Partner Simon Tysoe shared his insights on the U.K. and global mining M&A landscape with Corporate Financier.
M&A in the mining sector is thriving thanks to gold and silver prices at an all-time high, and minerals such as lithium, copper, and rare earths are vital for electrification, computing and defence systems.
“London remains attractive to mining companies,” said Simon. “The U.K. capital has more liquidity for the larger players than, say, Canada – another major mining market – and it also has investors who feel very comfortable with large, listed entities whose businesses are entirely international, rather than domestic.
“There is a constant debate, with all natural resources, about whether it is better and cheaper to buy or to build. Does it make sense to do greenfield development to increase your production or to buy someone else to get that lift?”
Buy currently has the edge over build and is likely to do so for some time to come, added Simon.
The Original Jurisdiction article “Defense-Focused Biglaw Moves Into Plaintiff-Side Work” (April 9, 2026) featured commentary by partner Robert Weigel. He discussed the increase of plaintiff-side work in recent years: “Plaintiff-side work has added a dimension to big-firm practice that wasn’t there before.”
On March 30, 2026, a Gibson Dunn pro bono team secured a significant victory in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, vacating in significant part an administrative rule adopted by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”) that would have dramatically increased immigration-related filing fees. The rule targeted appeals, motions, and applications before immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals – raising some fees by as much as eightfold.
Earlier in the litigation, the court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for a preliminary injunction in January 2021, blocking the majority of those increases from taking effect. In its summary judgment decision, the court reaffirmed that ruling and held that EOIR acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to meaningfully consider the impact of the fee increases on legal services providers and their ability to represent low-income and indigent noncitizens. The court concluded that such failure warranted vacatur of the six challenged fee increases, ensuring that the prior, lower fee structure remains in place.
The decision represents an important win that promotes fair and meaningful access to immigration proceedings and relief, including by preserving the ability of legal services organizations to continue providing critical representation to vulnerable populations. We are proud to partner with the American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Law Center in bringing this lawsuit, and to represent the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Kids in Need of Defense, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles in their ongoing effort to provide free and affordable immigration legal services to indigent populations.
The Gibson Dunn team is led by partners Richard Mark, Joseph Evall, and Katie Marquart and includes associates Matthew Butler, Vanessa Ajagu and Felicia Reyes.
First up is a team led by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partners Theodore Boutrous Jr. and Blaine Evanson and Stoel Rives partner Brad Daniels that secured a significant appellate win for the Oregon utility company PacifiCorp in a wildfire class action. Plaintiffs whose property was damaged in four wildfires that burned over Labor Day weekend 2020 have already won more than $1 billion in total verdicts in follow-on, individual damages trials, with dozens more on the calendar. But this week the Oregon Court of Appeals held that the judge in the initial class action trial establishing PacifiCorp’s liability and negligence erred by instructing jurors to “assume that the evidence in the trial applies to all class members.” The appellate court reversed and remanded the initial class action verdict and invited the trial court to reconsider whether a single class was the appropriate vehicle to consider claims from four burn areas separated by well over 100 miles. The question of what sparked the largest of those fires is still contested by the parties. The team included Gibson Dunn partner Joseph Edmonds and associates Jacob Arber, Branton Nestor, James Rex Lee, Robert Frey and Varant Anmahouni.
A Sidley Austin team led by Daniel Feith worked alongside a separate appellate team at Gibson Dunn challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s denial of small-refinery exemptions to their clients under the Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard program. A unanimous D.C. Circuit panel held this week that the EPA’s interpretation of its own regulation—that the refineries were required to comply with the 75,000-barrel “small refinery” limit in 2023 as well as 2024—were contrary to the plain language of the statute, which indicated they need only comply in 2024. Feith argued on behalf of both petitioners. The Sidley team representing Alon Refining Krotz Springs Inc. also included Peter Whitfield, Cody Akins and Peter Bruland. The Gibson Dunn team representing HF Sinclair Parco Refining included Christine Buzzard, Robert Frey, Stephen Hammer, Allyson Ho, Lavi Ben Dor and M. Christian Talley.
