Gibson Dunn
 | |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California[1] |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 21 |
| No. of attorneys | 1,900+[2] |
| Major practice areas | Litigation,[3] General Practice |
| Key people | Barbara L. Becker Chairperson Managing partner |
| Revenue |  US$3.60 billion (2024)[4] |
| Profit per equity partner | US$7.2 million (2025)[5] |
| Date founded | 1890 |
| Company type | Law firm |
| Website | www |
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is an American multinational white-shoe law firm. Founded in 1890, the firm has more than 1,900 attorneys and 1,000 staff in 21 offices across the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.[6]
History
[edit] | Parts of this article (those related to decades of the firm's history) need to be updated. (July 2025) |
The firm was founded in May 1890 by Republican corporate attorney John D. Bicknel and Democratic litigator Walter Trask. In 1897, Judge James Gibson joined the firm. Six years later, the firm merged with the law firm of former Los Angeles city attorney William Ellsworth Dunn and assistant city attorney Albert Crutcher, giving the firm its name.[7]
Barbara Becker joined the firm with mentor Dennis Friedman in 2000, moving from an M&A partnership at Chadbourne & Parke.[8] She was elected chair and managing partner in 2021.[9]
Amid clashes at some college campuses, following the onset of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war; on November 1st, 2025, Gibson Dunn was one of two dozen law firms that submitted a letter to 14 American law school deans, denouncing anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism, and advising those mentoring future law graduates of entrenched workplace policies against harassment or discrimination at their firms.[10] The firm was also one of 17 global law firms that signed a public statement denouncing growing anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S., published in The American Lawyer on May 27, 2021.[11][12]
Notable cases
[edit]The firm's attorneys have argued more than 160 cases before the United States Supreme Court.[13]
Some of the firm's notable cases and clients include:
- CNN, in its lawsuit against President Trump and many of his staff on the basis of Jim Acosta's right to a "hard pass", a clearance to enter the White House.[14]
- American Foundation for Equal Rights, in its litigation challenging California's Proposition 8 and supporting marriage equality. The litigation ultimately led to the overturning of Proposition 8.
- The firm represented U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in their suit against the federal government seeking a restoration of federal support for the church's immigration programs.
- Mother and child victims of domestic violence at the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
- Alliance for Automotive Innovation was represented by firm partner (later Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency) David Fotouhi in seeking to overturn an EPA ban on asbestos during the early 2000s.[15]
- Apple, Inc., in its patent infringement suit against Samsung (Apple v. Samsung) relating to the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, and won an injunction in June 2012 blocking the sale of the Galaxy Nexus phone in the United States.[16] The injunction was vacated in October 2012 based on the results of the trial.[17][18] It also represented Apple in Epic Games v. Apple, a lawsuit related to Apple's practices in the App Store and the removal of Fortnite from the App Store.[19]
- Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, in a $17 billion contract dispute with purported seed money financier Paul Ceglia in 2011[20] The case was thrown out and Ceglia was charged with fraud in 2012; he became a fugitive.[21]
- Gibson Dunn is actively involved in homeless encampments-related cases.[22] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm represented West Side Community Organization (Westco), an organization that advocated for the relocation of homeless persons from Upper West Side to a downtown hotel in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.[23] Randy Mastro, a partner of the firm who represented it, was criticized for taking up the lawsuit and his home was vandalized in protest in October 2020.[23]
- George W. Bush, in Bush v. Gore, the litigation contesting certification of Florida's results in the 2000 United States presidential election.[24] Theodore Olsen, the partner who argued the case for Bush in the Supreme Court,[25] went on to serve as solicitor general in the Bush administration.[26]
- In 2009, Theodore B. Olson, a partner of the firm, successfully argued the case Citizens United v. FEC (2010) in its favor.[27] The verdict sanctioned businesses' limitless campaign spending, which, according to nonpartisan legal organization Campaign Legal Center, promoted corruption and black money.[28]
- Intel, in its defense against several multibillion-dollar antitrust lawsuits filed by AMD and the European Union.[29]
- NBC Universal in its 2009 contract dispute with Conan O'Brien.[30]
- Viacom, in its billion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against Google and YouTube in Viacom International Inc. v. YouTube, Inc.[31] After multiple rulings at the District Court and Appellate Court, the case was settled in 2014.[32]
