Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Greg Nelson has joined the firm as a Senior Counsel. Greg serves as a member of the firm’s Tax Practice Group.
“Greg’s deep tax experience, particularly in the energy industry, will be of immense value to our clients. Greg has a reputation for true excellence and professionalism, and we are excited to welcome him to the team,” said Hillary Holmes, Co-Partner in Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Houston office.
“I have long admired Gibson Dunn’s premier tax platform, and I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues in providing our clients the best results for their most significant transactions,” said Greg.
Greg concentrates his practice on federal income taxation, with particular emphasis on the tax issues that relate to corporations and partnerships in the energy sector. He regularly counsels clients regarding tax issues related to private equity transactions and publicly traded partnerships. He also works on the tax-efficient structuring of corporate mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, including taxable sales and tax-free reorganizations.
Greg received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He is admitted to practice in Texas, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Tax Court.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Greg served as a partner in the tax department of an international law firm.
Greg’s arrival further builds on Gibson Dunn’s talent magnet effect in Houston, as demonstrated by recent additions, including M&A partner Rahul Vashi, private equity partners Michael Piazza and Jesse Myers, capital markets partner Cynthia Mabry, investment funds partner James Hays, bankruptcy partner Chad Nichols, and litigation partner Gregg Costa.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised EQT Exeter on the formation of EQT Exeter Industrial Value Fund VI, which closed on $4.9 billion of capital commitments.
The Gibson Dunn investment funds team was led by New York partner Roger Singer and included partner Eve Mrozek and associates Rachel Spinka and Curtis Vella. Washington, D.C. partner Daniel Zygielbaum and associate Laura Pond advised on tax aspects.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Michael Weinberger will join the firm’s New York office as a partner. Michael will continue his real estate finance practice, which is focused on commercial mortgage-backed securitization (CMBS), balance sheet, mezzanine and construction loan originations, restructurings, and secondary market transactions.
“We are delighted to welcome Michael to the Gibson Dunn team,” said Mylan L. Denerstein, Co-Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s New York office. “He is a proven star, and his practice will further complement our market-leading real estate group.”
“We are thrilled to have Michael join our Gibson Dunn real estate practice,” said Eric M. Feuerstein, Co-Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group. “He is one of the most respected practitioners in the field, admired by counsel and clients alike, and the top lender-side lawyer in the country. His experience, particularly on real estate financing, is simply unparalleled and will serve as a tremendous asset for the Gibson Dunn real estate platform.”
“I am excited to begin the next chapter of my career at Gibson Dunn,” said Michael. “I look forward to working alongside this terrific group of colleagues to help our clients navigate their most complex transactions. I couldn’t be happier to join this very talented team.”
Michael’s addition continues a period of steady growth for Gibson Dunn, as the firm continues to attract top talent, including: real estate partner Lauren Giovannone in Los Angeles; private equity partners Jesse Myers and Michael Piazza; investment funds partners James Hays in Houston and Kira Idoko in New York; M&A partner Rahul Vashi in Houston; restructuring partners Chad Nichols in Houston, C. Lee Wilson and Joseph Zujkowski in New York, and AnnElyse Scarlett Gains in Washington, D.C.; finance partners Frederick Lee in Houston and Douglas Horowitz and Jin Hee Kim in New York; and FinTech and financial institutions partners Jason Cabral in New York and Sara Weed in Washington, D.C.
About Michael Weinberger
Michael focuses on real estate finance, including mortgage, mezzanine, and construction loan originations, restructurings, syndications, and secondary market transactions. He regularly represents major institutional lenders and borrowers in transactions involving hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, industrial properties, condominiums, multi-family properties, life science centers, storage facilities, movie studios, and other property types. Michael is top-ranked in Chambers USA, which has noted that he is “the best of the best for commercial real estate finance” and “quite simply unparalleled.”
Michael graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1991 and subsequently clerked for the Judge Leonard I. Garth on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics in 1988.
