Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Headquarters	Wells Fargo Tower Los Angeles, California
No. of offices	18
No. of attorneys	Approximately 1,200
Major practice areas	General Practice
Key people	Kenneth M. Doran, Managing Partner[1]
Revenue	US$1.54 billion (2015)[2]
Date founded	1890
Website	www.gibsondunn.com

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm includes approximately 1,200 attorneys and 2,000 staff located in 18 offices around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is best known for its litigation practice, which has been named the top "Litigation Department of the Year" in the United States by The American Lawyer in three of the last four biannual rankings, most recently in 2016.^[3] On the transactional side, the firm is known for its land use and real estate practices.^[4][5]

The American Lawyer ranks Gibson Dunn second among national law firms on the "A-List," which measures firms' ability to balance financial success with associate satisfaction, pro bono commitment, and diversity. A survey for the 2017 Vault Law Firm Rankings placed Gibson Dunn as the number one law firm in appellate litigation, and among the top five nationally for antitrust, real estate, commercial litigation, and white-collar investigations.^[6]

Notable cases

The firm's attorneys have argued more than 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court.^[7] Some of the more notable cases include:

• The firm represented 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.^[8] The injunction was vacated in October 2012 based on the results of the trial.^[9][10]
• The firm is representing Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, in a $17 billion contract dispute with purported seed money financier Paul Ceglia.^[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 the Dole Food Company in a multibillion-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.^[15]
• The firm is defending Intel against several multibillion-dollar antitrust lawsuits filed by AMD and the European Union.^[16]
• In 2009, the firm represented NBC Universal in its contract dispute with Conan O'Brien.^[17]
• The firm represented Viacom in its billion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against Google and YouTube in Viacom International Inc. v. YouTube, Inc..^[18] After multiple rulings at the District Court and Appellate Court, the case was settled in 2014.^[19]
• 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.^[20] 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."^[21]

Notable transactions

• The firm advised Hewlett-Packard in its £7 billion bid for Autonomy Corporation.^[22]
• The firm advised Kraft in its $19.7 billion bid for Cadbury.^[23]
• Gibson attorneys advised Heineken in its $7.6 billion buyout of Mexican brewing conglomerate FEMSA.^[24]

Political contributions

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Gibson Dunn was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.45 million, 55% to Democrats.^[25] Since 1990, Gibson Dunn contributed $6.15 million to federal campaigns.^[26]

Notable attorneys and staff

• Preet Bharara, former associate and high-profile U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017.
• Robert C. Bonner, former Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Miguel Estrada, acclaimed U.S. Supreme Court practitioner and former nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
• Theodore Olson, former United States Solicitor General from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush.
• Kelly Perdew, former associate and reality television star on "The Apprentice."
• Eugene Scalia, former Solicitor for the U.S. Department of Labor and son of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
• Debra Wong Yang, former L.A. Superior Court Judge and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

References

External links

• Official website