Gibson Dunn advised Tower Arch Capital on the recapitalization of Documotion Research, Inc., the company behind StickyPOS, a market-leading linerless labeling solution for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
The team was led by partner Abtin Jalali and included associates Michael Andrews and Chris Ayers. Of counsel Tom Brower and associate Nicole Kim advised on financing. Partner Michael Cannon and associate Josiah Bethards advised on tax aspects. Partner Sean Feller and associate Lucy Hong advised on benefits. Partner Daniel Angel and associate Nate Hancock advised on IP aspects. Partner Michael Murphy and associate Taylor Cathleen Amato advised on environmental aspects.
Partner Ted Boutrous is profiled in a Daily Journal article that describes several of his most prominent cases, including Dukes v. Walmart, where he persuaded the Supreme Court to strike down the largest employee class action in U.S. history in a case that transformed class action law.
While noting that Ted combines “meticulous preparation with strategic thinking designed to achieve not just victories, but precedential rulings that reshape entire areas of law,” the Daily Journal also highlights Ted’s guiding principle of maintaining civility no matter how heated the courtroom battle. “Don’t take the bait,” he says, “stay above the fray, be aggressive, be tough, fight for your client,” but always remain courteous and respectful.
Ted was recently honored by the Daily Journal with its inaugural Distinguished Counsel award. He has represented clients across the U.S. in a wide spectrum of cases and has argued hundreds of appeals, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, 12 different federal circuit courts of appeals, and 11 different state supreme courts.
In an article for Bloomberg Law [PDF], partner Michele Maryott describes what it takes to successfully lead a trial team: “a blend of trust, collaboration, and the ability to bring out the best in each team member.”
Among the tenets that Michele follows when trying a case are: embracing a “believe” mentality, playing to team members’ strengths, leaving egos at the door, remembering we’re all human, knowing your audiences — and having fun.
As she sums up, “Leading a trial team is about fostering trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence — and that means embracing the value that everyone, especially our clients, brings to the team.”
Michele was a recipient of Bloomberg Law’s inaugural Unrivaled award, celebrating litigators who lead the legal industry in high-stakes trials and settlements on impactful matters for clients.
Gibson Dunn has been shortlisted for multiple honors at the ALB Middle East Law Awards 2025.
Our firm is a finalist for Arbitration Law Firm of the Year, Banking and Financial Services Law Firm of the Year, and Deal Firm of the Year.
Three of our standout deals from the past year also earned nominations:
- Debt Market Deal of the Year – ADNOC Murban Global Medium Term Note Program
- M&A Deal of the Year – KKR / Gulf Data Hub
- Equity Market Deal of the Year – talabat IPO
The awards will be presented in Dubai on October 16, 2025.
The Daily Journal profile [PDF] of partner Theane Evangelis, recently recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California, notes that she thrives on last-minute emergency calls to jump into high-stakes cases — like the call she got in May from Los Angeles officials just days before a critical evidentiary hearing over claims the city wasn’t keeping its promises on homelessness fixes. The L.A. Alliance for Human Rights wanted a federal judge to place the program in the hands of a receiver.
“I live for cases like this,” Theane told the Daily Journal. “There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush of getting that call and jumping right in.”
She and her Gibson Dunn team had just days to prepare for a week-long courtroom showdown, doing the work of months in a couple of weeks. Theane made opening and closing arguments and also argued the relevant motions, including her successful opposition to compelling the mayor and other officials to testify. “And the court agreed with us and declined to impose a receiver,” she said. “It was a whirlwind and a roller coaster. I’m very proud of our work.”
Theane is Co-Chair of our global Litigation Practice Group and one of the country’s leading litigators. She represents clients in federal and state courts in a wide spectrum of cases and has argued and won high-profile, groundbreaking appeals across the country, including in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Partners Matt Axelrod and Christopher Timura recently spoke to Global Investigations Review (GIR) about the Commerce Department’s use of revenue-sharing agreements in export licensing — a break with traditional national security policy that raises both legal and procedural questions.
