Houston partner Gregg Costa authored “What Judge Hittner’s 40 Years on the Federal Bench Teaches Us All” for The Texas Lawbook [PDF] on the 40th anniversary of the Honorable David Hittner’s appointment as a trial judge by then-President Ronald Reagan. Gregg describes the attributes that define Judge Hittner, including enthusiasm, humor, judgment, and mentorship.
Partner Jessica Valenzuela – a finalist for The Recorder’s [PDF] Best Mentor award – told the publication: “Mentorship is so central to how I practice law that I often don’t think about it as ‘mentorship.’ I simply view it as the practice of law. I believe it is my responsibility to ensure that junior lawyers who I work with always understand what final work product I am asking for, why the task is necessary, and how it fits into the broader case strategy. If they understand the overall goal, it empowers them to think outside the box, contribute their own ideas, and feel comfortable asking questions to better develop their knowledge.”
Partner Jeff Lombard, a mentee of Jessica’s, told the publication one lesson she has taught him: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to question the work you are receiving – great lawyers do both.”
Twenty Gibson Dunn lawyers have been named by Lawdragon to its list of 500 Global Leaders in Energy — “the omnipotents of oil, the governors of gas, the lionesses of LNG, the emperors of electric and the wizards of wind.”
The firm’s leading global energy lawyers are: Mahmoud Abdel-Baky (Riyadh) – Energy & Infrastructure, Project Finance; Michael Darden (Houston) – Oil & Gas, Energy M&A; Peter Hanlon (New York) – Energy Transactions, Power, M&A; William Hollaway (Washington, D.C.) – Energy Regulation, Litigation, M&A; Hillary Holmes (Houston and Dallas) – Energy Transactions & Finance; Tory Lauterbach (Washington, D.C.) – Energy Transactions, Regulatory & Litigation; Cynthia Mabry (Houston) – Energy Transactions; Samuel Ogunlaja (Abu Dhabi) – Energy & Infrastructure Transactions; Michael Piazza (Houston) – Energy Transactions, esp. Private Equity; Nicholas Politan (New York) – Energy Transactions; Doug Rayburn (Dallas) – Energy Transactions; Omar Samji (Houston) – Energy Transactions, Finance, Cleantech; Laleh Shahabi (Abu Dhabi) – Energy, Renewable, Oil & Gas Finance; Ben Shorten (London) – Energy & Infrastructure Development & Finance; Gerry Spedale (Houston) – Energy Transactions; Simon Tysoe (London) – Energy Transactions, Cross-Border; Rahul Vashi (Houston) – Energy Transactions; Adam Whitehouse (Houston) – Energy Transactions; Renad Younes (Abu Dhabi) – Energy & Infrastructure M&A; and Robyn Zolman (Denver) – Energy, Capital Markets, Regulation.
In a Q&A with The Recorder [PDF], Kahlil Yearwood — Co-Partner in Charge of our San Francisco office and a finalist for the publication’s Office Managing Partner of the Year — described a leadership approach built on people rather than hierarchy: hire great people, support them in being their best selves, and remove the obstacles in their way. It’s part of why he gave up a traditional office at One Embarcadero Center: “When you sit in the open alongside everyone else, you hear things sooner, you connect people faster, and you signal that no one is above the team.”
On the hot topic of AI, Kahlil looked ahead to what he called “the triple impact of AI”: getting lawyers to the cutting edge of the tools, supporting people through the change those tools bring, and advising clients on the fast-emerging legal questions around AI, data centers, and data governance.
Gibson Dunn advised the underwriters in Western Midstream’s $700 million senior notes offering.
The Gibson Dunn capital markets team included partners Hillary Holmes and Cynthia Mabry and associates Allan Jeanjaquet and Anna Strong. Partner Pamela Lawrence Endreny and associate Sophia Helverson advised on tax aspects. Partner Chris Haynes and associate Libby Sycamore advised on U.K. aspects. Partner Kimberly Schlager and associate To Nhu Huynh advised on real estate aspects. Partner William Hollaway and senior counsel Janine Durand advised on regulatory aspects. Partner Michael Murphy advised on environmental aspects.
Partner Sara Weed was quoted in the Forbes article “Washington Crypto Policy Halftime Roundup” on the state of crypto policy deliberations, including the CLARITY Act in the U.S. Senate. “It is undeniable that we are making directional progress, but with limited legislative days and election pressures, it seems unlikely that CLARITY passes this session,” Sara said. “As a result, agencies like the SEC and CFTC will be called on to play even more active roles in creating much-needed certainty for the industry. The question remains, of course, just how far they can take it with their existing authority.”
Gibson Dunn advised Acorns Grow Incorporated, the U.S. financial wellness brand, on the sale of the U.K. operations of GoHenry, the youth money management and financial education platform, to Barclays Bank UK PLC.