Shout-out to litigators at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom representing Amadeus Hospitality and its parent company Amadeus IT Group SA in an antitrust class action claiming the company conspired with eight luxury hotel brands to inflate prices using the company’s Demand360 software platform. U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall in Chicago last week dismissed the suit with prejudice, finding no evidence of any enforcement mechanism that would be needed to plausibly sustain a “price stabilization cartel.” The Skadden team leading the briefing on the defendants’ joint motion to dismiss included Karen Lent, Matt Martino, Amy Van Gelder, Sammuel Auld, Michael Lanci and Madeleine Gramigna. Douglas Litvack and Lindsay Harrison of Jenner & Block represented Hyatt Corp. Christopher Curran, J. Mark Gidley and J. Frank Hogue of White & Case represented Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. Carrie Mahan, Benjamin Mundel, Nicole Booth and Noah Fitzgerel of Sidley Austin represented Accor Management US Inc. Tammy Adkins of McGuireWoods and Jarrett Arp, Mari Grace, Neal Potischman and Tina Hwa Joe of Davis Polk & Wardwell represented Hilton Domestic Operating Co. Jeffrey Cashdan, Emily Newton, Lohr Beck, Caroline Buyak and Zachary Fardon of King & Spalding represented Six Continents Hotels Inc. Kristen Limarzi, Melanie Katsur and Sarah Akhtar of Gibson Dunn and Jeffrey Hansen and Matthew Kramer of Actuate Law represent Marriott International Inc., The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Katherine Forrest, Matthew Robinson and Paul Brachman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison represented Loews Hotels.
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Reprinted with permission from the April 9, 2026 edition of “The AmLaw Litigation Daily” © 2026 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com.
The Hollywood Reporter has named partners Ted Boutrous, Ilissa Samplin, and Orin Snyder to its list of Hollywood’s 100 Most Powerful Lawyers. The publication said that lawyers on the list “worked on cases or deals in the past year that in some way, big or small, helped shape the town.”
The publication noted that Ted “has built a reputation for going to the mat for media freedoms,” including his work representing NPR and The New York Times. It said that clients turn to Ilissa “when Hollywood gets dragged into ugly fights over spinoffs, defamation and trade secrets,” and that in Orin’s world, “the fight is usually over who owns what.”
The Recorder [PDF] spoke with partner Ted Boutrous about his recent streak of appearances before 35 judges in a 44-day period. The stretch started on February 4 with a wildfire class action in the Oregon Court of Appeals and ended on March 18 with an en banc hearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, where he represented State Farm in an insurance case before 17 judges.
Ted’s arguments included cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Court of Appeal, the Oregon Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the California Superior Court and the Washington Superior Court and ran a gamut of topics. He said that the exposure to such a “great cross-section of the judiciary in a short period of time” affirmed his faith in the judicial system.
“Everyone is really just arguing these issues through to try to get to the right answer, and up and down the judiciary system across the country,” Ted said. “I think it’s something that we should all feel good about.”
Law360 [PDF] reported that Gibson Dunn successfully defended a Georgetown University student in a lawsuit against claims the university unlawfully fired a black Muslim administrator because of years-old social media posts she made disparaging Jewish activists that were reposted by the student. A federal judge ruled that the administrator hadn’t shown she was terminated for her background rather than inflammatory online comments.
Partner Elizabeth Papez told Law360 in a statement that her team was “proud to have achieved justice for our client in this lawsuit, which improperly sought to punish her exercise of First Amendment rights and chill the expression of countless others.” Along with Elizabeth, the team on the case included partner David Kusnetz and associate Lavi Ben Dor.
The CLS Blue Sky Blog has published “Gibson Dunn Discusses Delaware Supreme Court’s Revival of Nationwide Noncompete” (April 9, 2026) by partner Christine Demana and associate Tommy McCormac.
A Gibson Dunn Intellectual Property team has obtained a dismissal with prejudice of a patent infringement suit against financial services firm Plaid, Inc., with a Utah federal judge ruling that the asserted patent covering authentication processes for third-party transactions was directed to an abstract idea.
The win arises from an action brought by Secure Authentication Technologies LLC (SAT) alleging that Plaid’s products, which enable consumers to connect their bank accounts to their fintech apps, infringe its patent relating to technology for enabling a third party to gain access to online accounts otherwise protected by multi-factor authentication. Plaid moved to dismiss the complaint under Rule 12(b)(6), arguing that the asserted claims are ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
Following a hearing in Salt Lake City in late February, Judge Kimball granted Plaid’s motion and dismissed SAT’s claims with prejudice. Judge Kimball found the claims were directed to the abstract idea of circumventing or managing an authentication process to facilitate a third-party intermediary transaction by maintaining account access. He also found the claims lacked any inventive concept, rejecting SAT’s arguments that were not based on the language of the claims and that relied merely on the abstract idea itself. Because the court found amendment would be futile, it dismissed SAT’s claims with prejudice.
