February 3, 2020
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Ed Batts and Charles “Chuck” Walker have joined the firm’s Palo Alto and Houston offices, respectively. Formerly partners with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, they will continue their corporate M&A practices at Gibson Dunn.
“We extend an enthusiastic welcome to Ed and Chuck,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Together, they have built an impressive corporate practice focused on public and private technology companies, as well as companies in other sectors that are acquiring intellectual property and tech-based businesses, whether domestically or globally. Ed, in particular, is well-known in Silicon Valley and will add to our profile and ability to represent our technology clients on major transactions. Their combined success and talents will be solid additions to our corporate practice firmwide.”
“We are very pleased to have Ed and Chuck join us,” said Benjamin Wagner, Partner in Charge of the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn. “Their experience, expertise and energy will enhance our service to tech sector clients both in Silicon Valley and across our global platform.”
Mike Darden, Partner in Charge of the firm’s Houston office added, “Ed and Chuck are strong additions to our firm’s corporate practice. In particular, Chuck’s private equity background fits well with our continued focus on financial sponsors as well as strategics. As a result, we see excellent synergies between their client base and the firm’s client base in our Bay Area, Houston and Denver offices.”
“We are thrilled to be joining Gibson Dunn,” Batts said. “The firm is renowned for both its collaborative culture and being a leader across a broad range of practice areas, and we’re very much looking forward to contributing to its continued success in the corporate arena.”
About Ed Batts
Batts joins the Palo Alto office. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, including cross-border transactions, spin-offs, tender offers and going private transactions. He also counsels public companies on corporate governance and fiduciary duties, as well as on activist investor situations, stockholder proposals and accounting issues. He also regularly advises companies on cybersecurity issues, including crisis management of cyber-related incidents. In 2019, he was selected as a client service ‘star’ by both Acritas and BTI Consulting.
Batts practiced with Orrick since 2016 as Global Chair of the M&A and Private Equity practice. Before that, he spent close to two decades with DLA Piper. He is a military officer veteran and former federal special agent, having served with both the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
He received his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1998 and earned his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, summa cum laude, in 1995.
About Charles “Chuck” Walker
Walker joins the Houston office. He regularly counsels publicly traded and privately held technology companies and private equity sponsors in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, cross-border transactions, recapitalizations, restructurings, executive compensation and equity incentive arrangements and general corporate matters.
Prior to joining the firm, he practiced with Orrick since 2016, and before that, with DLA Piper and Kirkland & Ellis.
He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2008 and his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2004 with Highest Honors.