GoHenry’s digital platform allows U.K. children to learn to earn, save, spend, and invest through a purpose-built app, with integrated tools for parents to monitor, guide, and support their children’s financial choices, including a prepaid debit card with parental controls, savings goals, money lessons, and a Junior ISA.
Acorns will retain GoHenry’s U.S. business, which now operates under the Acorns Early brand, as well as Pixpay in Europe.
The firm’s corporate team was led by London partners Will McDonald and Michael Skouras and included associates Valeriya Anopchenko and Emma Mintern. Partners Jin Hee Kim and Sebastian Fain supported on U.S. law aspects.
Gibson Dunn is advising SpaceX on its $25 billion inaugural bond issuance.
The Gibson Dunn capital markets team includes partners Hillary Holmes, Doug Horowitz, and Harrison Tucker, of counsel Rodrigo Surcan, and associates Lawrence Lee, Malakeh Hijazi, and Lachlan McLeod. Partner Michael Cannon, of counsel Kate Long, and associate Sophia Helverson are advising on tax aspects.
Partners Christopher Joralemon and David Kusnetz were interviewed by Texas Lawyer [PDF] after leading a case-ending victory for mining giant Vale S.A. A Texas appellate court dismissed a $500 million lawsuit brought by Itabiriçu Nacional de Pesquisa Mineral over mineral rights in Brazil.
“It was crystal clear that under governing Texas law and U.S. constitutional law and the well-developed evidentiary record, there was no scenario in which a court could find a substantial connection between the challenged conduct, the conversion of ore in Brazil, and Vale’s conduct in Texas,” Christopher said.
David added that foreign companies facing similar claims should “[t]rust in what the business arrangement originally was. Because that is the hallmark of international jurisprudence: respecting the contracted rights between sophisticated parties.”
Gibson Dunn is advising Platinum Equity on its acquisition of Tangent Technologies.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partner Ari Lanin and includes partner Daniela Stolman and associates Jonathan Lee, Suji Han, Alisa Balderas, Colleen Bazak, Blaine Roth, Michelle Lou, Kriti Hannon, and Matt Staugaard. Partner Dora Arash and associate Eugene Wei-En Woo are advising on tax aspects. Partners Attila Borsos, Joshua Lipton, Bradley Smith, and Claire Shepherd, and associates Alexander Merritt, Philipp Baschenhof, and Clea McClellan are advising on antitrust and foreign investment aspects. Partner Sean Feller and associate Heather Monte are advising on benefits. Partner Daniel Angel and associates Jacqueline Malzone and Elisa Wong are advising on IP aspects. Partners Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter and Ahmed Baladi and associates Arjun Rangarajan, Valy Menendez, and Billur Cinar are advising on privacy aspects. Partner Jesse Shapiro and associate Alana Horwitz are advising on real estate aspects. Partner Michael Murphy is advising on environmental aspects. Partner Michael Farhang and associate Zach Lloyd are advising on litigation and anti-corruption. Of counsel Samantha Sewall and associate Sarah Burns are advising on trade aspects. Partner Lindsay Paulin and of counsel Justin Paul Accomando are advising on government contracts.
Gibson Dunn advised Imperative Logistics Group on the sale of Masterpiece International, its Fine Arts & Entertainment specialty services subsidiary, to Maxwell Street Capital Partners, in partnership with Boxart.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partners Sean Griffiths and Christopher Lang and included associates Kristen Lee, Julia Alonzo, and Owen Alderson. Partner Edward Wei and associate Eytan de Gunzburg advised on tax aspects. Partner Meghan Hungate and associate Mona Mosavi advised on IP aspects. Partner Michael Collins advised on benefits.
Partner Matthew Gibbons has been named one of Commercial Observer’s Power Young Professionals 2026 [PDF], an annual list recognizing rising stars under 40 who are shaping the future of commercial real estate through their leadership, dealmaking expertise, and industry impact.
Matthew advises major financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and institutional lenders on complex real estate finance transactions across all asset classes and throughout the capital stack. He said he originally joined Gibson Dunn intending to focus on litigation but found himself attracted to the collaborative nature of transactional work.
“In litigation, your job is to really stick it to the other side,” he said. “That’s just not consistent with my personality. I appreciated that in transactional practice, even when things get heated, the parties want to transact. At the end of the day, you have to find common ground or the deal won’t get done.”