The decision represents a significant win for Plaid, terminating the case early and sparing the company the burden of litigation against SAT. “From the time the Complaint was filed, it was clear that the plaintiff’s patent was ineligible under settled case law, and that this case should never have been brought,” partner Brian Rosenthal said in a statement. “We are very pleased that the Court vindicated our position. Our client Plaid looks forward to putting this meritless lawsuit behind it and continuing to provide best-in-class solutions to its customers.”
The case is Secure Authentication Technologies LLC v. Plaid, Inc., No. 2:25-cv-00514-DAK-JCB (D. Utah).
The Gibson Dunn team representing Plaid was led by partner Brian Rosenthal and included partners Brian Buroker and Jaysen Chung and associates Hannah Bedard, Michelle Zhu, Zak Khan, and Alex Chiang.
A Gibson Dunn team that helped National Public Radio secure permanent injunctive relief in a consolidated case that prevents the Trump administration from defunding NPR and PBS was featured in an article in The National Law Journal [PDF]. Partner Ted Boutrous said: “The ruling is important not just to NPR and PBS. It demonstrates that the First Amendment is a barricade against interference with newsgathering and news reporting and speech from the executive branch’s efforts to squelch it, so we think it’s a very important ruling.”
Eight Gibson Dunn partners have been named to Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2026, which recognizes “the trusted counselors of the town’s top talent and companies, helping them navigate a fast-changing landscape.” Congratulations to Brian Ascher, Ted Boutrous, Sarah Graham, Kevin Masuda, Benyamin Ross, Ilissa Samplin, Orin Snyder, and Steve Tsoneff.
Gibson Dunn secured the #1 spot for Global Principal Advisors Announced in Q1 per LSEG’s M&A Legal Advisors, while also claiming the #2 spot in Bloomberg Law’s Q1 Global M&A League Tables, having advised on 59 deals valued at over $334 billion. This accomplishment was the result of our clients trusting us on a number of highly complex megadeals, including SpaceX’s merger with xAI — the largest M&A transaction in history. The firm was also ranked #2 in U.S. M&A and #2 in Global and U.S. Private Equity by Bloomberg, further cementing Gibson Dunn’s position as a leading M&A platform.
Gibson Dunn led the field in Q1 M&A deal value rankings across the Asia Pacific region, reports Law.com International [PDF].
New data from the London Stock Exchange Group for the first quarter of 2026 shows that Gibson Dunn topped the law firm rankings in APAC with the highest total deal value: approximately $37.2 billion across nine deals.
Law.com International reports that “the firm’s strong showing comes amid continued investment in its Asia platform, particularly in Singapore, where it has been building out its corporate bench. In February, the firm hired private equity and M&A partners Nigel Gleeson and Jon Bowden.”
Gibson Dunn announced today that Omar Samji, one of the market’s leading power and renewables dealmakers, has rejoined the firm as a partner in its Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group, based in Houston.
Omar began his legal career at Gibson Dunn in Los Angeles and Dubai, making his return to the firm a homecoming that reflects its continued investment in top-tier energy and infrastructure talent. He advises energy companies, infrastructure sponsors, and investors on complex M&A, private equity and debt investments, and project development across the energy transition.
“The power and renewables market is growing in both scale and complexity — driven by AI-related load growth, energy transition demands, and a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape — and Omar brings the sophisticated transactional experience clients need to navigate these opportunities,” said Tomer Pinkusiewicz, Co-Chair of the Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group. “Our lawyers know firsthand the caliber of partner and colleague Omar is, and we are thrilled to welcome him back.”
“With Texas standing as the largest and most dynamic power market in the country, and Houston as a leading global hub for energy and infrastructure investment, Omar’s experience advising on strategic acquisitions, large-scale projects, and energy transition matters is invaluable to our clients,” said Hillary Holmes, Co-Partner in Charge of the firm’s Houston office.
“I’m excited to return to Gibson Dunn,” said Omar. “The firm has built a market-leading, integrated energy and infrastructure platform — spanning power and renewables, oil and gas, energy transition, and digital infrastructure. That breadth, combined with deep transactional and regulatory capabilities, gives clients a distinct advantage in executing complex, next-generation projects. Houston is an extraordinary hub for this work, and I look forward to delivering results for clients alongside this exceptional, highly collaborative team.”