Export controls have historically been used to safeguard sensitive technologies, Matt explained. By monetizing this tool, the Commerce Department is injecting commercial incentives into a process typically governed by national security imperatives. Calling this “a sharp departure from what’s happened in the past,” Matt said: “Either an item is going to be dangerous for our national security if it goes abroad or it’s not, and the government taking a percentage of revenue from it shouldn’t change that calculus.”
Christopher added that many companies are wondering if there is now a pay-to-play model. “There are many, many, many companies that can’t afford to lose any margin on their products and still remain profitable, so the idea of somehow conditioning the approval of a licence on some sort of revenue-sharing model is not one that’s sustainable for the broad swath of American exporters,” he said.
Gibson Dunn has been nominated for several awards at the IFLR Middle East Awards 2025.
Our firm is a finalist for International Law Firm of the Year and National Law Firm of the Year – UAE: International, and has also been shortlisted in the Team of the Year categories for Equity, M&A, Financial Services Regulatory, and Public Policy & Regulation.
In addition, Marwan Elaraby, Partner in Charge of our Dubai office, is shortlisted for UAE Lawyer of the Year, and Renad Younes, Partner in Charge of our Abu Dhabi office, is nominated for the Women Dealmakers Hall of Fame.
Several of our transactions are also nominated for awards, including:
- M&A Deal of the Year – KKR / Gulf Data Hub
- Equity Deal of the Year – ADNOC Gas Fully Marketed Offering
- Equity Deal of the Year – Talabat IPO
- Domestic Deal of the Year – flynas IPO
The awards will be presented in Dubai on October 22, 2025.
Partner Theane Evangelis was named by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California [PDF] for 2025. “In a state known for excellence,” the publication wrote, “these attorneys represent the best of the best, distinguishing themselves as true leaders in the legal field.”
Theane is Co-Chair of our global Litigation Practice Group and one of the country’s leading litigators. She represents clients in federal and state courts in a wide spectrum of cases and has argued and won high-profile, groundbreaking appeals across the country, including in the U.S. Supreme Court.
With legal disputes becoming more complex, more contentious, and more high-stakes, companies are likely to increase their spending on litigation next year, some by over 10%, says Law360, quoting the BTI Consulting Group’s Litigation Outlook 2026 report, and AI is expected to generate a whole new set of claims touching on everything from contracts to data privacy.
“Artificial Intelligence will drive a new wave of litigation,” Gibson Dunn partner Trey Cox told Law360 [PDF], “as its use creates many new litigation risks for businesses that span a range of potential data, bias, IP, and regulatory exposure issues.”
The Litigation Outlook report names the “Fearsome Foursome” law firms that clients have told BTI they least want to see on the other side of the table during litigation, one of which is Gibson Dunn. Commenting on the distinction, partner Theane Evangelis said that “we consistently take on the cases involving the most complex, cutting-edge issues facing businesses today. What sets us apart is our relentless focus on building strategic trial-ready and appellate litigation teams that work across practices, offices, and specialties, and that are tailored to the needs of each case and bring big synergies to the table.”
Trey and Theane are Co-Chairs of our global Litigation Practice Group.
Partner Akiva Shapiro recently argued three appeals at the intersection of administrative law and important public-policy matters — two in state court, one in federal — and he did so within a tight nine-day window, as he described in an interview with the New York Law Journal [PDF].
Two of the appeals were challenges to the New York State government’s controversial conversion of a multi-billion dollar Medicaid program, the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, from about 600 fiscal intermediaries to just one, and to the State’s selection of a winning bidder. The third appeal fights for the 13,000-seat open-air Forest Hills Stadium in Queens — historic site of the Beatles’ first stadium concert — to continue holding concerts against opposition from a nearby homeowners’ association. The stadium hosts more than 30 A-list concerts annually.
To prepare for pivoting quickly from one appeal to the next, Akiva spent more than a month meeting regularly with three separate Gibson Dunn teams. Akiva told the NYLJ that his familiarity with the laws at hand and his handling of the cases in the lower courts gave him the confidence to handle all three appeals and made him “the right person for the job.”
