Gibson Dunn announced today that Christopher Scavone has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in its market-leading Investment Funds Practice Group. His practice focuses on GP stakes and asset management M&A transactions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships involving investment firms, succession planning arrangements, and other upper-tier liquidity and structuring solutions.

“Chris is an outstanding addition to our Investment Funds team and further deepens our capabilities in GP stakes and asset management M&A,” said Shukie Grossman, Global Chair of the Investment Funds Practice Group. “He brings a highly differentiated practice which sits at the intersection of M&A and investment funds, an area that continues to see significant market growth. His experience will be tremendously valuable as we continue advising sponsors and strategic capital providers on their most important transactions.”

“Chris brings a rare combination of M&A sophistication and deep knowledge of the GP stakes market,” said Michael De Voe Piazza, Co-Chair of the U.S. Private Equity Practice Group. “His experience advising sponsors and strategic investors on complex, high-value transactions further strengthens our ability to deliver specialized counsel across the asset management M&A landscape.”

“Gibson Dunn has built a premier platform for clients in the GP stakes and asset management M&A space, with fully integrated funds, M&A, tax, regulatory, and finance capabilities,” said Chris. “Demand for these transactions continues to accelerate, and I am excited to join a team with the depth, breadth, and collaborative culture needed to help clients navigate their most complex and strategic matters.”

Gibson Dunn’s Investment Funds Practice Group is a top-tier practice advising sponsors across geographies, asset classes, and fund structures. With a deep bench and extensive experience, the team provides the full scope of fund services needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities facing investment fund managers in today’s market. From fund formation to fund servicing to fund finance, and tax planning, complex secondaries, management company transactions, and regulatory and compliance matters, the team delivers top-of-the-market knowledge and senior-level, commercial counsel across the lifecycle of a fund.

The practice has continued to expand its integrated, full-service platform, most recently with the additions of a team in Paris; Blake Estes and Duncan McKay in New York; Marian Fowler in Washington, D.C.; James O’Donnell and Hannah Watson Fanin in London; and Carolyn Abram in Dubai.

About Christopher Scavone

Chris advises on GP stakes and asset management M&A transactions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships involving investment firms, succession planning arrangements, and other upper-tier liquidity and structuring solutions.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Chris served as a partner at another international law firm. 

In a published decision issued on July 20, 2026, the Fourth Circuit reversed certification of a shareholder class in the closely watched Boeing securities-fraud litigation arising from the January 2024 door-plug incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight. The team persuaded the court that plaintiffs had failed both to provide a classwide damages methodology before class certification — which the Supreme Court held in Comcast is needed to measure damages on a classwide basis — and to define a liability theory consistent with that methodology. The proposed class sought billions of dollars in damages based on alleged misstatements spanning more than three years, which made the adequacy of plaintiffs’ classwide damages methodology central to class certification.  By clarifying the requirements under Comcast, the decision gives defendants a roadmap for opposing class certification. 

Our winning team included partners Jeffrey Wall and Judson Littleton. The Sullivan & Cromwell team comprised partner Rick Pepperman, special counsel Jacob Cohen, and associate Jason Barnes.

Our Litigators of the Week [PDF] are Jeffrey Wall of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Richard Pepperman II of Sullivan & Cromwell, who represent Boeing in a securities case where investors are targeting dozens of statements the company made in the years following deadly crashes involving two 737 Max airplanes.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit this week vacated an order certifying a class of Boeing investors. In a decision that heavily cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, a Fourth Circuit panel held that the plaintiffs hadn’t shown how class-wide damages would be calculable in a manner consistent with their theory of liability.

“Rather than offering a methodology, the plaintiffs provided only a legal description of damages. For a securities fraud case, that’s effectively saying that they are seeking compensatory damages,” wrote Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr., on behalf of the panel.

“Under Comcast, certification orders are not like participation trophies that are handed out to everyone on the tee ball team,” he wrote.

Litigation Daily: What was at stake for Boeing in this appeal?

Rick Pepperman: Plaintiffs filed this class action alleging billions of dollars in damages. In Comcast, the Supreme Court held that plaintiffs need to have a class-wide method to calculate damages before they can certify a class. Class certification nevertheless has gotten too easy in many securities cases, and certification is often the ballgame because it generates such pressure to settle. Many plaintiffs haven’t taken Comcast’s requirements seriously, but the Fourth Circuit correctly said it’s not a box-checking exercise. It’s a real burden that securities plaintiffs must satisfy before they can certify a class.

