Gibson Dunn is advising Daikin Applied Americas on its acquisition of Chilldyne, a leader in negative pressure liquid cooling systems for high-performance and AI data centers.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team includes partner Stephen Olson and associates Jonathan Sapp, Joseph Kmetz, and Gerald Kimani. Partner Michael Cannon is advising on tax aspects. Partner Gina Hancock is advising on benefits.
Partner Albert Cho, Co-Head of our Investment Funds Practice Group in Asia, was quoted in Private Equity Law Report (subscription required) in an article titled “Key Catalysts Behind the Emerging Trend of PE Spinouts (Part One of Three),” which discusses spinouts of private equity investment professionals or teams from their legacy firms and the various explanations as to why parties pursue spinouts.
In the article, Albert describes how the spinout trend in Asia compares to other markets and the factors than can prompt investment professionals or teams in the region to pursue a spinout, including to address limitations on capital deployment in a particular market or strategy or the lack of clear succession planning at the legacy firm.
Gibson Dunn advised SM Energy Company on its definitive, all-stock merger agreement with Civitas Resources, Inc. The combined company’s enterprise value will be approximately $12.8 billion.
Our corporate team was led by partner Jeffrey Chapman and included partners Jonathan Whalen and Robyn Zolman and associates Jonathan Sapp, Alisa Balderas, Caroline Bakewell, and Muriel Hague. Partners Rahul Vashi and Adam Whitehouse advised on oil and gas aspects; partner Doug Rayburn on financing; partner Michael Cannon on tax; partner Sophia Hansell on antitrust aspects; and partner Krista Hanvey on benefits.
Gibson Dunn announced today that Sebastian L. Fain has joined the firm’s New York office, where he will serve as a partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group and as Co-Head of Cross-Border M&A. A highly regarded deal lawyer, he brings extensive experience in strategic M&A, takeover and shareholder activism defense, and corporate governance.
“Expanding our M&A team by adding premier talent like Sebastian is core to our strategy,” said Saee Muzumdar, Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group. “He brings exceptional public and strategic M&A expertise and significant experience in helping companies execute their most complex transactions around the world. His skillset complements our best-in-class capabilities and will benefit clients as they navigate markets amid swelling strategic activity, shifting valuations, and heightened activist engagement.”
“I’m excited to join Gibson Dunn’s tremendously talented, collaborative, and growth-oriented team,” said Sebastian. “Gibson Dunn has built a truly global M&A practice that is widely recognized for its excellence and is incredibly well-positioned to help clients through every phase of a transaction’s lifecycle. I’m confident this exceptional platform will provide a strong foundation for the continued growth of my practice and to serve clients on their most complex and important matters.”
Sebastian’s arrival underscores Gibson Dunn’s continued investment in its global M&A practice, which has recently welcomed energy M&A partner Simon Tysoe and public company M&A partner Will McDonald in London, as well as Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group Co-Chair and Co-Head of Cross-Border M&A George Sampas in New York.
About Sebastian L. Fain
Sebastian advises both public company and sponsor clients on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, and corporate governance issues. He regularly represents clients in a full range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including public company mergers, private equity acquisitions, joint ventures, complex business carve-outs and divestitures, hostile takeovers and defense, carve-out IPOs, spin-offs, and split-offs. Sebastian also has significant experience representing clients in complex commercial agreements and in capital markets transactions, such as IPOs, secondary offerings, block trades, high-yield bond offerings, and exchange offers. He has expertise across a range of industries, including life sciences, industrials, technology, media, telecommunications, and energy. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Sebastian served as a partner at a leading international law firm.
The leading German legal publication JUVE has recommended Gibson Dunn in Germany in the 2025/2026 edition of its annual directory. Gibson Dunn is named among the National Top Law Firms in Germany and is recognized in the Compliance and Internal Investigations, Corporate Law, Dispute Resolution, M&A, and Private Equity Transactions categories. Partners Ferdinand Fromholzer, Markus Nauheim, Dirk Oberbracht, Wilhelm Reinhardt, Markus Rieder, Benno Schwarz, and Finn Zeidler are “frequently recommended” in one or more practice areas.
A report in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) about the launch of ADL Legal Action Network powered by Gibson Dunn notes that the network includes some of the biggest law firms in the U.S. It enables individuals anywhere in the country to report incidents, which are then reviewed by a steering committee that can connect people with thousands of the nation’s top lawyers.
“We are building an army of lawyers who will be a virtual law firm dealing with these problems,” said Gibson Dunn partner Orin Snyder, who is leading the efforts.