Akiva is Chair of the firm’s New York Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group and a member of our Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group.
Gibson Dunn achieved 7 national rankings and 23 regional rankings in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms™ – Germany.
The firm earned national rankings for Banking and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Corporate Law, Competition/Antitrust Law, Litigation, Private Equity Law, and Arbitration and Mediation.
Our Munich office was ranked in Bavaria for Arbitration and Mediation, Competition/Antitrust Law, Corporate Governance & Compliance Practice, Corporate Law, International Arbitration, Litigation, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law, and Criminal Defense.
Our Frankfurt office was ranked in Hessen for Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Governance & Compliance Practice, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law, Arbitration and Mediation, Labor and Employment Law, Litigation, Tax Law, Criminal Defense, Employee benefits Law, International Arbitration, and Public Law.
Gibson Dunn, in partnership with Williams & Connolly, secured a life-changing victory for an Afghan client, who was granted asylum following a merits hearing.
Our client’s case stems from profound tragedy: his father, who provided vital security services to the U.S. in Afghanistan, was assassinated by the Taliban just two weeks before receiving approval of his Special Immigrant Visa. The Taliban had targeted him for years due to his outspoken support of education for women, free speech, and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities — values that our client also supports. After his father’s death, refusing to remain silent, our client shared his father’s story publicly, and it was reported in international news outlets. Our client fled in April 2023 to the U.S., where Williams & Connolly took on his representation, and that of his brother and grandmother, pro bono.
The team assembled a compelling case for asylum, supported by an extensive record. The team retained a former Afghan diplomat as a country conditions expert and obtained an expedited hearing date more than a year ahead of schedule. The preparation paid off: after testimony and argument, the immigration judge granted asylum from the bench. The judge acknowledged our client’s fear of persecution based on his political beliefs and affiliations and found a likelihood of persecution if he were to return to Afghanistan. Our client can now remain in the U.S. without fear of removal and continue his work as a case manager at a refugee resettlement organization. He supports his mother and younger sister, a high school student who aspires to become a lawyer, and he has reunited with two other members of his family who were left behind in Afghanistan.
Our client’s brother and grandmother fled to Pakistan after the death of their father and son, respectively. Both have now arrived safely in the U.S., the brother traveling on a Special Immigrant Visa that the firm helped prepare and push forward based on his own and his father’s service to the U.S., and the 88-year-old grandmother entering on a humanitarian parole visa successfully obtained by the firm based on urgent health and caregiving needs.
Gibson Dunn associate Janae Staicer wrote the asylum brief, compiled the various applications, and represented our client at his merits hearing, with supervision by Century City partner Diana M. Feinstein and Janae’s former colleagues at Williams & Connolly. The team continues to represent the grandmother in her claim for asylum.
This multi-year effort across three countries by two law firms underscores the power of advocacy and collaboration in ensuring protection for those who have sacrificed so much in support of American efforts abroad.
Gibson Dunn Chair and Managing Partner Barbara Becker recently spoke to the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) about the firm’s launch of its sixth European office, in Zurich. The city’s reputation as a preferred venue for international litigation and arbitration complements the firm’s existing disputes strength, and its high concentration of multinational headquarters and financial institutions “creates significant opportunities and synergies for our banking & finance and M&A practices,” she said.
Barbara also noted that increasing regulatory scrutiny in many markets is raising the risk of banking litigation, asset recovery, and enforcement measures — and the demand for cross-border expertise in these areas. “With our cross-border expertise in both transactional and litigation work,” Barbara said, “we are well-positioned to support Swiss businesses looking to expand globally and foreign investors interested in Swiss assets,” a capability that is “particularly valuable in today’s market, where regulatory, litigation, and transactional issues are increasingly intertwined.”
The Partner in Charge of the firm’s new Zurich office, Christopher Harris, is a UK-qualified barrister and Switzerland-admitted lawyer with more than two decades of experience in commercial and investment arbitration.
Read the full article here (subscription required).
Gibson Dunn is advising the underwriters on Alliant Energy’s offering of $725 million of 5.750% junior subordinated notes.