International law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is expanding its Projects and Infrastructure team with the hire of two leading industry practitioners, Ben Shorten and Trinh Chubbock, who have joined the firm in London. Ben Shorten will serve as the head of Gibson Dunn’s EMEA Project Finance team.
Commenting on the hires, Barbara Becker, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Chair and Managing Partner, said: “We have been focused on growing our stellar EMEA projects and infrastructure team, and are thrilled to welcome Ben and Trinh to the group and to the firm.”
Federico Fruhbeck, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group, said: “Ben and Trinh are both fantastic additions to our team. Ben is a leading practitioner who has extensive project finance experience and, having been based in London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore, has a unique, global perspective. Trinh, likewise, brings considerable energy and transitional sector experience, particularly on the commercial side.”
The addition of these two partners follows a period of extensive growth for Gibson Dunn’s Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group, along with the firm’s energy practices. Recent high-profile hires in these spaces include Marwan Elaraby, Renad Younes, Laleh Shahabi, Jade Chu and Samuel Ogunlaja in the UAE, Federico Fruhbeck, Alice Brogi and Rob Dixon in London, and Rahul Vashi in Houston.
Gibson Dunn’s Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group has in-depth knowledge and experience ranging from green field project development, major disposals, and acquisitions across energy and infrastructure and complex asset restructurings. The group advises all stakeholders from governments, corporate and financial sponsors, through to lenders and other credit providers.
The Energy Practice Group has a wide array of experience across all parts of the sector – from traditional sources of energy such as oil and gas, and electric utilities, to renewable forms such as solar and wind. The firm has handled energy-related matters involving numerous practice areas, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; debt and project finance; capital markets; joint ventures; fund formation; dispute resolution; commercial arrangements; and all manner of energy-related regulatory and antitrust issues.
About Ben Shorten
Ben’s practice is focused on the development and financing of complex, large-scale energy and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on energy transition, conventional power and water, and oil and gas projects. He regularly advises both sponsors and lenders on innovative, “first-in-kind” projects and has worked with the biggest clients in the energy sector in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
He received his BA from the University of Cambridge and is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. He is consistently ranked in Chambers Global for projects, infrastructure and energy, where he has been recognized for the past decade.
Ben was at his previous firm for 23 years, where he served as Global Project Development & Finance Practice Group Leader.
About Trinh Chubbock
Trinh’s energy practice is focused on project developments, M&A transactions, and commercial contracts. She has a broad practice covering the full value chain from upstream oil and gas to downstream sectors, with experience in midstream work and LNG. She also focuses on renewable energy and energy transition.
She received her BA from Boston College and is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. She is named a key lawyer in The Lawyer 500 UK for power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables).
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Kevin Bettsteller will join the firm’s Los Angeles office. He will be a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group, and will continue his investment funds regulatory practice, which is focused on advising clients on a wide variety of investment management and securities law matters.
“We are delighted to welcome Kevin to Gibson Dunn,” said Shukie Grossman, Co-Chair of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group. “The Gibson Dunn investment funds platform has grown significantly in the last few years, and Kevin’s addition will further enhance our ability to meet the increased market demand for skilled advisors who can provide pragmatic solutions in this space.”
“Kevin will be a strong addition to the Gibson Dunn team,” said Candice Choh, Co-Partner in Charge of the firm’s Los Angeles office. “Kevin’s experience guiding private investment fund sponsors through evolving regulatory requirements will prove invaluable to our clients.”
“I am excited to begin the next chapter of my career at Gibson Dunn,” said Kevin. “I look forward to adding my experience to the Gibson Dunn platform to help our clients navigate what is certain to continue to be a heightened regulatory environment. Moreover, the firm’s reputation for having a truly collaborative culture precedes it, and I look forward to being a part of this very talented team.”
Kevin continues a period of extensive growth for Gibson Dunn’s Investment Funds Practice Group. Recent high caliber additions include partners Kira Idoko, Eve Mrozek and Roger Singer in New York, A.J. Frey in Washington, D.C., and James Hays in Houston.
