Jesse A. Cripps is a partner in Gibson Dunn's Los Angeles office and a member of the firm's Labor & Employment, Litigation and Class Action Practice Groups.
Mr. Cripps has handled the full range of labor and employment matters under both federal and state law, specializing in the defense of high-risk, complex and class action litigation. His recent successes include defeating collective action certification of a nationwide class under the Fair Labor Standards Act, securing the dismissal of state law class action claims on the pleadings, and securing the dismissal of class-wide state and federal wage claims before the commencement of discovery.
Mr. Cripps has a wide-range of courtroom experience, including several months of experience in various state and federal jury trials. He has successfully argued high-stakes motions in both federal and state courts, has first chair success before the California Court of Appeal and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and has authored multiple winning briefs before the Ninth Circuit resulting in both favorable published opinions for his clients and the recovery of attorneys' fees and costs. He has successfully represented clients in administrative hearings and investigations, and secured a favorable defense judgment in a federal employment bench trial—a judgment which he, in turn, successfully defended before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
His representative matters include the defense of statewide and nationwide wage and hour class actions, the representation of employers in high-stakes non-compete and trade secret disputes, and the defense of various discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing and ERISA claims. Mr. Cripps also represents employers in matters involving federal contract compliance (affirmative action), reductions in force, family and medical leave, traditional labor relations, occupational safety and health, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to his courtroom experience, Mr. Cripps also spends time counseling clients on preventative planning under state and federal laws and advises clients on traditional labor relations matters. He has also served as lead counsel representing management in collective bargaining negotiations with organized labor, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
In addition to his employment practice, Mr. Cripps has also represented clients in a variety of commercial disputes.
Mr. Cripps has been recognized as a leading employment lawyer by Chambers USA and was named among the “Top Employment Attorneys Under 40” by Law360—a distinction shared by only five other employment lawyers nationwide. He has also been recognized as a "Southern California Rising Star" on five occasions by Los Angeles and Law & Politics magazines. He is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association Center for Civic Mediation. Mr. Cripps speaks regularly on employment issues, including programs and presentations for the California Employment Law Council, Strafford, Bridgeport, Bloomberg BNA, and various Fortune 500 companies. He has also presented on issues of electronic discovery and records management as a member of the firm's Information Law and Electronic Discovery Practice Group.
He graduated summa cum laude from Pepperdine Law School in 2002, where he served as Note and Comment Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review. He is also a contributor to the Gonzaga Law Review and Employment Discrimination Law (settlement chapter) (BNA), as well as California Lawyer magazine.
Mr. Cripps is admitted to practice in the State of California.