How did this matter come to you and your firms? Jeff, I’m guessing that your move to Gibson Dunn had something to do with there being multiple firms involved here.

Jeff Wall: Rick has been representing Boeing for years. When the case was filed, he took the lead in the trial court, including fact and expert discovery and then briefing and arguing plaintiffs’ class-certification motion. I got more involved when we appealed the class-certification order, but still working very closely with Rick and Boeing’s in-house lawyers, who were deeply involved in the briefing and strategy. We often talk about a team effort, but this truly was. Rick and I spent a lot of time talking about the briefs and trading edits. The S&C team prepared me for the argument, and Rick and I were talking about the case right up until the judges took the bench.

At a high level, what did you view as the single biggest legal error in the district court’s certification ruling?

Pepperman: In securities cases like this, it has become common for plaintiffs simply to say that they want “out of pocket” damages. That’s what plaintiffs did here. They wrongly persuaded the district court that merely saying out-of-pocket damages is enough. In Comcast, however, the Supreme Court held that plaintiffs need an actual methodology for measuring damages on a class-wide basis.

The Fourth Circuit repeatedly emphasized that plaintiffs must present a damages methodology that aligns with their liability theory. When did you realize that the alleged mismatch between those two concepts would become the centerpiece of your appeal?

Wall: The Supreme Court said three key things in Comcast and the Fourth Circuit followed all of them. First, plaintiffs need an actual damages methodology, backed up by evidentiary proof. Second, plaintiffs need that methodology before class certification. Otherwise, a district court can’t know whether there is a way to measure damages class-wide and thus whether plaintiffs satisfy Rule 23’s predominance requirement. Third, if plaintiffs offer a methodology, it must be consistent with their liability theory. Here, as the Fourth Circuit held, plaintiffs failed to do all three things.

This appeal appears to have turned on what could sound to non-specialists like an abstract dispute over damages modeling. How did you make those concepts accessible for a panel that had to understand both securities law and economic methodology?

Wall: This appeal wasn’t about economic jargon; it was about common sense. To have a class action, common issues have to predominate over individual ones. We were clear in our briefs and at argument that the plaintiffs didn’t need to put on a green eyeshade and do the actual math. They instead had to offer a workable formula that was consistent with their liability case. And they never did that.

During argument, Judge Richardson seemed particularly interested in whether a court can evaluate consistency under Comcast without first identifying the operative liability theory. One theme running through your briefing and argument was that plaintiffs never actually committed to a damages methodology before certification. Why was that timing issue so important from a Rule 23 standpoint?

Pepperman: Plaintiffs often put the cart before the horse in these cases. They are vague at class certification about things like their damages methodology, so as not to hamstring them on the merits or limit potential damages. This case is a perfect example. Only after the class was certified did plaintiffs and their expert offer a constant-inflation methodology. But as Comcast held and the Fourth Circuit reiterated, plaintiffs have to offer their damages methodology before class certification.

Jeff, looking back at the oral argument, was there a particular question that signaled the court was focused on the issues you most wanted to highlight?

Wall: What stands out is how prepared the entire panel was from the jump. The judges had read the class certification papers, the district court transcripts and even the expert reports cover to cover, and they dove right in with both me and plaintiffs’ counsel, Deepak Gupta, who is a leading appellate lawyer. As an advocate, that’s the best feeling: when judges know the case as well as you do, and you can go straight to high gear.

Rick, Sullivan & Cromwell has handled many major securities matters. Where does this decision fit in terms of its potential significance for future class-certification battles?

Pepperman: This decision will require securities plaintiffs to take Comcast seriously. I also represented BP in the securities litigation filed after the Deepwater Horizon explosion. That case raised many of the same Comcast issues and resulted in an important opinion from the Fifth Circuit that the Fourth Circuit relied on here. Interestingly, Jeff mooted me for that Fifth Circuit argument back in 2015. We’ve been at this a long time!

What lessons should corporate defendants and their counsel take from the Fourth Circuit’s insistence on a rigorous examination of damages methodology at the certification stage?