The underwriters are BofA Securities, Inc., MUFG Securities Americas Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, with Mizuho Securities USA LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC as joint book-running managers.
Our corporate team is led by partner Andrew Fabens and includes of counsel Rodrigo Surcan and associates Clinton Eastman and Kevin Mills. Partner Jennifer Sabin and of counsel Kate Long are advising on tax aspects. Partner William Hollaway and senior counsel Janine Durand are advising on regulatory aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised Serent Capital and Arbiter, a trusted provider of athletic and school operations management software, on the sale of a majority stake in Arbiter to Accel-KKR.
Led by partner Abtin Jalali, our corporate team included associates Michael Andrews, Chris Ayers, and Jasmine Vitug. Partner Sean Feller and associate Akiva Reich advised on benefits; partner Daniel Angel advised on IP and data privacy aspects.
In a Q&A with Texas Lawyer [PDF], partner Trey Cox, Co-Chair of our global Litigation Practice Group and Co-Partner in Charge of our Dallas office, shared the team’s most significant achievements and biggest challenges of 2024 and discussed how it is adapting to those challenges, which includes managing the Dallas and Houston practice as a singular, integrated “Texas” platform for clients and continuing to hire “the best people — those with the versatility, judgment, and drive to thrive in a dynamic legal environment.” Trey added: “Excellence in talent remains the firm’s best hedge against market volatility and its greatest asset in delivering lasting client value.”
Gibson Dunn is a finalist for Texas Lawyer’s 2025 Litigation Department of the Year Award. The awards will be presented in Dallas on September 25.
Gibson Dunn topped Debtwire’s August lead counsel ranking for the U.S. and Canada, with four new engagements, and continued to remain well ahead in the year-to-date ranking, with 34 mandates.
Debtwire’s Restructuring Advisory Mandates Report for the U.S. and Canada ranks advisors based on the total number of in-court and out-of-court representations. The lead counsel category tracks the main restructuring/bankruptcy counsel retained by a party.
Our Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group specializes in representing creditor and stakeholder groups in the nation’s largest and most complex restructurings and is a pioneering leader in the liability management space.
Gibson Dunn has been named to the 2025 National Women’s Law Center Pro Bono Honor Roll. This special designation is given to exemplary NWLC pro bono partners who meet certain annual qualifying criteria set by the Law Center. Over the past decade, Gibson Dunn has dedicated over 1.4 million hours valued at more than $1 billion to pro bono work across the United States and around the world.
Over the past decade, Gibson Dunn has dedicated over 1.4 million hours valued at more than $1 billion to pro bono work across the United States and around the world.
Click to read Law.com International’s article, “Gibson Dunn Launches Zurich Office, Expanding Its Foothold in Europe” [PDF], which highlights the opening of the firm’s Zurich office.
In a high-stakes battle that put a critical Gulf Coast energy hub on the line, Gibson Dunn secured a resounding courtroom victory for client Energy Transfer that safeguarded the Sea Robin Gas Processing Plant and reaffirmed the rule of law in the midstream sector.
At issue was an audacious attempt by Energy Transfer’s midstream energy rival Enterprise to shutter the plant through a corporate sleight of hand. Enterprise carved off a 7.39 percent slice of its own interest, transferred it to a freshly minted affiliate with no gas of its own, and then used that affiliate’s vote to fabricate the super-majority needed to shut the facility down.
The Energy Transfer team acted decisively, exposing the scheme as a violation of both the substantive requirement that all transferees deliver qualifying gas and the procedural mandate that every owner receive advance notice under the parties’ longstanding 1995 Operating Agreement.
Louisiana District Judge Laurie Hulin granted summary judgment voiding the transfer of the plant, finding that Enterprise did not “strictly follow the language of the agreement” governing transfer of plant ownership. The result was a complete vindication of contractual governance — and the preservation of a vital piece of America’s Gulf energy infrastructure.
Our Dallas team was led by partner Trey Cox and associates Travis Jones and Cody Johnson and included associates Robert Frey and Lara Kakish.