The launch of ADL Legal Action Network has been reported by a number of media outlets, including Reuters, The American Lawyer, Law360, The New York Post, Bloomberg Law, and others.
First up this week is a Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher team led by partners Cynthia Richman and Daniel Swanson and of counsel Eli Lazarus who scored a big win for Apple in a long-running antitrust case claiming the structure of the company’s App Store causes consumers to overpay for apps and in-app purchases. This week, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland granted Apple’s motion to decertify the class in the case after finding the plaintiffs’ expert had put forward an “error-ridden” methodology for matching Apple ID accounts with actual consumers. The Gibson Dunn team includes Theodore Boutrous Jr., Jason Lo, Caeli Higney, Julian Kleinbrodt and Dana Lynn Craig and associate Harry Phillips.
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Reprinted with permission from the October 31, 2025 edition of “The AmLaw Litigation Daily” © 2025 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com.
Gibson Dunn secured an important procedural win for United Surgical Partners International Inc. (USPI) on October 29, 2025, as the court granted its motion to transfer venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a), or in the alternative, 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), from the Eastern District of Kentucky to the Northern District of Texas, where USPI is headquartered.
Plaintiff Dara Janosky filed this action in the Eastern District of Kentucky against her former employer USPI alleging that USPI imposed an unlawful tobacco surcharge as part of its health benefit plan. Plaintiff alleges that the plan’s tobacco surcharge resulted in a breach of fiduciary duty under 29 U.S.C. § 1104 and a violation of ERISA’s anti-discrimination provision under 29 § U.S.C. 1182. This action is part of a growing trend of lawsuits filed by health plan participants challenging tobacco surcharges included in their health benefit plans.
USPI maintains no operations in Kentucky, and the action’s only connection to the Eastern District of Kentucky is that Plaintiff resides there. Notwithstanding ERISA’s generally broad venue provisions, USPI successfully argued that the action should be transferred to the Northern District of Texas, where USPI’s principal place of business is and where the plan is administered. In granting USPI’s motion, the Court adopted nearly all of Gibson Dunn’s arguments. Importantly, the court agreed with Gibson Dunn that because Plaintiff does not allege her contract rights under the plan were breached, but rather, that the plan itself violates the law, the breach occurred not where Plaintiff resides, but where relevant plan decisions were made. The court found that transfer was warranted under both 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a) and 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a).
The Gibson Dunn team representing USPI includes partners Karl Nelson and Ashley Johnson and associates Jennafer Tryck, Ellen Smith Yost, and Hannah Wilkens.
Click to read The American Lawyer’s article, “Gibson Dunn, ADL Debut National Pro Bono Network to Combat Antisemitism” [PDF], which highlights the firm’s partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to launch a national pro bono network combating antisemitism.
Partners Barry Berke and Orin Snyder have been named by Benchmark Litigation US to its 2026 Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America list, which recognizes lawyers who are “the best in breed at the nuanced practice of trial law.”
Barry is renowned nationwide as a leading trial lawyer and white-collar criminal defense attorney who represents corporations and individuals in high-stakes trials, investigations, and complex litigation. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Orin is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading trial lawyers, litigators, and corporate advisors. He represents clients across virtually every industry sector, across numerous practice areas. A former federal prosecutor, Orin is Co-Chair of the firm’s Trials Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Gibson Dunn advised Andros Capital Partners in connection with its anchor investment in EnCap Investments’ $2 billion PennEnergy Resources continuation vehicle. This is the largest capital raise for a continuation vehicle formed to date in the upstream energy sector.
Our team was led by partners Michael Piazza and Jesse Myers and included partners Edward Sopher and Kate Timmerman and associates Chris Atmar and Ali Speiss. Partner James Jennings and associate Doug Bresnick advised on tax aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised BVP Forge on its investment in the strategic combination of Sunwave Health and Lightning Step to form a unified technology platform, purpose-built for behavioral health providers nationwide.
Our corporate team was led by partner Abtin Jalali and included associates Stella Tang, Jasmine Vitug, Ayushi Sutaria, and Muriel Hague. Partner Cromwell Montgomery and associate Catie Sakurai advised on financing. Partner Matt Donnelly and associate Bree Gong advised on tax aspects. Partner Sean Feller and associate Akiva Reich advised on benefits. Partner Daniel Angel and associate Jocelyn Shih advised on IP aspects. Partner John Partridge and associate Michael Dziuban advised on healthcare regulatory aspects. Of counsel Sarah Erickson advised on HIPAA aspects. Partner Joshua Lipton and associate Alexander Merritt advised on antitrust aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised Neinor Homes, the leading Spanish homebuilder, on two major capital-raising transactions: the successful tap issuance of its €325 million green bond, upsizing it by an additional €100 million, as well as an equity capital increase through an accelerated bookbuild (ABB), raising gross proceeds of €140 million.