Pepperman: Defendants should be encouraged to vigorously oppose class certification in securities cases. The Fourth Circuit’s decision provides a roadmap by articulating Comcast’s separate requirements, which plaintiffs need to take seriously.

What will you remember most about this matter?

Pepperman: I will most remember Jeff’s oral argument in the Fourth Circuit. It was masterful. One of the best arguments I have seen.

Wall: For rebuttal, I needed a particular page from the massive record, and Rick handed it to me before I could even ask. That’s how good this team was: not only Rick but Jacob Cohen and Jason Barnes at S&C and Judd Littleton at Gibson. Every one of them played a critical role.

Reprinted with permission from the July 24, 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.

Gibson Dunn is representing KKR in connection with its agreement to acquire the operations and assets of EDF power solutions S.A. in the United States and Canada. EDF power solutions North America operates in the U.S. and Canada and includes 6.1 gigawatts of solar and wind energy with an additional 19.2 gigawatts under development. The deal is valued at approximately $4.2 billion and is the largest renewables investment by KKR to date.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partners Marwan Azzi and Jamal Lama and includes associates Nicolette Fata, Jay Pak, Aliya Zuberi, and Maramawit Abera. Partners Toren Murphy and Mike Saliba are advising on financing matters. Partner Nick Politan and of counsels Ata Dinlenc and Jessica Basil are advising on power aspects. Partners Kathryn Kelly and Mike Cannon and associate David Horton are advising on tax aspects. Partner Ekaterina Napalkova is advising on benefits. Partner Michael Murphy is advising on environmental aspects.  Partner Ariel Harroch is advising on French law matters and partners Federico Fruhbeck and Alice Brogi are advising on institutional matters.

Globe Law and Business’s Energy in the Middle East: From Black Gold to Green Horizons (subscription required) brings together Gibson Dunn lawyers to explore the commercial, legal, and policy dynamics reshaping what is arguably the world’s most consequential energy region. Partner Samuel Ogunlaja is the Contributing Editor for the publication and is also a co-author along with the following lawyers:

  • Darko Adamovic
  • Alex Bluett
  • Alice Brogi
  • Andrea Calla
  • Trinh Chubbock
  • Stephanie Collins
  • Helen Elmer
  • Luke Higgins
  • Jane Horvath
  • Claude Jiang
  • Sameera Kimatrai
  • Ceyda Knoebel
  • Penny Madden KC
  • Nooree Moola
  • Omar Morsy
  • Aliya Padhani
  • Alexa Romanelli
  • Laleh Shahabi
  • Ibrahim Soumrany
  • Robert Spano
  • Andrew Steele
  • Renad Younes
  • Gisele Zouein

In a Law.com International article (subscription required), Riyadh partner Waleed Rasrommani discusses the importance of having a physical presence in the Gulf when it comes to clients.

The article looks at the balance law firms need to have between being visible to clients and remote working in uncertain times. Waleed told Law.com International: “Clients increasingly demand global expertise with local delivery, and having a physical presence can often be the difference between winning or losing a mandate.”

In challenging times, he added, “advisers are more important than ever because we operate in a constantly changing environment, where clients’ businesses must adapt to unexpected challenges.”

Sixteen Gibson Dunn partners have been named by Lawdragon to its list of 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers — “the lawyers protecting innovation, defending brand integrity and leveraging the assets at the heart of their clients’ businesses.”

The firm’s leading global IP lawyers are: Brian Buroker (Washington, D.C.) – IP Litigation; Jaysen Chung (San Francisco) – Patent Litigation including Appellate; Kate Dominguez (New York) – Patent Litigation; Benjamin Hershkowitz (New York) – IP Litigation & Transactions, especially Patent; Charlotte Jacobsen (New York) – Patent & Licensing Litigation, especially Biotechnology & Pharma; Neema Jalali (San Francisco) – Patent, Trade Secret, and Litigation; Angelique Kaounis (Century City) – Litigation, especially Trade Secrets; Josh Krevitt (New York) – IP Litigation; Jason Lo (Los Angeles) – Litigation, especially Patent & Trade Secrets; Jane Love (New York) – Patent Litigation, Pharma & Biotech; Mark Reiter (Dallas) – IP Litigation; Andrew Robb (Palo Alto) – Patent Disputes; Stuart Rosenberg (Palo Alto) – IP Litigation; Brian Rosenthal (New York) – Patent Litigation; Robert Trenchard (New York) – Litigation, especially Life-Science Patents; and Robert Vincent (Dallas) – IP Litigation.

