Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
No. of offices	17
No. of attorneys	Approximately 1,000
Major practice areas	General Practice
Key people	Kenneth M. Doran, Managing Partner [1]
Revenue	US$1.06 billion (2010)[2]
Date founded	1890
Website
www.gibsondunn.com

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally.^[3] Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2010, American Lawyer named Gibson Dunn the "Top Litigation Department" of the year.^[4] The firm's best-known attorneys and alumni include former United States Solicitors General Theodore Olson and Ken Starr, Eugene Scalia, and Miguel Estrada.

Contents 1 Awards and recognition 2 Notable cases 3 Notable transactions 4 Notable attorneys 5 Offices 6 References 7 External links

Awards and recognition

• American Lawyer recognized Gibson Dunn as the "Top Litigation Department of the Year" for 2010, explaining that "when other firms and conventional strategies come up short, clients in deep trouble turn to Gibson Dunn for fresh, aggressive thinking and innovative rescues."^[4]
• American Lawyer ranks Gibson Dunn 4th among national law firms on the prestigious "A-List," which measures firms' ability to balance financial success with associate satisfaction, pro bono commitment, and diversity.^[5]
• Gibson Dunn ranks 7th nationally in the 2010 Corporate Board Member / FTI Consulting survey of 300 corporate legal directors asking which national law firm they would most want representing their companies on national matters.^[6]
• The Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms ranks Gibson Dunn's appellate practice at #1 in the nation.^[7] The firm's appellate practice has also been recognized by The National Law Journal's "Appellate Hot List,",^[8] Chambers & Partners, and American Lawyer.
• The Global Competition Review ranks Gibson Dunn's antitrust practice 8th in the world among the antitrust "Global Elite."^[9]
• The Chambers USA Guide ranks more than 120 Gibson Dunn lawyers among the leading lawyers in their respective practices. In 2011, the firm achieved a total of 35 first-tier rankings in the fields of antitrust, appellate litigation, general commercial litigation, securities regulation, real estate, labor & employment, sports & entertainment, corporate mergers & acquisitions, and private equity.^[10]

Notable cases

• The firm's attorneys have argued more than 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court.^[11]
• The firm is representing Chevron in its long-running, $27 billion environmental dispute in Ecuador.^[12][13]
• The firm is defending Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in the landmark $11 billion employment discrimination class action Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.. Partner Theodore Boutros, Jr. argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2011. In June 2011, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Ninth Circuit's order certifying the plaintiff class. ^[14]
• The firm is representing Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, in a $7 billion contract dispute with purported seed money financier Paul Ceglia. ^[15].
• The firm is representing the Dole Food Company in a multi-billion dollar toxic tort suit in Nicaragua involving allegations of farmworker sterility stemming from Dole's use of certain pesticides. 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. ^[16]
• The firm is defending Intel against several multi-billion dollar antitrust lawsuits filed by AMD and the European Union.^[17]
• Gibson Dunn is currently defending Amazon.com against patent infringement claims relating to the company's development of the Kindle.
• The firm is representing Viacom in its billion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against Google and YouTube.^[18]
• The firm's attorneys sued for the right of same-sex couples to marry by arguing in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Theodore B. Olson acted for two gay couples against Proposition 8. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ordered the ban to be lifted, and that decision is now on appeal before the Ninth Circuit. The case will likely go to the US Supreme Court. Theodore Olson has been named Lawyer of the Week by The Times on this case.^[19]
• In 2009, the firm represented NBC Universal in its contract dispute with Conan O'Brien.^[20]
• Also in 2009, the firm defended The Williams Companies, Inc., in a $3 billion securities class action in connection with the bankruptcy of Williams' former telecommunications subsidiary. ^[16]
• The firm defended a conglomerate of domestic and international auto manufacturers—including Honda, Toyota, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and Nissan—against a multi-billion dollar global warming lawsuit filed by the State of California. A federal court granted Gibson's motion to dismiss in 2007.
• Gibson attorneys also represented a coalition of automakers, engine manufacturers, and dealers before the United States Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA.
• On March 1, 2006, Gibson Dunn’s Theodore Olson and Miguel Estrada argued consecutive cases before the United States Supreme Court, Olson on behalf of DaimlerChrysler in DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Charlotte Cuno, et al., and Estrada on behalf of Northern Insurance in Northern Insurance Co. v. Chatham County, Georgia. The firm won both appeals unanimously.
• Current partner Theodore Olson served as lead counsel for George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore, which secured Bush's election as President of the United States. Olson subsequently served as United States Solicitor General during Bush's first term, 2001-2004.
• Olson, along with David Boies, argued Perry v. Schwarzenegger, challenging California Proposition 8
• Awaiting the decision from the Supreme Court on Conrad Black's appeal conducted by Miguel Estrada
• Olson represented the NFL Players Association during the 2011 NFL lockout

Notable transactions

• The firm is currently advising Kraft in its $19.7 billion bid for Cadbury.^[21]
• Gibson attorneys are also advising Heineken in its $7.6 billion buyout of Mexican brewing conglomerate FEMSA.^[22]
• The firm represented a conglomerate of investment companies in the formation of a joint venture to acquire property in the largest UK acquisition deal of 2009.
• Advised long-standing client Vivendi parent company of subsidiary Vivendi Games in its $19 billion merger with Activision to form Activision Blizzard.
• Provided legal counsel to PeopleSoft after Oracle launched an unsolicited $6.3 billion tender offer (hostile takeover).
• Advised Lehman Brothers and Ratos A.B. (a Swedish private equity firm) on their bid for Fastighets A.B. Tornet for €2 billion.
• Advised General Electric in its €2 billion acquisition of Instrumentarium Corporation.

Notable attorneys

• Miguel Estrada
• Theodore Olson
• Eugene Scalia
• Debra Wong Yang
• Theodore Boutrous
• Orin Snyder
• Randy Mastro

Offices

• Brussels
• Century City
• Dallas
• Denver
• Dubai
• Hong Kong
• London
• Los Angeles
• Munich
• New York City
• Irvine
• Palo Alto
• Paris
• San Francisco
• São Paulo
• Singapore
• Washington, D.C.

References

External links

• Official Firm Website
• LawPeriscope Profile