Trey Cox
Trey Cox is an American trial lawyer and Co-chair of the Global Litigation Practice Group at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he also serves as Co-Partner in Charge of the firm's Dallas office.[1][2][3]
In March 2025, he led a trial team that obtained a $666.9 million verdict against Greenpeace — the largest commercial jury verdict in North Dakota history — in litigation arising from protests targeting the Dakota Access Pipeline.[4][5][6] Following the verdict, he was named a finalist by Texas Lawyer newspaper for its 2025 Attorney of the Year honors.[7] He represented Meta in Texas litigation over use of facial recognition software by Facebook to collect biometric data of millions of Texans without their consent.[8] The parties reached a $1.4 billion settlement in July 2024.[9]
Early life and education
Cox grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, graduating from Captain Shreve High School in 1992.[10] He attended Washington and Lee University, where he studied English, captained the football team, and earned four varsity letters.[11] He remains among the school's leading career tacklers in football history.[12]
He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995, where he served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Law and Politics. At graduation he received the Epps C. Hunton Memorial Book Award, given to a third-year student who demonstrates particular aptitude in litigation and a command of professional ethics.[13]
Career
After law school, Cox clerked for Judge Jacques L. Wiener Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1995 to 1996.[14] He then joined King & Spalding in Atlanta as an associate in the products liability group.
In 1997 he moved to Dallas to join the firm then known as Lynn Stodghill Melsheimer and Tillotson.[15] He tried his first case three months into practice and made partner within five years, helping grow the firm from five lawyers to approximately forty. He became a name partner at the firm, which later operated as Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst LLP.[15]
Cox joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in 2006,[15] where he has built a practice focused on complex commercial disputes and jury trials across industries including energy, technology, securities, and healthcare. He has served as Co-chair of the firm's global Litigation Practice Group and Co-Partner in Charge of the Dallas office.[1]
Cox holds double Board Certification in Civil Trial Law and Civil Pre-Trial Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Litigation Counsel of America.[16][17]
Notable Litigation
Energy Transfer LP v. Greenpeace International — In March 2025, a North Dakota jury returned a verdict of approximately $667 million against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace USA in a lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer LP, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline.[6] The case arose from Greenpeace's role in organizing protests against pipeline construction in 2016 and 2017. Cox served as lead trial counsel for Energy Transfer after more than two years of preparation.[5] The verdict was the largest in North Dakota history and attracted wide coverage from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Bloomberg, and Reuters.[6] It prompted international debate about the scope of civil liability for protest-related activity. American Lawyer named Cox its Litigator of the Week following the verdict.[18][19][20]
Purdue Pharma — Cox represented Purdue Pharma in litigation brought by the Oklahoma attorney general arising from the opioid crisis. In March 2019, two months before the case was set for trial, Purdue settled with the state for $270 million.[21] The settlement was a first-of-its-kind in a wave of litigation against manufacturers, distributors and retailers of highly addictive opioid painkillers.[22]
Personal Live
Cox is married to Erin Nealy Cox, an attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2017 to 2021.[23] In March 2026, Walmart announced her appointment as Executive Vice President of Global Governance, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary, effective April 13, 2026.[24] The two have been described by D magazine and the Dallas Morning News as a Texas power couple.[25][26][23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Newsmakers: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Names Global Co-Chair of Litigation". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Platten, Andrea (07/08/2026). "Unrivaled 2026: Trey Cox of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher". Bloomberg Law. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ↑ "Newsmakers: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Names Global Co-Chair of Litigation". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "Discovery—Not Closing Argument—Credited for $667M Verdict". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Steurer, Mary (2025-03-17). "Greenpeace case in hands of jury as Energy Transfer makes case for $800 million in damages • North Dakota Monitor". North Dakota Monitor. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Zraick, Karen (2026-05-08). "Greenpeace Suffers Another Blow in Court Fight With Pipeline Giant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "Texas Attorney of the Year Finalist: Trey Cox". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Scarcella, Mike (June 4, 2024). "Meta to settle Texas lawsuit over Facebook facial recognition data". Reuters. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Partners, From our (2024-07-30). "Meta to pay Texas $1.4 billion for using facial recognition technology without users' permission". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Shrake, Alexa (2025-08-27). "Asked & Answered with Gibson Dunn's Trey Cox: Pizza, Pipelines and a Hot Streak". The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "Football Individual Scoring/Defensive Records". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "Football Individual Scoring/Defensive Records". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "National Institute for Trial Advocacy". www.nita.org. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "John T. "Trey" Cox III - Commercial Litigation Lawyer - Dallas, TX". Best Lawyers. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Curriden, Mark (2023-11-21). "'Nobody Gave Us a Chance' — Lynn Pinker Turns 30". The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "John T. "Trey" Cox III - Commercial Litigation Lawyer - Dallas, TX". Best Lawyers. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Cassidy, Kate (2023-11-17). "The Corner Office: Q&A with Trey Cox". The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "Litigators of the Week: The Developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline Hits Greenpeace With a $667M Trial Verdict". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Young, Scott. "What happens when 'thou doth protest too much'?". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Shah, Simmone (2025-03-21). "What the Greenpeace Fine Means For the Future of Activism". TIME. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Bebinger, Martha (2019-03-26). "Purdue Pharma Agrees To $270 Million Opioid Settlement With Oklahoma". NPR. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Bebinger, Martha (2019-03-26). "Purdue Pharma Agrees To $270 Million Opioid Settlement With Oklahoma". NPR. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Staff, By D. CEO (2025-03-17). "Power Couples 2025: Inside the Lives of the Region's Most Influential Duos - D CEO Magazine". D Magazine. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ staff, Talk Business & Politics (2026-03-13). "Walmart names Erin Nealy Cox as chief legal officer". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Hall, Cheryl (2024-10-17). "Former U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox says tackling breast cancer is toughest trial yet". Dallas News. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ Posgate, Natalie (2022-10-28). "Texas Lawbook Launches 'P.S.' — a New Public Service Column for Lawyers". The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
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