Gideon A. Schor is a partner in Wilson Sonsini’s New York office, where his practice focuses on securities, commercial, and appellate litigation.In the U.S. Supreme Court, Gideon successfully petitioned for certiorari in Cyan, Inc. v. Beaver County, which addressed whether state courts lack jurisdiction over class actions brought under the Securities Act of 1933. Gideon’s petition showed the urgency of a cert grant despite the absence of an appellate conflict or even an opinion below.
Empirical Scotus recently reviewed cert petitions for quality of argument: in a field of some 7,000 petitions filed and 80 granted, Gideon’s ranked No. 6.Previously, Gideon successfully petitioned for certiorari and argued in U.S. ex rel. Eisenstein v. City of New York, which concerned appellate jurisdiction.
He has also made several amicus filings, including a brief on behalf of geneticist Eric Lander that carried the day at oral argument in Ass’n for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. In the federal circuits, Gideon has litigated more than 200 appeals, and his work has resulted in more than 100 reported decisions.
As a securities litigator, Gideon has won dismissals of numerous cases, including securities fraud class actions against LifeLock, a Section 11 class action against Xinhua Finance Media, an M&A action against Goldman Sachs (followed by a fee award to Goldman Sachs of $1.1 million), and a derivative action against Hewlett-Packard. In Delaware and elsewhere, he has shut down multiple injunctive challenges to proposed mergers.
In addition, he successfully represented Google in litigation challenging the issuance of non-voting stock, and Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook et al. v. Eduardo Saverin. Currently, Gideon represents Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, NantKwest, and NantHealth in IPO-related litigation.
Gideon joined Wilson Sonsini from Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), where he served as director of litigation for the Americas from 2003-05. During his tenure, he was responsible for the company’s civil litigation docket in North and South America, specializing in securities underwriting, investment banking, derivatives, asset management, and real estate.
He conducted numerous internal investigations, chaired CSFB’s e-discovery project, and worked with counsel at other banks on industry-wide matters. Prior to CSFB, Gideon spent 13 years in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he was appointed chief appellate attorney in 1999.
He supervised all of the federal government’s civil appellate litigation in the Second Circuit, including recommendations to the U.S. Solicitor General concerning Supreme Court review.
In addition to his appellate docket, Gideon maintained a steady trial practice, representing dozens of federal agencies in complex regulatory and constitutional matters and focusing on commercial fraud, the False Claims Act, and civil RICO. In 2001, he received the Justice Department’s Award for Superior Performance.
In 1989-90, Gideon clerked on the Second Circuit for the Honorable J. Edward Lumbard. As an adjunct professor at New York Law School and Fordham Law School, he has taught conflict of laws and legal writing. Gideon has also served on the Amicus Committee of the Securities Industry Association.
EDUCATION:
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 1989
Cum Laude - A.B., Classics and History, Harvard College, 1985
Magna Cum Laude; Corey Prize for excellence in classical studies and archeology
ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
- Member, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Compliance and Legal Division
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, New York State Bar Association
- Past Member, Association of Corporate Counsel
- Adjunct Professor, New York Law School. Course: Domestic and International Conflict of Laws
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Fordham Law School. Course: Legal Writing
ADMISSIONS:
- Bar of the District of Columbia
- State Bar of New Jersey
- State Bar of New Yor
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Cost
Rate : $$$
