Joseph R. Rose is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment, Class Actions, and Litigation Practice Groups.

Joe’s practice focuses on high-stakes employment disputes, class actions, and commercial litigation. He has represented employers in class actions, representative actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act, and individual actions in state and federal courts throughout the country, including cases alleging wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour violations, and various forms of discrimination claims. Joe regularly counsels clients regarding employment policies, termination, promotion, and other personnel actions, and compliance with state and federal employment laws. Joe also has significant experience litigating complex business disputes (including matters involving breach of contract, civil RICO, and business torts), defending law firms against claims for legal malpractice and other forms of tortious conduct, and representing clients in various industries in cases involving antitrust and consumer protection claims.

Joe has been selected as a Northern California “Rising Star” in General Litigation by Super Lawyers Magazine  in 2019 through 2023. Most recently, he was recognized by Lawdragon 500  as a 2024 “Leading Corporate Employment Lawyer.”

Representative matters include:

• Winning a full defense verdict for leading online retailer in a bench trial of employee misclassification claims in federal court.
• Defending multiple employers in lawsuits alleging workplace-safety and other employment claims related to COVID-19, including obtaining key dismissals with prejudice.
• Defeating class certification on behalf of a national restaurant franchisor in a closely followed “no poach” antitrust and employment class action.
• Defending a national trucking company in a wage-and-hour class action, including securing decertification of a class of more than 11,000 drivers on the eve of trial.
• Defending a global software consulting firm through jury trial in a multi-million dollar dispute involving breach of contract, fraud, trade secret, computer hacking, and related claims. Joe led motion practice and conducted witness examinations that helped to secure wins on key claims, including forcing the plaintiff to abandon its theft of trade secrets claim mid-trial.
• Securing a complete victory after bench trial and appeal on behalf of a technology firm in a breach of contract dispute related to an earn-out provision.
• Winning dismissal of a variety of antitrust and consumer class actions, including lawsuits relating to printer cartridges, tax-preparation software, and fireworks shipping.

Joe also has experience guiding clients through internal investigations, and has achieved favorable resolution of state and federal government and regulatory inquiries on behalf of technology companies, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and manufacturers.

Joe received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2011, where he was Production Editor of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, co-director of Berkeley Law’s McBaine Moot Court Competition, and a member of the Board of Advocates (moot court). Prior to law school, Joe worked as a Paralegal Specialist at the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, assisting in grand jury investigations, trials, and civil merger reviews. He earned his B.A. in Law, Letters and Society, with special honors, from the University of Chicago in 2005.

Joe is a member of the California state bar and is admitted to practice in a number of federal district courts, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.