
(joined Gibson Dunn in 1964)
- Proprietor of Montgomery Vineyard in Napa Valley, Calif.
- Partner, 1971–2008
- Member of Executive Committee
- Chairman of Finance Committee
- Lifetime member and former chairman of Duke Law Board of Visitors
- Former chairman and CEO of Elixir Industries, then a NYSE-listed company, 1979–81
- Senior Vice President, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, 1983–84
Practice areas: Transactional matters such as corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, roll-ups, private placements, and venture capital financings
Frederick Brown ’75
(joined Gibson Dunn in 2004)
- Partner-in-charge, San Francisco office
- Teaches trial skills for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and the Intensive Advocacy Program at the University of San Francisco School of Law
- Took a public-service leave of absence to work as a federal criminal investigator and as a prosecutor with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office
Practice areas: Patent, trademark and trade secret, antitrust, complex commercial and class action litigation; often coordinates the work of counsel in multiple jurisdiction
Karl Nelson ’91
(joined Gibson Dunn in 1991)
- Partner-in-charge, Dallas office
- Member of Labor and Employment, Employee Benefits, and Executive Compensation Practice Groups
- Co-founder of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security practice
Practice areas: Federal and state employment regulation, labor relations, and compensation and benefits law, including class and collective actions under Title VII, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
On Duke: “Duke does a really good job of attracting and developing lawyers who are very bright and capable but also well-rounded, pleasant to be around.”
Karen L. Manos ’86
(joined Gibson Dunn in 2006)
- Co-partner-in-charge, Washington, D.C., office
- Co-chair of Government and Commercial Contracts Practice Group
Practice areas: Government contracts issues, including civil and criminal fraud investigations and litigation, complex claims preparation and litigation, bid protests, qui tam suits under the False Claims Act, defective pricing, cost allowability, the Cost Accounting Standards, and corporate compliance programs
On Duke: “I chose Duke because of Judge [Robinson O.] Everett — he was a good friend of one of my professors at the Air Force Academy. He was a strong advocate for my application, and he later told me it was a good investment on his part because I wound up graduating first in my class. I arrived at Duke with a 14-month-old daughter; I found it easier to be a mother in law school than while working in the Air Force. Law school was much more relaxed and informal than the Academy. I was surprised that law students thought it was OK to miss class!”
Christopher Dusseault ’94
(joined Gibson Dunn in 1994)
- Co-partner-in-charge, Los Angeles and Century City offices
- Member of Litigation Department, Antitrust and Trade Regulation, and Media and Entertainment Practice Groups
- Member of Hiring Committee; chair of the Summer Subcommittee
- Named one of California’s “Top 20 Under 40” by the Daily Journal for work as trial counsel in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, a ballot initiative prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples
- Member of Duke Law Board of Visitors
Practice areas: Antitrust and competition law litigation and counseling, general complex commercial litigation, and trial-oriented constitutional litigation
On Duke: “When I applied to college, my father took me on a college tour. I loved Duke — it was the quintessential gorgeous college — but I wound up going to Yale. When it came time to pick a law school I remembered how much I loved Duke, and everything that I read and heard about the Law School told me that it would be a great fit. I loved every minute of the entire experience and I continue to feel a strong connection to the school today.”
Steven Shoemate ’88
(joined Gibson Dunn in 1988)
- Co-partner-in-charge, New York office
- Has served on firm’s Executive and Management Committees
Practice areas: Corporate transactions including private equity representations, venture capital investments, public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate counseling
On Duke: “It’s nice to continue an affiliation with both the Law School in various ways as well as the Duke community more broadly, which would include the Duke Children’s Hospital, where I’ve been a contributor and a participant in various fund raising events. I’m happy to say that I’ve been back to Duke to do recruiting, which is another great way to stay in touch with the Law School. It’s wonderful to see the changes in the Law School over the years.”