Gibson Dunn partner David Casazza has been appointed a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and partner Elizabeth Papez, who just concluded the maximum two terms of elected service as a Public Member, has now been appointed a Senior Fellow.

The ACUS is a federal agency dedicated to improving administrative law and the federal regulatory process. The Conference consists of federal agency officials, academics, and private practitioners with expertise in administrative law.

Partners Sarah Graham, Jillian London, and Ilissa Samplin have been named to the Los Angeles Times’ list of Entertainment Business Visionaries, which highlights “individuals whose guidance helps productions launch, companies expand, deals close and careers flourish.” The publication selected professionals who “exemplify innovation, leadership and a deep commitment to the success of their clients and organizations.”

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/b2b/business-visionaries/entertainment

Gibson Dunn advised Otro Capital as fund counsel on its partnership with the University of Utah and the University of Utah Growth Capital Partners Foundation to form Crimson Brand Partners.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner A.J. Frey and included associates Curtis Vella, Fiona Xin, and Kameron Mitchell. Partner Pamela Lawrence Endreny and of counsel Kate Long advised on tax aspects.

Gibson Dunn advised Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology, and services to the energy industry, on its acquisition of Flatrock Compression Holdings.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Tull Florey and included associates Ashley Whittington, Mona Kalantar, and Dustin Leenhouts. Partner Shalla Prichard and associates Iris Hill Crabtree and Brendan Ryan advised on financing aspects. Senior Counsel Gregory Nelson and associate Abram Dorrough advised on tax aspects. Partner Krista Hanvey and associate Akiva Reich advised on benefits. Partner Daniel Angel and associate Jacqueline Malzone advised on IP aspects.

Sixteen Gibson Dunn partners have been named by Lawdragon to its list of 500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers — the lawyers they call “the titans of tax disputes, the architects of the code, the guardians of generational wealth.”

The firm’s leading global tax lawyers are: Dora Arash (Los Angeles) – Tax, Family Office; Sandy Bhogal (London) – Tax, Funds, M&A, Disputes; Michael Cannon (Dallas) – Tax, Energy, Infrastructure; Jerome Delaurière (Paris) – Tax, Real Estate; Matt Donnelly (Washington, D.C.) – M&A, Tax Transactional, Cross-Border; Pamela Lawrence Endreny (New York) – M&A, Tax Transactional; Benjamin Fryer (London) – Tax, Transactional; James Jennings (New York) – Tax, Family Office; Rachel Kleinberg (Palo Alto) – M&A, Tax Transactional; Saul Mezei (Washington, D.C.) – Tax, Controversy, Litigation; Jennifer Sabin (New York) – M&A, Tax Transactional; Eric Sloan (New York) – M&A, Tax Transactional; Sanford Stark (Washington, D.C.) – Tax, Controversy, Litigation; Jeffrey Trinklein (London) – Tax, Funds, International; Terrell Ussing (Washington, D.C.) – Tax, Controversy, Litigation; Edward Wei (New York) – M&A, Tax Transactional.

Hart Energy (subscription required) reported on comments made by partner James Hays at the publication’s 2026 Energy Capital Conference. James said secondary funds that raise capital from retail investors are steadily growing larger. Bigger funds are “able to do much larger transactions.”

“And, you have a single lead investor that’s able to stand behind the entirety of the transaction,” James said.

Partner Roger Singer is quoted in PERE’s “There’s a New Second Place in the PERE 100” (subscription required), which discusses Blue Owl Capital displacing Brookfield in the publication’s list of the world’s largest private real estate managers. “Their meteoric growth has been through acquisitions in a way that’s not true of some of the other largest managers,” Roger said.

Partner Michele Maryott has been named by the Orange County Business Journal (subscription required) to its inaugural OC50 2026 Most Prominent Businesswomen in Orange County list. She was selected for her work litigating labor and employment matters, “including defending employers against wage and hour and discrimination class actions, and retaliation, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and whistleblower claims.”

Gibson Dunn is advising Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on its $8.5 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison Home Corporation, a leading U.S. community developer and homebuilder with over 350 communities concentrated in prime locations across 21 markets in 12 states.