Omar’s arrival further strengthens Gibson Dunn’s preeminent Energy and Infrastructure Practice. The multidisciplinary team advises on complex transactions across all major infrastructure asset classes — including digital, social, and transportation — with capabilities spanning financing (including capital markets), project development, strategic M&A and private equity, fund formation and fund financing, regulatory and compliance, as well as disputes and litigation.
About Omar Samji
Omar’s practice focuses on the acquisition, development, and deployment of a broad range of energy and infrastructure assets spanning power and renewable solutions that support AI-driven load growth, electrification, and net-zero objectives, as well as conventional energy. He regularly advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, project development, and financings of large-scale energy transition and infrastructure projects. He also advises on the negotiation of key commercial agreements — including supply, offtake, interconnection, and procurement arrangements. His practice covers the spectrum of energy technologies, with a focus on the commercialization of advanced geothermal, longterm energy storage, and Small Modular Reactor nuclear technologies.
Prior to rejoining Gibson Dunn, Omar was a partner at an international law firm.
Gibson Dunn advised Elliott Investment Management on the antitrust and foreign investment aspects of its significant investment in Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), in the context of Toyota Fudosan’s tender offer to acquire TICO.
The firm’s team was led by partners Attila Borsos and Alana Tinkler.
Gibson Dunn has advised Goldman Sachs Alternatives on its investment in and financing of the acquisition of Urban Campus Group (UCG), a France-headquartered co-living and co-working real estate provider and management company.
Goldman Sachs Alternatives has committed €550 million of equity to support UCG’s plans to develop and operate a portfolio of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation assets across France.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by London and Paris partners Alice Brogi, Ariel Harroch, Rob Carr, and Amanda Bevan-de Bernède; of counsel Gisele Zouein and Frédéric Chevalier; and associates Romain Tourenne, Alison Pereira Martins, James Cox, and Marie Gosset.
Gibson Dunn advised Resultant, a leading data and technology consulting firm, on its acquisition of Liberty Advisor Group, a Chicago-based consulting firm specializing in M&A advisory services for private equity firms and Fortune 500 companies.
The firm’s corporate team included partners Sean Griffiths and Christopher Lang and associates Kristen Lee, Emily Harvey, and Manahil Zafar. Partner Edward Wei and of counsel Josiah Bethards advised on tax aspects. Partner Meghan Hungate and associate Jacqueline Malzone advised on IP aspects. Partner Michael Collins advised on benefits.
Gibson Dunn is advising Korsana Biosciences on its merger with Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. and concurrent $380 million financing.
The firm’s corporate team includes partners Ryan Murr and Branden Berns and associate Evan Shepherd.
A Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher led by partners Allyson Ho, Michael Raiff and associate Elizabeth Kiernan represented energy generators and retailers associated with Luminant Energy Company and Vistra Corp. in Texas multidistrict litigation stemming from Winter Storm Uri. The Gibson Dunn team took the lead in briefing on behalf of all generator defendants seeking to uphold an intermediate appellate court decision below knocking out all the personal injury and property claims stemming from the storm. The Texas Supreme Court last week upheld the generator defendants’ win below without issuing an opinion. The decision brings the five-year litigation that potentially involved billions in claims to a close on the pleadings without discovery. The Gibson Dunn team included associates Stephen Hammer, Rebecca Roman and Arjun Ogale.
Shout-out to teams at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld representing the Public Broadcasting Service and at Gibson Dunn representing National Public Radio that secured an injunction against an executive order forcing all federal agencies to refrain from funding NPR and PBS. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss last week found that the executive order violated the First Amendment since it “singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs.” The Akin team representing PBS was led by Julius Chen and Pratik Shah. The Gibson Dunn team representing NPR was led by Ted Boutrous, Miguel Estrada and Katie Townsend and of counsel Sophia Brill.
To read the complete article visit Law.com (subscription required)
Reprinted with permission from the April 7, 2026 edition of “The AmLaw Litigation Daily” © 2026 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com.
Six Gibson Dunn lawyers have been selected to serve on Law360 Editorial Advisory Boards for 2026. Congratulations to:
Atma Kabad (partner, Houston) – Capital Markets
Stacie B. Fletcher (partner, Washington, D.C.) – Environmental
Scott Toussaint (associate, Washington, D.C.) – International Trade
Anne Devereaux (of counsel, Los Angeles) – Tax Authority International
Prerak Shah (partner, Houston) – Texas
Jordan Estes (partner, New York) – Trials
The editorial advisory boards provide feedback on Law360’s coverage and expert insight on how best to shape future coverage.