John S. Gibson

LOS ANGELES - Over his 33-year career focusing his practice on complex litigation, including antitrust, class action, and multidistrict litigation defense, John S. Gibson has won high-profile trials and cases in California and across the nation for industry-leading companies, professional sports teams, celebrities, and pro bono clients seeking social justice.

I became a lawyer because I see the rule of law as a means of enforcing social justice and making sure that our society works in a way that's fair for everybody," Gibson said.

In addition to his many federal antitrust cases, Gibson has successfully argued a motion for transfer and centralization of multiple putative class actions filed around the U.S. to the Northern District of California for a top Silicon Valley technology company and served as lead trial counsel for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball franchise in historic diversity and inclusion-related litigation against the former owner.

An October 16 press release states that a three-judge arbitration panel awarded his client, Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., $15 million plus prejudgment interest of $1.5 million from Alkermes regarding royalties related to Ampyra (dalfampridine), which helps multiple sclerosis patients improve their ability to walk. Acorda will no longer have to pay Alkermes royalties on net sales for license and supply of Ampyra, freeing Acorda to use alternative supply, which the company has already secured.

As a DLA Piper partner, Gibson gets the opportunity to speak to jurors, arbitrators, and judges, helping people "find those common threads where we can all agree. It takes effective listening, connection, and advocacy."

"In our increasingly polarized America, I find it's difficult to get everyone to reach consensus on many issues," Gibson said. "But what I also find is that deep down, people are yearning to reach agreement with each other as citizens on some common threads."