About Kevin Bettsteller
Kevin will continue his investment funds regulatory practice focused on representing financial services companies, such as private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, venture capital and hedge fund sponsors, and other asset managers, REITs, registered investment companies, business development companies and their independent directors, SPACs and their sponsors, and broker-dealers on a wide variety of investment management and securities law matters.
He has significant experience in the structuring, formation, offering and operation of private investment funds and other investment products, agreements with service providers, fund restructurings, and asset manager M&A transactions, including GP minority investments. He also advises on regulatory, compliance, governance, and operational matters, including preparing for and responding to SEC exams and enforcement inquiries.
Kevin graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2006.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is advising Otro Capital and its partner RedBird Capital in their investment in Alpine Racing Ltd., a world class F1 team that finished top 4 in the 2022 F1 World Championship. The investment values the team at approximately $900 million and is being made along with Maximum Effort Investments (led by Ryan Reynolds) and its co-investors Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney, and includes participation from the Huntsman Family and Main Street Advisors.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partners Stefan dePozsgay and Nick Tomlinson and includes associates Sarah Leiper-Jennings, Sarah Reder and Percy Gao. Partners Sandy Bhogal and Kathryn Kelly and associates Bridget English, Ryan Rott and Isabella Fladée are advising on tax aspects. Partner A.J. Frey and associates Curtis Vella and Fiona Xin are advising on investment funds aspects. Partner Chris Haynes is advising on capital markets aspects. Partner Daniel Angel and associates Jacqueline Malzone and Libby Pica are advising on IP aspects. Partners Michael Collins and James Cox are advising on executive compensation and benefits aspects. Partner Attila Borsos and associate Ben Nunez are advising on competition and foreign investment aspects.
The Pro Bono Committee is thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Frank Wheat Memorial Awards. This year’s winners demonstrated an unfailing dedication to pro bono, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for service, exemplifying the very best of Gibson Dunn. As in previous years, this year’s winners and nominees worked on a wide variety of matters—including both high-stakes individual pro bono representations and large-scale projects with far-reaching impacts—that reflect the breadth of Gibson Dunn’s pro bono practice.
Frank Wheat, a former Los Angeles partner, was a superb transactional lawyer, SEC commissioner, and president of the Los Angeles County Bar. He was also a giant in the nonprofit community, having founded the Alliance for Children’s Rights in addition to serving as a leader of the Sierra Club and as a founding director of the Center for Law in the Public Interest. He exemplified the commitment to the community and to pro bono service that has always been a core tenet of the Gibson Dunn culture. The Frank Wheat Award is given annually to individual lawyers and teams that have demonstrated leadership and initiative in their pro bono work, obtained significant results for their pro bono clients, and served as a source of inspiration to others. Recipients of the Frank Wheat Memorial Award each receive a $2,500 prize to be donated to pro bono organizations designated by the recipients.
In 2021, a year that presented countless challenges, Gibson Dunn remained committed to pro bono work, devoting more than 140,000 pro bono hours valued at approximately $128 million to hundreds of projects firmwide. Our attorneys averaged more than 90 pro bono hours per attorney in the United States and more than 80 pro bono hours per attorney worldwide.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised Ovintiv Inc., an oil and gas producer, on the financing of its $4.275 billion acquisition of Midland Basin Assets from EnCap Investments L.P., an energy-focused private equity firm.