- Governor Chris Christie hired Gibson Dunn attorney Randy Mastro to conduct an internal investigation of the circumstances surrounding the Fort Lee lane closure scandal and representing the Governor in a later federal investigation.[33] The firm was later criticized by U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton for its methods of record keeping, and accused the firm of "opacity and gamesmanship".[34]
- Plaintiffs in Haaland v. Brackeen, pro bono litigation seeking to overturn the Indian Child Welfare Act. This has led to accusations that Gibson Dunn is seeking to weaken federal protections for Native American tribes overall, opening the way for corporate exploitation of natural resources or Native American gaming.[35]
- VMware, in its $61 billion acquisition by Broadcom.[36]
- Pioneer Natural Resources, in its $59.5 billion acquisition by ExxonMobil.[37]
- Hewlett-Packard, in its £7 billion bid for Autonomy Corporation.[38]
- Kraft. in its $19.7 billion bid for Cadbury.[39]
- Heineken, in its $7.6 billion buyout of Mexican brewing conglomerate FEMSA.[40]
- Collaboration with the Center for Individual Rights and the Election Law Center in representing Arnold Davis in Davis v. Guam, successfully challenging Guam's race-based voting restrictions.[41][42]
- International Paper, in relation to its use of PFAS ("forever chemicals").[15]
- Dole Food Company, in a multibillion-dollar tort suit in Nicaragua involving allegations of farmworker sterility stemming from Dole's use of certain pesticides.[43] After the firm uncovered substantial evidence of fraud and a conspiracy between the plaintiffs and Nicaraguan judges to extort Dole out of billions with manufactured claims, courts in the United States dismissed multiple related suits against Dole and refused to enforce several Nicaraguan judgments.[44]
Criticism
[edit]In 2023, the firm was sanctioned by a San Francisco District Court and ordered to pay $925,000 for its efforts to make litigation unnecessarily expensive and difficult for the plaintiffs in a consumer privacy lawsuit against Meta Platforms.[45]
In 2024, ProPublica published an expose, '"The Law Firm Helping Big Oil Weaponize the First Amendment", characterizing Gibson Dunn as "'playing both sides' of free speech, using it to defend fossil fuel companies and silence the industry's critics"[15] It has filed numerous lawsuits against industry critics,[43] and litigated for numerous fossil fuel companies, including the American Petroleum Institute; Energy Transfer; Enbridge; ConocoPhillips; Occidental;[43] and Chevron, in its long-running, $27 billion environmental dispute in Ecuador.[46][47]
Recognition
[edit]- Law360: The firm has been named “Firm of the Year” ten times, most recently in the 2024 award cycle—the highest total in the honor’s 15-year history.[48] In 2024 Gibson Dunn also collected Practice Group of the Year trophies in ten categories: Appellate, Trials, Competition, White-Collar, Employment, Environmental, Cybersecurity & Privacy, Real Estate, International Arbitration, and Securities.[49] Earlier Appellate Practice Group of the Year wins were recorded in 2020, 2021 and 2023.[50]
- The American Lawyer: Gibson Dunn is the only firm to win the biennial “Litigation Department of the Year” competition four times (2010, 2012, 2016 and 2020).[51] The firm has appeared on The American Lawyer “A-List” nine times (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025), a composite ranking based on financial performance, pro-bono work, diversity and associate satisfaction.[52]
- Chambers USA 2025: The firm earned 130 Band-1 rankings—43 practice areas and 87 individual lawyers—along with 425 total listings, the second-highest Band-1 count of any firm.[53]
- Global Investigations Review: Gibson Dunn’s investigations practice has been ranked #1 worldwide in the “GIR 30” for seven consecutive editions (2018–2024).[54]
- Vault: Gibson Dunn has placed in the Top 10 of the Vault Law 100 for seven consecutive years (2019–2025).[55][56][57][58][59][60][61] In regional prestige tables Gibson Dunn currently ranks #1 in the Mountain States,[62] #2 in Southern California,[63] #4 in Texas,[64] and #5 in Washington, DC.[65]
Notable former and present attorneys and staff
[edit]- Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.[66]
- Aileen Cannon, judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida known for presiding over the federal criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
- Gregg Costa, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[67]
- Tom Cotton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas.[35]
- Stuart Delery, former White House Counsel[68]
- Miguel Estrada, U.S. Supreme Court practitioner and former nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
- Charlie Falconer, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Tony Blair[69]
- David Fotouhi, the former partner was appointed Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2025, after having previously served as a lawyer at the agency during the First Trump administration.[15]
- Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator from Missouri.[70]
- James C. Ho, judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
- Ron Kirk, former United States Trade Representative and first African American to hold the position.[71]
- Theodore Olson, former United States Solicitor General.