Gibson Dunn is advising Serapha Bio, Inc. on its merger with Boundless Bio, Inc. and $230 million private financing.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partners Ryan Murr and Branden Berns and includes associates Matt Finan and Advait Ramanan. Partner Rachel Kleinberg and associate Alex Jinqing Fang are advising on tax aspects. Partner Sean Feller is advising on benefits. Partner Bradley Smith is advising on antitrust aspects. Partner Aaron Briggs is advising on regulatory aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised Veritas Capital portfolio company Wood Mackenzie, a global leader in data, analytics, and insights for the energy and natural resources industry, on its acquisition of LandGate.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partners John Pollack and Christopher Harding.
Gibson Dunn topped Debtwire’s monthly lead counsel ranking for May 2026 with eight mandates. The strong showing helped us increase our lead in the year-to-date rankings, with a total of 25 mandates.
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 advised global alternative investment company Investcorp on its acquisition of a strategic stake in UAE-based IT distributor Metra.
Metra has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region and has a high-growth technology portfolio including AI solutions, cybersecurity, data centers, computing devices, and a B2B online marketplace.
The Gibson Dunn team advising Investcorp on the M&A aspects of the acquisition were partner Marwan Elaraby and associates Caitlin Moss and Sherif Hashem. Partner Laleh Shahabi and associate Charles Case advised on finance.
On June 22, 2026, Gibson Dunn scored a resounding victory in Texas state court when Judge Hawkins dismissed three cases with prejudice against our client, attorney Marcy Croft. The dismissals were a strong vindication of Croft’s free speech rights and a reinforcement of the principles animating the attorney immunity doctrine.
The cases came from litigation between Shawn Carter, a/k/a Jay Z, and Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee over false allegations that Buzbee had made against Carter. Croft has spent much of the past decade working pro bonowith Carter and his production company, Roc Nation, on prison reform litigation. After several of Buzbee’s former clients sued Buzbee for misconduct relating to settlement funds, Buzbee enlisted his firm and former clients to sue Croft and Roc Nation, as well as the law firm Quinn Emanuel.
Gibson Dunn moved for dismissal of the claims against Croft based on Texas’s Anti-SLAPP statute, which protects individuals who engage in protected speech and petitioning activity, and the attorney-immunity doctrine, which protects attorneys from liability for acts done on behalf of a client. The Court granted Gibson Dunn’s three motions in full, finding that the allegations implicated Croft’s right to free speech and protected attorney conduct.
Partner Sydney Scott argued the winning anti-SLAPP motions. Along with Sydney, our team was led by partners Gregg Costa and Reed Brodsky and featured critical assistance from Houston associates Kylie Calabrese, Johanna Smith, Tiffany Penner, Pleasant Garner, and Arjun Prakash.
Partner Michael Diamant is quoted in the Lexology PRO article “Five U.S. Laws Non-U.S. Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore” (subscription required), which describes how U.S. compliance risks can arise from market access and not just corporate presence. He discusses the 2025 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice that directs prosecutors to focus on cases involving “U.S. interests.”
Michael says that “we have yet to see exactly what this will mean,” though it’s likely that the DOJ “will take a particularly keen interest in situations where bribes caused a U.S. company to lose out on a business opportunity.”
“Foreign companies that have U.S. competitors should be on high alert for situations in which the U.S. competitor may allege that it lost business to them due to corruption, such as in a public situation,” Michael adds.
Gibson Dunn is advising Arcosa on its sale to CRH.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partners Robert Little and Joe Orien and includes of counsel Benjamin Haskins and associates Uyen Tu, Riley Gesling, and Dustin Leenhouts. Partner Andy Chen, of counsel William Wortmann, and associate Matthew Ross are advising on financing aspects. Partners Sophia Hansell, Attila Borsos, and Bradley Smith and associate Mike Buchwald are advising on antitrust aspects. Partners Krista Hanvey and Karl Nelson and associate Lucy Hong are advising on benefits. Partner Michael Cannon, of counsel Ryan Rott, and associate Austin Morris are advising on tax aspects. Partner Daniel Angel and associate Mona Mosavi are advising on IP aspects. Associate Stanton Burke is advising on data privacy aspects. Partners Rachel Levick and Michael Murphy and associate Jerry Blake Blevins are advising on environmental aspects. Partner Lindsay Paulin and of counsel Justin Paul Accomando are advising on government contracts. Partner Kimberly Schlanger and associate Jonvieve Anderson are advising on real estate aspects. Partner David Wolber and associate Dharak Bhavsar are advising on CFIUS aspects. Partner Christopher Timura and associate Soo-Min Chae are advising on international trade aspects. Partner Bradley Smith and associate Clea McClellan are advising on HSR aspects.
The 2026 Pro Bono Recognition List, which celebrates lawyers across England and Wales who gave 25 or more hours of their time to pro bono work in the previous year, features 90 Gibson Dunn lawyers.
The list was established three years ago under the sponsorship of the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee, endorsed by the Lady Chief Justice and supported by the Law Society, the Bar Council, and all major pro bono organizations.