Overview
Gary Klubok is a Washington, D.C., and Miami lawyer and member of Holland & Knight's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. Mr. Klubok's practice focuses on litigation, white collar criminal defense and regulatory enforcement actions.
Mr. Klubok has extensive litigation experience representing domestic and foreign clients. He advises on a wide range of disputes, including unfair and deceptive acts and practices, tortious interference, contractual disputes, breaches of fiduciary duty, derivative actions, ultra vires actions, civil fraud, civil conspiracy, enforcement of foreign judgments, non-compete agreements, international child abduction cases and negligence.
Mr. Klubok has significant experience in consumer protection enforcement and regulatory investigations, particularly involving alleged unfair or deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act. As a U.S. and Europe Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/E), Mr. Klubok advises clients facing scrutiny from the FTC and state attorneys general in data breach contexts.
In addition, as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Mr. Klubok assists clients with matters involving fraud, money laundering, corruption, bribery, compliance, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), extradition and forfeiture.
While in law school, Mr. Klubok was selected to intern for the Honorable John D. Couriel of the Florida Supreme Court as part of the court's Internship Program for Distinguished Florida Law Students. He also interned for the Honorable Jose E. Martinez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Community Involvement
Mr. Klubok is the founder and leader of the nonprofit organization Homeless Helpers, which gives supplies and food directly to the homeless in Virginia and Washington, D.C. He also maintains an active pro bono practice. Mr. Klubok was a pro bono attorney with Florida's guardian ad litem office, where he helped represent abused, abandoned or neglected children in Miami-Dade County courts. In addition, Mr. Klubok has provided pro bono assistance to asylum seekers, particularly Spanish-speaking clients, and parents in Hague Convention child abduction proceedings. One client in a Hague Convention matter thanked Mr. Klubok for Holland & Knight's "wonderful humanitarian gesture" for helping to return the client's child after 15 months. Since beginning his legal career, Mr. Klubok has contributed more than 100 hours of pro bono service annually.
In addition, Mr. Klubok volunteered as a big brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area from 2024 to 2025. An avid animal advocate, he donates monthly to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States. He has served multiple times as a judge for the "Do the Write Thing" writing competition, part of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.
Media Coverage: Litigation
- Law360, "Competing Miami Christmas Event Can Go On, Court Says," November 28, 2023
- com, "Holland & Knight Prevails in Round 1 of Holiday Lawsuit Brought by 'Santa'," November 13, 2023
Representative Experience
- Successfully drafted and argued a novel motion in Florida establishing that personal jurisdiction must be established before post-judgment discovery may proceed against foreign defendants, even where a foreign judgment had been domesticated in Florida against those foreign defendants
- Successfully obtained a temporary restraining order blocking an organization from voting to remove board members in violation of the organization's bylaws
- Defeated an emergency preliminary injunction seeking to shut down a client's holiday festival in Miami weeks before opening
- Won a motion for judgment on the pleadings, receiving dismissal of a multimillion-dollar negligence lawsuit
- Successfully represented a Latin American company in a federal action involving trademark and copyright claims arising from the misuse of intellectual property to wrongly disrupt and block sales by a large global e-commerce retailer
- Successfully represented a sports agency, bringing breach of a non-compete agreement against a former agent
- Brought a lawsuit against members of an organization's board of directors for breaches of fiduciary duties
- Represented a Brazilian company in a lawsuit related to commercial fraud from an alleged bribery scheme
- Brought and defended against multiple lawsuits alleging civil fraud and conspiracy in business contexts
- Successfully represented a parent in a Hague Convention child abduction case by obtaining a court order requiring the child's return to the parent in Brazil
- Represented companies before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general on whether large-scale data breaches resulted from alleged unfair practices
- Counseled companies before the FTC and state attorneys general in investigations assessing alleged deceptive or unfair cybersecurity practices
- Advised a company before the FTC regarding whether its business practices violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
- Counseled companies before the FTC regarding whether their advertisements were deceptive or misleading
- Advised multiple companies on reporting requirements to states, individuals and regulators following data breaches
- Helped design a regulatory database for a major national bank to track and manage compliance obligations across its financial operations, including compliance with laws regarding data privacy and unfair and deceptive practices
- Advised a company on whether specific business practices potentially violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
- Assisted a golf equipment brand and an education platform in structuring and launching compliant sweepstakes promotions
- Counseled a financial institution on whether a proposed product would be classified as a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Represented a global private company in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
- Advised multiple banks before the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the DOJ regarding allegations of violating suspicious activity reporting (SAR) and currency transaction reporting (CTR) requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)
- Represented a bank in a DOJ investigation concerning alleged violations of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act
- Advised a bank before the DOJ in connection with public bribery and fraud
- Represented a business executive in a DOJ investigation involving alleged wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- Advised a private businessperson before the DOJ regarding allegations of violating the FCPA
- Advised a financial institution before the Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions regarding alleged violations of the BSA for failing to maintain and implement an anti-money laundering program
- Advised an individual before the DOJ on matters related to private bribery and bid rigging
- Advised a company before the DOJ in connection with transporting large amounts of currency under the BSA
- Advised a bank regarding an internal investigation into alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by an executive
- Advised the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company regarding training on FCPA compliance
Credentials
- University of Miami School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, M.S., Protection Management, emphasis in Emergency Management
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, B.S., Security Management, with honors
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US)
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E)
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
- Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)
- Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS)
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
- Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)
- Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS)
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
- Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States)
- English