Gibson Dunn was honored with Texas Lawyer’s award for Litigation Department of the Year, General Litigation [PDF] at the 2025 Texas Legal Awards.
The award was presented in Dallas on September 25, 2025.
Gibson Dunn advised leading global investment firm KKR in its acquisition of a minority stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Gas Pipeline Assets LLC.
The transaction follows KKR and ADNOC’s landmark 2019 oil pipeline deal, a first for the region that continues to serve as a template for further transactions across the Middle East. The strategic partnership with ADNOC highlights KKR’s commitment to the broader Middle East, expanding on KKR’s 16-year local presence and its investments in key sectors that support regional growth. Gibson Dunn also recently advised KKR on its investment in Gulf Data Hub, a leading data center platform in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Our team was led by partners Federico Fruhbeck and Alice Brogi and of counsel Luca Bernini in London and partner Renad Younes in Abu Dhabi, with the additional support of associates Magdalena Auge and Freddie Wright and staff attorney Carmen Heredia in London and associate Andrea Callá in Abu Dhabi.
In the high profile litigation over alleged manipulation of major interest rate benchmarks, Gibson Dunn has secured the dismissal of three major antitrust class actions for client UBS. The three decisions, all issued within a two-week period, are a resounding victory for UBS and continue a strong trend in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals of requiring class action plaintiffs to adequately plead harm and standing to sue in antitrust cases.
Class action plaintiffs in all three cases claimed that UBS and other U.S. and international banks had conspired to manipulate various forms of the LIBOR interest rate benchmark, and that plaintiffs were injured as a result. UBS argued that the plaintiffs had not adequately pled or proven their claims.
The most recent win for UBS was September 29, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein granted in full Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss an antitrust class action alleging collusion with respect to Swiss Franc LIBOR. Judge Stein found that the class plaintiffs had failed to adequately plead that they had standing to sue UBS. This win came only a few days after UBS and several of its co-defendants achieved a decisive victory in a similar litigation on September 25, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald awarded summary judgment in full and dismissed all remaining claims asserted against the defendants in the U.S. Dollar LIBOR multidistrict litigation. Judge Buchwald found that the plaintiffs in that case had failed to present adequate evidence of conspiratorial conduct or impact. And these two decisions, in turn, followed yet a third win for UBS, when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on September 15, 2025 affirmed the complete dismissal of the Sterling LIBOR antitrust litigation against UBS and its co-defendants, similarly finding that the class plaintiffs had failed to adequately plead their case.
Gibson Dunn’s New York-based antitrust litigation team handling these matters for UBS is led by partners Eric Stock and Jefferson Bell and includes associates Katie Salvaggio and Amir Heidari.
Gibson Dunn is advising Catchment Capital on its majority investment in Fidus Systems, a leading provider of advanced electronic and embedded system design services.
Our corporate team is led by partner Alexander Fine and includes associates Jonathan Abrams and Tiffany Mickel. Partner Darius Mehraban and of counsel Jason Durschlag are advising on debt financing. Partner Matt Donnelly is advising on tax aspects. Partner Michael Collins is advising on benefits. Partner Lindsay Paulin is advising on government contracts.
Partner Prerna Soni recently spoke with Law.com [PDF] about her path to partnership, the importance of staying authentic, and how embracing individuality can be a source of strength and value.
Reflecting on what she thinks made her a strong candidate for partnership, Prerna emphasized the combination of consistently delivering high-quality work and being appreciated by the firm for her authenticity. “I bring an energy and perspective that’s different from a lot of law firm partners. And instead of being told to tone it down, I felt like that difference was seen as an asset — that meant a lot to me, and was a huge reason why I thought partnership could be a good fit for me.”
When asked what advice she would give to young associates aspiring to partnership, Prerna was equally candid: “Don’t trade authenticity for acceptance. The goal isn’t just getting a seat at the table — it’s finding the right table, where you don’t have to check your personality or values at the door.”
Gibson Dunn lawyers were honored by The Legal Aid Society at its annual Pro Bono Publico Awards for their work as co-counsel with the Housing Unit on two New York State appeals advancing tenants’ rights.
In Gomez v. Yang, argued by associate Vanessa Ajagu, the Appellate Term reversed a lower court’s order and concluded that, consistent with longstanding precedent, courts must award attorneys’ fees to nonprofit organizations at prevailing market rates. In Union Street Houses LLC v. Levinson, also argued by Vanessa before the Appellate Term, we advocated for low-income tenants seeking reasonable accommodation for their son’s disability.
Our New York pro bono teams included partner Christopher Joralemon and associates Vanessa Ajagu, Sanjay Nevrekar, Amanda Bello, Melissa Murphy, Molly Teague, and Jake Sherman. We are proud to partner with The Legal Aid Society in protecting housing rights for vulnerable New Yorkers.
Gibson Dunn advised an ad hoc group of lenders and noteholders to Zayo, a leading communications infrastructure provider, on its Amend and Extend transaction, extending Zayo’s corporate debt maturities to 2030 with over 99.8% of existing creditor participation. As part of the transaction, Gibson Dunn also advised certain members of the ad hoc group who provided a structured financing commitment to help fund Zayo’s planned Crown Castle acquisition.
Our New York restructuring team was led by partners Scott Greenberg, Jason Zachary Goldstein, and Steven Domanowski and included associates Jonathan Dunworth, Alex Xiao, Josh Berland, and Patrice Oseni.
Partners Caith Kushner, Madalyn Miller, and Toren Murphy, of counsel Christopher Dickson, and associates Eric Hwang, Yunpeng Zhang, Maria Fernanda Ojeda Hamui, Kaylin Chavez Ervin, and Enrique Okhuysen advised on financing. Partner Robert Little and associate Steve Wright advised on corporate aspects. Partners Cynthia Mabry and Atma Kabad and associate Caroline Bakewell advised on capital markets. Partner Edward Wei and associate Eugene Wei-En Woo advised on tax aspects.
Gibson Dunn is among the top Pro Bono firms and Social Impact Leaders ranked by Law360 Pulse.
The Pro Bono rankings, where we placed #6 in 2024, up from #11 the previous year, rank firms by the percentage of lawyers meeting the American Bar Association’s recommended annual minimum of 50 pro bono hours per lawyer.
Among Social Impact Leaders, our firm ranked #9, a significant jump from #41 in 2023. The Social Impact Leaders ranking, which recognizes the 100 firms making the greatest strides in social responsibility in 2024, is built on five pillars: racial and ethnic diversity, gender equality, employee engagement, pro bono service, and responsible business.
A Gibson Dunn team advised Horace Mann Educators Corporation on its offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of 4.700% Senior Notes.
Led by partner Doug Rayburn, our corporate team included associates Alexis Levine, Lauren Guzman, and Riley Gesling. Partner Michael Cannon and associate Blake Hoerster advised on tax aspects.
Kahn Scolnick and Candice Choh, Co-Partners in Charge of our Los Angeles and Century City offices, recently spoke to Law360 [PDF] about their management dynamics and the strategic and historical significance of Los Angeles to our firm following our move to a new Century City location.
Kahn told the publication, “The Century City office had sort of outgrown the ‘80s roots,” adding that the new location offers more space for lawyers and clients, as well as a larger, modernized area for events.
Candice stressed the importance of maintaining and expanding our strong presence across both sides of the city: “It was the right time for us to upsize, but do it in a thoughtful way and do it in a way that also plans for the future.”
She continued: “Century City is important for the history of Los Angeles and the culture we have here, and the closeness of the people here in the office. It’s been a part of our Los Angeles story for a really long time.”
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 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.