Laura M. Sturges is Of Counsel in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, and has substantial experience in a number of areas, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) investigations and compliance initiatives including transactional diligence, antitrust litigation, commercial litigation, False Claims Act cases, appellate litigation, and SEC enforcement proceedings.
Ms. Sturges recently lead a team conducting an FCPA investigation in Brazil, including interfacing with U.S. authorities. She previously served as a core member of an international team of Gibson Dunn lawyers assisting the compliance monitor in connection with the then-largest FCPA settlement ever. She has helped clients trouble-shoot FCPA compliance programs and identify potential violations in a variety of contexts, and regularly conducts M&A and third-party due diligence. Her FCPA compliance monitoring work includes activities in India, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, and covers oil and gas industries, energy industries, data and media industries, and healthcare industries, among others.
In addition to her FCPA experience, Ms. Sturges has significant and wide-ranging experience in other areas of litigation. She is representing a mortgage industry client facing trade secret and breach of contract claims, recently represented clients facing antitrust claims in the healthcare industry, and resolved complex trade secret and employment litigation on behalf of a financial services client. She has extensive experience representing clients in complex contract dispute litigation in both state and federal court in a variety of industries, including real estate, construction, and hedge fund investing. Ms. Sturges also assisted in the successful representation of clients accused of violating the False Claims Act in the Medicare context at both the federal district and appellate levels.
Ms. Sturges also maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing asylum candidates, assisting refugees, and successfully representing a local charitable organization from trial court through the Colorado Supreme Court. Her commitment to pro bono has led to her twice receiving the firm’s Frank Wheat award, given annually to lawyers in the firm who obtain significant results for their pro bono clients and demonstrate leadership and initiative that serve as inspiration to others.
Ms. Sturges is admitted to practice law in the State of Colorado. She recently chaired the Law Alumni Board of Directors of the University of Colorado School of Law, serves as a board member for Work Options for Women, and is a member of the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Committee in Colorado. Ms. Sturges was named a “Colorado Rising Star” by Colorado Super Lawyers magazine in both 2010 and 2012.
Before joining the firm, Ms. Sturges served as a law clerk to The Honorable Phillip S. Figa in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. She earned her law degree magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she graduated first in her class. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, where she was a two-time NCAA All-American in Cross Country and Track. Before attending law school, Ms. Sturges taught high school social studies.