Debra Wong Yang

Partner

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

THE LATEST: Yang, the chairwoman of her firm's crisis management group, has been advising USC in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal and has represented the Los Angeles Opera during the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against superstar tenor Placido Domingo. Yang is also advising a consumer product company in the face of Food and Drug Administration concerns about its products. She also represented the UC Board of Regents and UCLA in litigation claiming misconduct by an OB-GYN.

BACKGROUND: A former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Yang was the first Asian American woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney. She now works crisis representation, litigation, regulatory, compliance and white-collar defense cases and advises companies on public filings issues. She assisted the board of Johnson & Johnson in responding to shareholder complaints over talcum powder. Yang inaugurated her firm's information technology and data privacy practice group, after having prosecuted one of the first computer hacking cases as a young assistant U.S. attorney.

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