The firm’s corporate team is led by partners Andrew Kaplan and Christopher Lang and includes associate Sanzana Faroque. Partners Eric Sloan and James Jennings are advising on tax aspects, and partner Ekaterina (Kate) Napalkova, of counsel John Curran, and associate Erik Hays are advising on benefits.

Partner Kathryn Kelly was quoted in Bloomberg Law’s “Treasury Reg Revision Helps Sovereign-Wealth Investors in U.S.” (subscription required), which addresses moves by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service to address concerns that sovereign-wealth funds and other foreign-government investors in the U.S. could be penalized by new regulations on when their U.S. investment income is exempt from U.S. taxation.

Kathryn called the newly issued guidance a “welcome development” for sovereign investors that “will provide helpful certainty” that existing investments and pending transactions won’t be affected by the December regulations.

Gibson Dunn represented Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL), a leading global water technology company, in its SEC-registered offering of $1 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes, consisting of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.200% Senior Notes due 2033 and $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.450% Senior Blue Notes due 2036.  The 2036 notes were offered in accordance with Xylem’s 2026 Blue and Green Finance Framework.  The offering closed on May 29, 2026.

The Gibson Dunn team included partner Stewart McDowell and associate Ian Mathenge. Partner Lorna Wilson advised on tax matters.

Twenty-eight Gibson Dunn partners have been named by Lawdragon to its list of 500 Leading Global Litigators for 2026. The list celebrates lawyers who “dazzle with their fluency in law, language and global business alongside their commitment to the rule of law as a framework for addressing differences.”

The firm’s leading global litigators are: Mohammed Bashir (Riyadh) – International Arbitration, Governmental, Litigation; Eric Bouffard (Paris) – Litigation, International Arbitration; Ted Boutrous (Los Angeles) – Transnational Litigation; Susy Bullock (London) – Transnational Litigation; Elaine Chen (Hong Kong) – Transnational Litigation; Trey Cox (Dallas and Houston) – Global Litigation; Patrick Doris (London) – Global White-Collar Investigations & Litigation; Theane Evangelis (Los Angeles) – Global Litigation; Charles Falconer KC (London) – Transnational Litigation; Jean-Pierre Farges (Paris) – International Dispute Resolution, Bankruptcy; Pierre-Emmanuel Fender (Paris) – Transnational Litigation, Restructuring; Brian Gilchrist, OBE – Transnational Litigation & Investigations; Perlette Michèle Jura (Los Angeles) – Transnational Litigation; Penny Madden KC (London) – International Arbitration, Transnational Litigation; Nooree Moola (Dubai) – International Arbitration, Judgment Enforcement; Allan Neil (London) – Transnational Litigation & Investigations; Patrick Pearsall (Washington, D.C.) – International Arbitration & Litigation, esp. Investments; Piers Plumptre (London) – International Arbitration, Judgment Enforcement; Osma Rajah (London) – International Arbitration, Dispute Resolution; Markus Rieder (Munich) – Transnational Litigation, Securities Litigation; Philip Rocher (London) – International Dispute Resolution, Investigations; Benno Schwarz (Munich) – Global Investigations & Compliance; Orin Snyder (New York) – Global Litigation; Robert Spano (London and Paris) – Geopolitical Strategy & International Law; William Thomson (Los Angeles) – Transnational Litigation; Doug Watson (London) – Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration, Energy; Betty Yang (Dallas) – Global Litigation, Energy; Finn Zeidler (Frankfurt) – Global Litigation & Investigations.

Gibson Dunn advised MidOcean Partners and its portfolio company Bora, Inc. (d/b/a Zonda) on the sale of Zonda to CoStar Group, Inc.  Zonda is a data, marketplace, and software platform for the new home ecosystem.

The firm’s corporate team was led by partner Andrew Herman and included associates Brennan Halloran, Thomas Franck, Tiffany Mickel, and Jonathan Abrams. Partner Matt Donnelly and of counsel Ryan Rott advised on tax aspects; partner Michael Collins advised on benefits; partners Joshua Lipton, Attila Borsos, Jeremy Robison, and Alana Tinkler and associates Alexander Merritt and Aakarsh Narula advised on antitrust aspects; partners Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter and Meghan Hungate and associate Krystal Egbuchulam advised on IP aspects.