The Gibson Dunn team included Houston partners Cynthia Mabry and Shalla Prichard, Dallas partner Doug Rayburn, and Houston associates Justine Robinson, Laura Edwards, Malakeh Hijazi, Mason Gauch, William Bald and Adri Langemeier.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is advising Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. on its $5.4 billion merger with NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by Houston partner Tull Florey and includes associates Dallas associates Jonathan Sapp and William Altabef and Houston associates Michael Holmes and Gerald Kimani. Dallas partner Michael Cannon and associate Josiah Bethards are advising on tax aspects, and Dallas partner Krista Hanvey and New York associate John Curran are advising on benefits. Washington, D.C. partner Stephen Weissman and of counsel Ryan Foley are advising on antitrust aspects.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP represented GE HealthCare Technologies on its secondary offering of 25,000,000 shares, priced at $78.00 per share.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team consists of New York partner Andrew Fabens, of counsel Marie Kwon and associate Tom Caruso. New York partner Pamela Lawrence Endreny is advising on tax aspects
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Fairfax Financial Holdings and other purchasers in the acquisition of a $5.4 billion real estate construction loan portfolio from Pacific Western Bank.
The Gibson Dunn real estate team included Century City partner Farshad Morè, Los Angeles partners Danielle Katzir and Deborah Cussen, Orange County of counsel Jon MacDonald, San Francisco associate Prerna Soni, Houston associate Andrea Siso, Los Angeles associates Lynne Howard and Zak Baron, and San Francisco associate Samantha Noh. New York partner Jason Cabral advised on financing. New York partner Brian Kniesly advised on tax aspects. Los Angeles partner Jeffrey Krause advised on restructuring aspects. Los Angeles partner Abbey Hudson advised on environmental aspects.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that L. Kieran Kieckhefer will join the firm’s San Francisco office as a partner.
“We are delighted to welcome Kieran to Gibson Dunn,” said Ernest Hsin, Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “She is an accomplished first-chair trial lawyer whom clients regularly hire to handle their most important patent and trade secret cases, particularly in the tech industry.”
“I am thrilled to join one of the best IP litigation trial teams in the country,” said Kieran. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues in high-stakes and cutting-edge patent, trade secret, and copyright cases that arise in the tech industry in the Bay Area and elsewhere.”
The firm’s Bay Area offices have recently added some of the most sought-after litigation talent in the country, including many in the technology industry. Recent additions to these offices include Ashlie Beringer, who returned to Gibson Dunn after serving as Facebook’s Deputy General Counsel and is now Co-Chair of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group and its FinTech and Digital Assets Practice Group; Elizabeth McCloskey, a litigator focused on complex litigation and white collar matters, with a concentration in tech investigations; Vivek Mohan, who previously worked at Apple Inc., where he was a senior attorney on the company’s global privacy law & policy team and head of information security law, and now serves as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Artificial Intelligence and Automated Systems Practice Group; Rosemarie Ring, a nationally recognized litigator who represents leading technology companies; and Jessica Valenzuela, a well-known securities litigator.
About L. Kieran Kieckhefer
Kieran practices intellectual property litigation, with a focus on patent, technical trade secret and copyright litigation in federal district courts. She is an experienced first-chair trial litigator whose work spans a variety of technologies, including semiconductors, software, consumer electronics, networking, and cybersecurity.
Kieran graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007 and received a B.S. in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that it has strengthened its Antitrust and Competition Practice Group with two new lawyers in the Washington, D.C. office: Ryan Foley has joined the firm as of counsel, and Zoë Hutchinson is a new lateral associate.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Ryan served as Senior Counsel, Antitrust Americas, at Novartis, where he managed antitrust and competition law issues for both North and South America, counseling on complex transaction, litigation, government investigation, and compliance strategies across the company’s branded, generic, and retail businesses. Prior to that, Ryan worked as an antitrust associate at two other international law firms, specializing in complex merger clearances, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s $8 billion asset swap with Sanofi. He received his law degree from the George Washington University Law School, where he was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar.
Zoë comes to Gibson Dunn as a seasoned antitrust associate who was previously at Latham & Watkins LLP and before law school was a senior consultant at FTI Consulting. She focuses on representing companies in antitrust investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, and was part of the team defending GRAIL in its acquisition by Illumina, Inc. and American Airlines in defense of its North East Alliance with JetBlue. Zoë graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as online editor of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.
“We are excited to have Ryan and Zoë on our team,” said Rachel Brass, a San Francisco partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group. “Each is a well-rounded antitrust lawyer who can pivot readily from investigations, to mergers, to counseling, and will bring depth of skill and experience to our clients.”