Proceeds from the green bond tap issuance will be used for general corporate purposes, including to partially fund the voluntary tender offer for AEDAS Homes. The issuance combined with the ABB will support Neinor’s growth strategy, shareholder remuneration policy, and eligible green projects as identified in the company’s 2024 Sustainable Financing Framework.
Our team was led by partners Hugo Hernández-Mancha and Federico Fruhbeck and associate Carmen Heredia.
Gibson Dunn advised X4 Pharmaceuticals on its public offering of common stock and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares for gross proceeds of $155.3 million.
Our corporate team was led by partners Ryan Murr, Branden Berns, and Melanie Neary and included associates Candice Johnson, Jasmine Vitug, and Anika Gidwani.
Partner Abbey Barrera has been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Lawyers for 2025 by the Daily Journal [PDF]. Abbey focuses on litigation involving privacy, emerging digital technologies, and evolving legal frameworks. This includes cases involving unsettled legal questions surrounding new technologies that are being debated in courtrooms nationwide.
“I’ve had to litigate many issues for which there was either no legal authority or conflicting legal authority,” Abbey said. “This requires out-of-the-box thinking and turning to first principles.”
Partner Karin Portlock and associate Vanessa Ajagu authored an article for the New York Law Journal [PDF] analyzing recent New York Court of Appeals decisions that define the scope and limits of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a law that allows courts to impose reduced sentences on survivors of domestic violence whose abuse played a significant role in their offenses.
Their piece examines how the Court’s rulings in People v. Brenda WW. and People v. Angela VV. clarify key aspects of the statute, including the proper standard of appellate review for DVSJA applications and the extent of sentencing relief available to survivors. Together, the decisions mark an important step in shaping how New York courts apply the DVSJA and advance its purpose of providing meaningful relief to survivors of abuse.
The AmLaw Litigation Daily (subscription required) recently spoke with partner Jason Schwartz about the current state of noncompete clauses in employment contracts. Jason noted that while the FTC’s non-compete ban has been struck down, the Trump administration remains “skeptical” of the overuse of noncompetes and it would be a mistake to think the administration has no problem with them.
“It’s not going to be that every noncompete is illegal, but if you’re a company using noncompetes, you’d better be thoughtful about how you do it and make sure that you don’t overreach,” Jason said.
The 2025 edition of the Managing IP Handbook recognizes Gibson Dunn among the top Patent Disputes firms and leading IP Transactions firms in the United States, and additionally recognizes the firm’s California, New York, and Texas practices for their Patent Disputes work.
Based on recommendations from peers and clients, the guide also names 14 lawyers as Stars. Partner Howard Hogan was named a Copyright Star and a Trademark Star. Partners Wayne Barsky, Brian Buroker, Kate Dominguez, Benjamin Hershkowitz, Charlotte Jacobsen, Josh Krevitt, Jane Love, Mark Reiter, Brian Rosenthal, Daniel Thomasch, and Robert Trenchard were all named Patent Stars. Of counsel Jennifer Rho was named a Rising Star, Jane Love was named among the Top 250 Women in IP, and partner Christine Ranney was named a Notable Practitioner.
Gibson Dunn has been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Legal 500 Latin America, earning 25 total rankings — six practice rankings and 19 individual rankings. The firm was lauded for its leading work in the region in Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Compliance and Investigations, Corporate and M&A, International Arbitration, and Projects and Energy. The guide was published on October 23, 2025.
The publication ranked Michael Farhang and Joe Warin as Leading Partners in the Compliance and Investigations category and Rahim Moloo as a Leading Partner in International Arbitration. In addition, of counsel Bryan Parr and Pedro Soto were named Leading Associates in Compliance and Investigations.
Gibson Dunn’s Latin America practice provides global legal services to our clients and shows our commitment to this dynamic region. The group draws on the legal, linguistic, and cultural experience of its members to advise a broad base of transnational clients.
The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance has published the article “Atkins on Challenges to Non-Binding Shareholder Proposals & DE/TX Law” by Washington, D.C. partners Elizabeth Ising, Thomas Kim, and Ronald Mueller.