- Jennifer H. Rearden, judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- Eugene Scalia, former United States Secretary of Labor.
- William French Smith, former United States Attorney General.[72]
- Róbert Ragnar Spanó, former President of the European Court of Human Rights.[73]
- Robert D. Sack, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[74]
- Ken Starr, former United States Solicitor General and Independent Counsel in the Clinton investigation.[75]
- Lawrence VanDyke, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[76]
- Justin R. Walker, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[77]
- Debra Wong Yang, former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP" The Law Society. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP".
- ^ Dayal, Mahira (20 November 2023). "Gibson Dunn Climbs Energy Deal Leader Board on Texas Bet". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Gibson Dunn revenue climbs to $3.6B in 2024". ALM. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Gibson Dunn Achieves $7.2M in PEP, 15.7% Revenue Rise". The American Lawyer. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "About the Firm". Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ "Our Story". Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Chen, Vivia "Paradigm Shift: Power-Lawyer Mom, Stay-at-Home Dad" The Am Law Daily, October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Stokes, Samantha "Female lawyers are gaining seats at the table. Here are 9 women in charge of elite law firms" Business Insider, March 12, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; de la Merced, Michael J.; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (2 November 2023). "Law Firms Warn Universities About Antisemitism on Campus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ "Big Law Leaders Pen Letter Denouncing Anti-Semitic Attacks" Law.com. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Zieve Cohen, Sam "Law firm leaders call out silence around rising antisemitism" Jewish Insider, May 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Gibson Dunn Named a 2023 Firm of the Year". Gibson Dunn. January 22, 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "CNN sues President Trump and top White House aides for barring Jim Acosta". CNN. 13 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d Lerner, Sharon (2025-01-22). "Donald Trump's No. 2 Pick for the EPA Represented Companies Accused of Pollution Harm". ProPublica.
- ^ "Judge Blocks Sales of Samsung Phone That Apple Says Infringes Patents". 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2014-09-28.
- ^ Samsung to appeal US Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction after tablet ruled innocent (Update: Request filed), thenextweb.com, August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ Diane Bartz (Oct 11, 2012). "U.S. court clears Samsung phone, setback for Apple". Reuters. Retrieved Oct 11, 2012.
- ^ "Apple enlists Gibson Dunn to fight Epic Games suit, law firm previously retained in Samsung battle". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
- ^ Hill, Kashmir (May 27, 2011). "Gibson Dunn Goes Medieval on Facebook Plaintiff - Above the LawAbove the Law".
- ^ Smith, Patrick "After Pummeling by Gibson Dunn and NY Arrest, Facebook Fugitive Finally Gets a Win" Law.com, June 18, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ "A legal powerhouse takes on homeless encampments". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "Gibson Dunn's Randy Mastro says vandals 'picked the wrong guy' as NYSBA decries atty harassment". WestLaw Today.
- ^ "The Two Teds - Episode 2 - Bush v Gore and Election Litigation". Gibson Dunn. 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ "oyez html5 player". 2015-09-24. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ "Olson, Theodore B." Gibson Dunn. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
- ^ "U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Restrictions on Corporate and Union Campaign Speech". January 22, 2010.
- ^ "How Does the Citizens United Decision Still Affect Us in 2022?". Campaign Legal Center.
- ^ "A.M.D. and Its War With Intel". New York Times. 21 June 2008.
- ^ Hill, Kashmir (January 19, 2010). "'Bye, everybody, bye!': An End in Sight for the Conan-Leno-NBC Debacle? - Above the LawAbove the Law".