“Gibson Dunn’s antitrust team is experiencing unprecedented demand across all of our offices and the hiring of top-notch talent like Ryan and Zoë reflects our commitment to remaining well-equipped to guide our clients through this aggressive antitrust climate,” said Stephen Weissman, global Co-Chair of the Antitrust and Competition Practice Group.
Gibson Dunn’s worldwide Antitrust and Competition Practice Group handles leading-edge competition matters on U.S. and international competition issues, including government review of mergers and acquisitions, cartel investigations and the defense of cartel prosecutions, class action treble damage litigation, private antitrust litigation in the United States and Europe, and defense of private sector clients in antitrust actions before government authorities. Our antitrust team includes former high-ranking officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office and the European Commission, as well as Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Rahul Vashi has joined the firm as a partner in the Houston office, where Rahul will serve as Co-Chair of the firm’s Oil and Gas Practice Group.
“We are excited to welcome Rahul to the firm,” said Michael P. Darden, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Oil and Gas Practice Group. “Having worked across from him on a number of complex transactions, I have been impressed not only with Rahul’s technical skills and creative problem solving, but also with his proficiency in the substantive oil and gas field and in energy M&A, including in the carbon capture and sequestration area, which is a growing practice within our firm. He is a fantastic addition to, and will be a valuable leader for, our global oil and gas group.”
“We are thrilled to have Rahul on board,” said Hillary H. Holmes, Co-Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Houston office. “He is a natural fit for our Houston based team and the complex energy transactions we are regularly handling. I am proud of the incredible team we have built in Houston, and Rahul’s addition will further strengthen our impressive corporate bench in Texas and firmwide.”
“Gibson Dunn has a stellar reputation in the market. The firm is known for its collegiality and exceptional client service,” said Rahul. “I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues to continue the success of the firm’s preeminent oil and gas practice.”
Rahul’s arrival builds upon substantial growth in the firm’s corporate team in Houston, including with private equity partners Michael Piazza and Jesse Myers, capital markets partner Cynthia Mabry, investment funds partner James Hays, and bankruptcy partner Chad Nichols.
Rahul is also the latest addition to Gibson Dunn’s energy practices, which span offices in the U.S., London, Asia, and the Middle East. Over the past several months, the firm has also invested in these practices with the opening of an office in Abu Dhabi and the addition of partners Renad Younes, Samuel Ogunlaja, and Laleh Shahabi there, along with Marwan Elaraby and Jade Chu in Dubai.
About Rahul Vashi
Rahul’s practice focuses on M&A in the energy industry, with an emphasis on acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures involving the upstream and midstream oil and gas industry. He has substantial experience in the formation of drilling partnerships, joint development arrangements, farmout and participation agreements, and other joint venture arrangements, the acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas assets and companies, mergers of companies, oil and gas special situations and alternative financing transactions.
Rahul received his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2010.
About Gibson Dunn’s Oil and Gas Practice Group
Gibson Dunn’s Oil and Gas Practice Group advises the world’s leading oil and gas exploration, development and production companies, oil-field services and equipment companies, pipeline and other midstream companies, and downstream entities. The firm also represents financial institutions, private equity firms and government entities active in the oil and gas sector. Our internationally recognized team brings multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional knowledge and experience to a full spectrum of oil and gas assignments. The lawyer in the group are experienced in handling legal and business issues across all segments of the oil and gas value chain. These include upstream exploration and production (conventional, unconventional, onshore and offshore); midstream (gathering, storage, transportation and processing); downstream (storage, refining, marketing and petrochemicals); oilfield services; LNG; and infrastructure.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised Spanish clean energy engineering company Técnicas Reunidas on its capital increase of approximately €150 million.
The transaction will consist of the issue of 24,405,265 new shares, equivalent to 43.7% of the current share capital. The capital increase has the support of the Lladó family and Cobas Asset Management, which together account for 43% of the company’s share capital and have already made an irrevocable commitment to participate in the capital increase.
