Perlette M. Jura

Over the past dozen years, Jura has helped develop Gibson Dunn's transnational litigation and the aerospace and related technologies groups, and she now co-chairs both groups. She also speaks globally about international and emerging legal issues and has played a key role in transnational matters for clients that include Intel Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Altria Group Inc., Yahoo Inc., Facebook Inc., Dole Food Co. Inc. and Chevron Corp.

Beyond serving her prominent clients in litigation matters, Jura maintains a considerable pro bono and community service practice. For more than a decade, she has done high-impact work focused on protecting civil rights and preserving animal species under threat. "I do tackle some of our global community's most important cross-border work, fighting to preserve and protect endangered wildlife that won't make it without help from the global legal community," she said.

She was appointed to the steering committee for the Feminist Majority Foundation's Global Women's Rights Awards. She served as a military commission observer in the proceedings at Guantanamo Bay against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Last year she represented Gibson Dunn in the inaugural Women in Law Hackathon, a joint project of Diversity Lab and Stanford University. There, her team won first place for their innovative approach to "hack" the problems encountered by women in the legal profession.

"People really want to fix the historic problems that face women in this industry," Jura said. "I've been incredibly supported at my firm, and I want to extend that." She recalled clerking for the late Pamela Ann Rymer at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and hearing tales from the judge about being denied admission to the prestigious California Club in Los Angeles, which began admitting women only in 1987. "Judge Rymer told me how lucky I was, and I've never forgotten that lesson," Jura said.

— John Roemer