Jessica Brown is a partner in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm's Labor and Employment, Class Action, and Electronic Discovery Practice Groups. She has been ranked by Chambers USA for ten consecutive years as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Labor and Employment”. She also has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America®. The Denver Business Journal named Ms. Brown one of Denver’s “Forty Under 40” and finalist for the 2013 and 2014 Outstanding Women in Business Awards.
Ms. Brown has experience defending nation-wide and state-wide class action lawsuits alleging, for example, gender discrimination under Title VII, failure to permit facility access under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and failure to pay overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. She also has represented companies charged with fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and violations of securities and consumer protection laws on a class-wide basis.
In addition, Ms. Brown has tried and mediated non-class claims before federal judges and arbitrators across the country involving allegations of sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, violations of noncompete agreements, discrimination, and retaliation.
Ms. Brown also advises corporate clients regarding employment and privacy law matters, including matters that intersect with intellectual property law, such as noncompete agreements and trade secrecy programs. She has successfully represented clients in connection with claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, trademark and trade dress infringement, breach of restrictive covenants, and unfair competition as well.
Ms. Brown also has experience advising clients on global government investigations, including managing large-scale document collection, review, and production across global offices.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in January 1995, Ms. Brown clerked for the Honorable Jim R. Carrigan, United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Since joining the firm, Ms. Brown has been a frequent author and lecturer on employment, social media, and women’s issues. She is also a member of the firm's Diversity and Professional Development Committees and has served as Denver Office Hiring Partner and co-chair of the firmwide Associates Committee.
In addition, Ms. Brown serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Legal Aid Foundation and was co-chair of the Denver Law Firm Campaign for 2013-14. She also serves as President-Elect of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. Ms. Brown has co-chaired the Barrister’s Benefit Ball twice previously, helping to raise funds for Metro Volunteer Lawyers. She also has been very active with the Mile High United Way, as a member of the Tocqueville Society and a founding member of the Pinstripe PJ Club, helping to raise money for the Mayor’s homelessness initiative, Denver’s Road Home. Ms. Brown is a member of the Colorado Bar Association’s Committee for Balanced Legal Careers and works with the Center for Legal Inclusiveness on various programs and initiatives. In addition, she is actively involved in pro bono work in the local community and has given time to Denver’s Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives Program and established a long-term relationship between Gibson Dunn and the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center.
Ms. Brown is one of the managing editors and contributing authors for “The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Employment Law” and contributing authors to the Media Libel Resource Centers 50-State Survey on employment privacy law.
Ms. Brown received her law degree in 1993 from the University of Texas School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor for the Texas Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif, and graduated with High Honors. Ms. Brown received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she graduated with honors as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