The Gibson Dunn team acted as US counsel to Técnicas Reunidas, with London partners Hugo Hernández-Mancha and Federico Fruhbeck leading the team. London associate Magdalena Augé supported the team on this capital increase.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Christopher Rosina has joined the firm’s New York office as an of counsel. Rosina serves as a member of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence and Automated Systems Practice Groups.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Rosina worked as a senior member of Apple’s legal team, where he was the principal architect of Apple’s global privacy compliance program, including in preparation for GDPR and CCPA, and served as the primary counsel to Apple’s Data Protection Officer. In this capacity, Rosina provided strategic counsel across Apple’s business units, relating to almost all of Apple’s products and services, in addition to managing global regulatory responses and filings. In addition to his role advising Apple’s consumer-facing business, Rosina provided extensive guidance to the company’s internal teams on matters related to corporate infrastructure and employee privacy. Prior to his work at Apple, Rosina was Global Privacy and Security Counsel at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he served as the legal department’s principal adviser on privacy and cybersecurity issues and led development of the company’s privacy compliance programs.
At Gibson Dunn, Rosina advises clients on all aspects of privacy and cybersecurity, including product counseling, compliance, advocacy, policy issues, and regulatory response in a dynamic legal landscape.
Rosina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2011.
Rosina’s arrival further builds on Gibson Dunn’s talent magnet effect, as demonstrated by the firm’s recent additions from the ranks of key growth industries, including Ron Hauben (formerly Americas Vice Chair and General Counsel at Ernst & Young), Jane Horvath (formerly Apple’s Chief Privacy Officer), Kira Idoko (formerly Senior Vice President, Private Funds at Brookfield Asset Management), and David Woodcock (formerly Assistant General Counsel – Corporate at ExxonMobil Corporation).
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Jason Cabral and Sara Weed have joined the firm’s New York and Washington D.C. offices, respectively. Cabral and Weed will continue their individual practices in regulatory and transactional matters for traditional financial services and FinTech clients, as well as advising clients in the development of payments, lending, and deposit products and services.
“Sara has deep domain experience on the counseling and supervisory side of cryptocurrency and FinTech, as well as an excellent read on regulatory dynamics,” said Ashlie Beringer, Co-Chair of the FinTech and Digital Assets Practice Group. “She is a talented and well regarded FinTech practitioner, and her skillset will be highly valuable to our clients as the both the FinTech and traditional financial services spaces continue to evolve. Her addition will further bolster our FinTech and Digital Assets group, particularly in highly regulated FinTech advisory work and, with her experience as a former state regulator, in government engagement and investigations.”
“Jason will be a fantastic addition to the firm”, said Stephanie Brooker, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice Group. “He has a unique mix of knowledge and experience of both traditional bank regulatory issues and fast-moving FinTech matters, but his experience also extends into transactional, policy and enforcement matters. His substantive experience will support our multiple practices across the firm.”
“I am very excited to join Gibson Dunn,” said Cabral. “I look forward to leveraging my financial services regulatory experience to support our preeminent financial services regulatory practices and complement our existing areas of strength in litigation, investigations and transactional work.”
“I’ve long admired Gibson Dunn and have followed the firm’s expansion in its FinTech practice nationally and internationally,” said Weed. “I look forward to the opportunity to join my new colleagues in bringing together a range of deep expertise — advisory, transactional, and enforcement — to drive value on this premier platform.”
The arrival of Weed and Cabral comes after several recent additions to Gibson Dunn’s robust bench of technology regulatory and transactional partners, including Jane Horvath (former Chief Privacy Officer at Apple) in Washington, D.C., Vivek Mohan (former Head of Information Security Law at Apple) in Palo Alto, Stephenie Gosnell Handler (former Director for Cybersecurity Strategy and Digital Acceleration at McKinsey & Company) in Washington, D.C., and Joel Harrison and Alison Beal in London.