- ^ "Viacom Taps Ted Olson for YouTube Appeal". amlawdaily.typepad.com.
- ^ Stempel, Jonathan (March 18, 2014). "Google, Viacom settle landmark YouTube lawsuit". Reuters.
- ^ "Hiring by Christie Suggests He May Be on the Defensive". New York Times. 16 January 2014.
- ^ Porter, David (8 August 2016). "GWB Closure Defendants Want to Put Christie Lawyers on Stand". NBC 4 NY. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b Chen, Vivia (2021-11-23). "Gibson Dunn Pro Bono Case Draws Ire of Some Native Americans". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ "Deal Diary: Gibson, Wachtell Lead VMware Sale to Broadcom". The Deal. 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Big Deal in Big Oil: Davis Polk, Gibson Dunn Lead Exxon's $59.5B Buy of Pioneer Natural Resources". The American Lawyer. 11 October 2023.
- ^ "H-P Plans to Spin Off PC Business - WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Dealmakers of the Week:Barbara Becker of Gibson Dunn and Sarah Jones of Clifford Chance". The American Lawyer.
- ^ "Cleary, Gibson Dunn Slake M&A Thirst With $7.6 Billion Beer Deal". amlawdaily.typepad.com.
- ^ "Civil Rights Division | Davis v. Guam Court of Appeals Decision | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- ^ "Davis v. Guam". Center for Individual Rights. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- ^ a b c Sanders, Emily (2024-01-05). "The Law Firm Helping Big Oil Weaponize the First Amendment". DeSmog.
- ^ "Law.com". Law.com.
- ^ Goudsward, Andrew (2023-02-10). "Meta, law firm Gibson Dunn sanctioned in Facebook privacy case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ "Law.com". Law.com.
- ^ "Chevron accuses Ecuadorean plaintiffs of extortion"
- ^ "Gibson Dunn Named a 2024 Firm of the Year". Law360. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Practice Groups of the Year 2024: Gibson Dunn". Law360. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Appellate Group of the Year: Gibson Dunn (multiple years)". Law360. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "The 2020 Litigation Department of the Year: Gibson Dunn". The American Lawyer. January 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "The 2025 A-List". The American Lawyer. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Gibson Dunn Earns 130 Band-1 Rankings, 425 Total Listings in Chambers USA 2025" (Press release). Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "GIR 30 2024: Gibson Dunn Tops the Rankings for Seventh Year". Global Investigations Review. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2019 Vault Law 100". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2020 Vault Law 100". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2021 Vault Law 100". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Introducing Vault's 2022 Top 100 Law Firms". Vault Law Blog. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Introducing the 2023 Vault 100!". Vault Law Blog. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Announcing the 2024 Vault 100, Practice-Area Prestige, and Regional Prestige Rankings". Vault Law Blog. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "A Rundown of the 2025 Vault Prestige Rankings". Vault Law Blog. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2026 Best Law Firms in the Mountain States". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2026 Best Law Firms in Southern California". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2025 Best Law Firms in Texas". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "2026 Best Law Firms in Washington, DC". Vault. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Preet Bharara - Biography". NYU School of Law. Archived from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ "Former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa Joins Gibson Dunn as Co‑Chair of the Global Trial Practice Group in Houston". Gibson Dunn News. 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ Goudsward, Andrew (17 August 2023). "Top White House lawyer to step down, no replacement named". Reuters. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ Fisher, Lucy (18 April 2021). "Labour drawn into Greensill row as it emerges key Starmer ally works for lobbying firm". The Independent. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Joshua David Hawley – Biography ". LegiStorm . Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "Senate Confirms Kirk as Trade Representative". The Washington Post. March 19, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
- ^ "William French Smith, attorney general under Reagan, dies". The Washington Post. October 30, 1990. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
- ^ "Spano, Robert". Gibson Dunn. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ "Hon. Robert D. Sack – Second Circuit". U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "Ken Starr, who led Whitewater probes into Clinton, dies at 76". The Washington Post. September 13, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
- ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Lawrence VanDyke" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Justin Reed Walker" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2025-07-04.