George B. Adams is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the Firm’s Securities Litigation Practice Group.
George’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the representation of companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, merger and acquisition disputes, and shareholder derivative litigation alleging breaches of fiduciary duties. Outside the securities space, George has advised and advocated for individuals, corporations, technology and entertainment companies, and various financial institutions in a wide variety of business litigation, including founder disputes, breach of contract actions, antitrust actions, and other corporate law matters, and he has achieved a strong record of success for his clients in state and federal courts across the United States.
Representative Matters
- Pinterest: Representing company and one of its co-founders in a founder dispute before the Superior Court of California. Secured dismissal of all claims against second co-founder.
- Progenity: Defending company and senior officers in securities class action arising out of the company’s IPO. Secured dismissal of all claims before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
- Fluor: Representing company in shareholder class action before the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon alleging breach of contract and quasi-contract claims.
- Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings: Represented four members of the company’s board of directors in securities action before the Delaware Court of Chancery arising from a proxy contest initiated by the company’s executive chairman. Gibson Dunn secured dismissal of all claims and our clients prevailed in the proxy contest.
- Defended technology company in purported securities class action asserting misrepresentations and omissions in connection with initial public offering.
- Defended global banks including Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley in securities class actions brought on behalf of investors in companies such as Alibaba Group and Ooma Inc.
- Defended a large financial institution in several mortgage-backed securities cases.
- Secured dismissal of all claims against former director & CEO of private company in purported negligent misrepresentation action.
- Successfully defended global bank against purported fraudulent concealment claims arising from the collapse of a prominent bitcoin exchange.
- Represented global bank in antitrust civil actions related to foreign exchange trading.
- Represented entertainment company in Antitrust Division regulatory review of telecom merger.
- Secured dismissal of all claims against global architecture firm in purported negligence action.
George also has an active pro bono practice. Among other matters, he played a lead role in prosecuting a prisoner-rights class action on behalf of more than thirty-thousand individuals for unconstitutional conditions of confinement at two local jails.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, he was a litigation associate in the New York and San Francisco offices of Shearman & Sterling LLP. Previously, George served as a law clerk to the Honorable John F. Keenan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
George received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from Fordham University School of Law in 2013, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Fordham Law Review and as an Associate Editor of the Fordham Moot Court Board. He received his undergraduate degree, with honors, from Vassar College in 2010.
He is admitted to practice in California and New York, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Northern District of California and the Southern District of New York.
Speaking Engagements:
- Panelist, “Developments in Federal Securities Litigation and Enforcement,” The Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
- Panelist, “Smart Approaches to Cost Control in eDiscovery,” The Masters Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Capabilities
- Securities Litigation
- Class Actions
- Litigation
- Securities Enforcement
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- Fordham University - 2013 Juris Doctor
- Vassar College - 2010 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
- New York Bar
Clerkships:
- USDC, Southern District of New York, John F. Keenan, 2014 - 2015