About Jason Cabral
Cabral focuses his practice on federal and state financial services regulatory matters and complex transactions and regularly advises banks and non-bank financial services providers on a broad range of policy, legislative, regulatory, transactional, corporate governance, enforcement and other matters. He has substantial experience advising U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial services companies, FinTechs, payments companies, lending companies, and companies in the digital asset space, as well as their service providers, regarding the application of federal and state banking, consumer protection, lending, money transmission and related laws and regulations to their investments, activities, products and services.
He regularly represents clients before the federal financial services regulatory agencies and state banking departments on a variety of matters, including regulatory applications, notices and other submissions in connection with mergers, acquisitions, minority investments and other transactions, chartering or licensing initiatives, and enforcement matters. He also regularly advises clients in the establishment of commercial relationships to offer products and services, either independently or in partnership with banks or non-bank financial services providers, and related regulatory and consumer compliance matters.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Cabral practiced with Paul Hastings LLP, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
About Sara Weed
Weed has a blended regulatory and transactional FinTech practice that supports companies throughout their life cycles, spanning product development; regulatory strategy, including chartering, licensure, and partnerships; support specific to supervisory examinations and other regulatory inquiries; regulatory diligence incidental to acquisitions, investments, and exit events; and defense of regulatory enforcement actions. She has extensive experience representing clients in supervisory engagements and regulatory investigations, including in New York State Department of Financial Services and multi-state banking investigations. Her clients range from traditional financial institutions to non-bank financial services companies and technology companies that are seeking to offer payments, lending, and depository products delivered exclusively through digital channels and often augmented by technology.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Weed practiced with Paul Hastings LLP. Prior, she worked as Director and Counsel in the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks, where she oversaw the supervision of non-bank mortgage lenders and brokers, money services businesses and consumer finance companies. She also previously served in-house as Operations & Regulatory Counsel at IBM and as Policy Counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending.
About Gibson Dunn’s FinTech and Digital Assets Practice
Gibson Dunn’s FinTech and Digital Assets Practice Group advises traditional and emerging companies on a wide range of regulatory, policy, enforcement, transactional and litigation matters world-wide. The practice also includes FinTech, payments, open banking, digital assets (including cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), stablecoins and security tokens) and blockchain technology. Gibson Dunn’s lawyers have a substantive and technical understanding of the ever-evolving world of FinTech and digital assets – a competence that sets the team apart and is essential for comprehensive client counselling.
Our team members have a wealth of extensive experience in private practice, in-house and at senior government levels, bringing knowledge from different disciplines and perspectives. This allows us to address seamlessly all significant issues – from counseling on regulatory and policy impacts to licensing and registration to product development and implementation. As relevant laws develop globally, we are effective client advocates before legislative bodies including the U.S. Congress, EU Parliament and EU Council. Accordingly, we can guide our clients through the implementation and registration processes that cut across regulatory agencies at state, federal and cross-border levels.
When matters turn contentious, we regularly represent clients in responding to some of the most sophisticated investigations brought by an array of financial regulators in the United States (at the state and federal level), Europe, and Asia.
About Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice
Gibson Dunn’s Financial Institutions Practice Group offers services in all disciplines, including across-the-board regulatory advice; transactional design, planning and execution; advocacy before U.S. regulatory agencies and Congress; representation in connection with criminal and regulatory enforcement actions; litigation counseling and defense; and strategic advice and crisis management.
Our regulatory experience includes counseling and representing U.S. and international banks and financial holding companies before U.S. federal and state regulatory agencies. We advise on compliance with all aspects of regulation mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, including enhanced capital and liquidity standards, heightened corporate governance expectations and the Volcker Rule. Our derivatives regulatory lawyers, who have significant Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) expertise, handle the full range of issues raised by Title VII of Dodd-Frank.
We advise all types of financial institutions, including banks, securities broker-dealers, mutual funds, private equity funds, insurance companies and money services businesses, on compliance with U.S. federal and state anti-money laundering laws and regulations and OFAC requirements.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce the firm has appointed new Partners-in-Charge in its Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York offices.
“These outstanding partners have demonstrated leadership qualities and dedication to advancing the firm’s strategic vision,” said Barbara Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “We look forward to working with them in these new roles, as well as continuing our work with the Partners-in-Charge of the firm’s other offices around the world.”
The firm’s new Partner-in-Charge appointees are as follows:
- Renad Younes was named as the founding Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, which was opened in January. For more information about Gibson Dunn’s recent expansion in the region, please click here.
- Marwan Elaraby was named as Partner-in-Charge of Gibson Dunn’s Dubai office.
- Collin Cox and Hillary Holmes were appointed as Co-Partners-in-Charge of the Houston office, following Michael P. Darden in the Partner-in-Charge role.
- Candice Choh and Kahn Scolnick have been named as Co-Partners-in-Charge of the firm’s Los Angeles and Century City locations, following Jay Srinivasan and Peter Wardle’s tenures in these roles.
- Andrew Fabens has been named Co-Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s New York office, succeeding Andrew Lance in the role. Fabens will co-lead the office alongside Mylan Denerstein, who will continue her service in this role.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) P.J.S.C. and ADNOC Gas plc (ADNOC Gas) in connection with the initial public offering (IPO) of ADNOC Gas, marking the largest-ever listing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the largest IPO globally to date in 2023.
The IPO, which raised gross proceeds of approximately $2.5 billion, was more than 50 times oversubscribed in aggregate. The retail offering, which attracted the largest-ever demand in a MENA IPO, was over 58 times oversubscribed. ADNOC Gas’ debut on the ADX implied a market capitalization of approximately $50 billion.
ADNOC Gas was formed as part of the consolidation of the operations of ADNOC Gas Processing, ADNOC LNG and ADNOC Industrial Gas. The company became operational on 1 January 2023 as a new world scale entity, responsible for operations, maintenance and marketing across ADNOC’s downstream gas processing, liquified natural gas (LNG) and industrial gases businesses.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by Dubai partners Marwan Elaraby and Jade Chu, and of counsel Cason Moore; and included associates Thomas Barker, Omar Morsy, Gisele Zouein, Huw Thomas and Luisa de Belgique.
Plaintiff Deon Jones achieved a historic victory this morning, when a federal jury in California delivered a unanimous verdict in his favor. The jury found that a Los Angeles Police Officer used excessive force in violation of Mr. Jones’ Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution when the officer shot Mr. Jones in the face with a rubber bullet on May 30, 2020. The jury awarded Mr. Jones $250,000 in damages for the injuries he sustained and $125,000 in punitive damages.
Following a seven-day trial, the jury found that the police officer’s shooting was malicious, oppressive, or in reckless disregard of Mr. Jones’ rights. The trial featured extensive evidence, including body-worn camera videos that captured the events of the day. The evidence included videos showing the police officer on trial using excessive force against Mr. Jones and other innocent protesters. The trial also included testimony from eyewitnesses of the shooting as well as LAPD officers and other witnesses who testified that the officer violated LAPD’s use of force and other official policies.
Today’s verdict puts law enforcement on notice that there will be serious consequences if they abuse their authority by using their weapons against innocent protesters in violation of their Fourth Amendment rights.
We invite you to view this video offering a preview of his perspective, along with some highlights of the Gibson Dunn team’s winning strategy.
Orin Snyder of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the lead attorney for Mr. Jones, said:
“Deon Jones filed this case to hold the defendant accountable for shooting him in the face with a rubber bullet at a protest without any justification on May 30, 2020. Justice has now been done. The defendant is being held accountable. We are grateful to the Court and the jury for their time and attention to this important case. We are proud to have stood with Mr. Jones during this long-fought battle to vindicate his constitutional rights. The jury today sent a strong message that there will be consequences if the police abuse their authority and commit acts of violence against innocent protesters.”