Gibson Dunn has advised PAG, a leading alternative investment firm in the Asia-Pacific region, on the formation of its third Significant Risk Transfer fund, PAG BRS Fund III. The fund raised $1.25 billion, including co-investment capital, with commitments from sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and endowments across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by partner Albert Cho and included associates Kathy Wen, Keira Su, Christina Fong, and Rachelle Tong. Partner Daniel Zygielbaum and associate Jennifer Fitzgerald advised on tax aspects, and partner Michael Collins advised on ERISA aspects.
A Gibson Dunn corporate team based in Houston advised IOG Resources II (IOGR II) on its joint development partnership with Elevation Resources LLC, sponsored by Pine Brook Partners. This partnership represents the sixth investment in IOGR II and the 18th investment for the IOG Resources platform.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by partner Rahul Vashi and included associates Chris Atmar and Joseph Kmetz. Partner Michael Cannon and associates Josiah Bethards and Nathan Sauers advised on tax aspects.
Gibson Dunn represented BMO Capital Markets, BofA Securities, Credit Agricole Securities (USA), HSBC Securities (USA), and J.P. Morgan Securities as dealer managers in connection with the tender offer by Vale Overseas Limited to purchase for cash Vale Overseas outstanding 8.250% Guaranteed Notes due 2034, 6.875% Guaranteed Notes due 2039, and 6.875% Guaranteed Notes due 2036.
Vale Overseas accepted for purchase $103,462,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2034 Notes, $171,214,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2039 Notes, and $54,765,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2036 Notes.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by partner J. Alan Bannister and of counsel Rodrigo Surcan and included associates Malakeh Hijazi and Vlad Zinovyev. Partner Michael Q. Cannon and associate Blake Hoerster advised on tax matters.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce the launch of Biotech Briefings, a new blog offering timely analysis and commentary on the legal, business, and regulatory issues shaping the life sciences industry. The blog is designed to provide insights for companies, investors, and other industry stakeholders navigating key developments in biopharma, medical devices, diagnostics, and beyond. It will feature expert commentary from leading Gibson Dunn attorneys, on topics including FDA guidance, IP developments, SEC updates, M&A and capital markets trends and activity, royalty finance, collaborations/licensing, litigation and international trade.
“Life sciences businesses operate in a rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape, and Biotech Briefings will provide them with actionable insights to help navigate critical issues,” said Ryan A. Murr, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Life Sciences Group. “From FDA and SEC developments to M&A and financing trends, our goal is to keep clients informed on the most pressing topics shaping the industry.”
In conjunction with the launch of Biotech Briefings, the firm has also introduced the Gibson Dunn Royalty Finance Tracker, a comprehensive database of publicly announced royalty finance transactions among the most active funds in the Life Sciences industry since January 1, 2020. The tracker will serve as a centralized resource, providing a reference point for both current and historical royalty financing trends.
Royalty finance has become an increasingly important tool for biotech companies, universities, and investors, and Gibson Dunn’s Royalty Finance Tracker will provide a one-stop resource for tracking key transactions in the life sciences sector.
About Gibson Dunn’s Life Sciences Group
Gibson Dunn’s Life Sciences Group advises innovative biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic companies on a wide range of legal, regulatory, and strategic issues. The firm’s lawyers, many with advanced scientific degrees and hands-on experience in the life sciences industry and regulatory agencies, provide tailored legal guidance throughout the entire life cycle of life sciences companies, from early-stage startups to mature enterprises.
Gibson Dunn is advising 1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental, on its 25-year carbon dioxide offtake agreement with CF Industries and its joint venture partners JERA Co., Inc. and Mitsui & Co., Inc. The agreement calls for approximately 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to be securely stored per year at 1PointFive’s Pelican Sequestration Hub in Louisiana.
Our Houston oil and gas team is led by partner Michael P. Darden and senior associate Graham Valenta and includes associate Joseph Kmetz. Partner Gerry Spedale is advising on corporate aspects, partner Michael Cannon and associate Josiah Bethards on tax, partner Michael Murphy on environmental aspects, and partner Stephenie Gosnell Handler and associate Scott Toussaint on international trade.
Gibson Dunn is ranked in 26 league tables in Mergermarket’s first quarter 2025 rankings of leading M&A legal advisors. Our ranking highlights include moving into 6th position for global legal advisor rankings by value and into 3rd position in Europe rankings by value.
Our firm also made impressive gains in rankings of private equity legal advisors, taking the number 10 position globally and the number 7 position among U.S. advisors.
Gibson Dunn advised Andros Capital Partners LLC on the closing of the third investment fund of Andros Energy Capital III LP (Fund III) at its $1 billion hard cap. Fund III is the latest Andros flagship fund focused on private equity investments, credit opportunities, and direct asset-level investments across the energy value chain.
Founded in 2020, Andros Capital Partners is a private investment firm based in Houston, Texas, with over $2 billion in cumulative equity commitments.
Our team was led by partners Michael Piazza and James Hays and included associates Chris Atmar, Ali Speiss, and Michael Holmes.
Gibson Dunn represented Lobos 1707, the tequila company backed by basketball star LeBron James, in its pending joint venture transaction with Diageo Plc.
Our corporate team was led by partners Kevin Masuda and Sarah Graham and included associates Joey Herman, Haley Moritz, and Elise Widerlite. Partner Sean Feller and associate Kayoko Fong advised on executive compensation; partner Kari Krusmark and associate Nate Hancock on commercial/strategic outsourcing; partner Daniel Angel and associate Maya Hoard on IP; and partner Matt Donnelly and associate Alissa Freltz on tax.
Gibson Dunn has secured the dismissal of a defamation lawsuit against our client, Mississippi Today, an online media outlet. The lawsuit, brought by former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, alleged that Mississippi Today defamed Bryant through comments made by its personnel regarding the outlet’s award-winning reporting about Bryant’s alleged role in a welfare scandal. The Court agreed with the motion to dismiss, stating that Bryant had failed to plead any legally viable claims.
“Mississippi Today’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on the former Governor’s role in the State’s recent welfare scandal is exactly the type of reporting the First Amendment was intended to protect, and it exemplifies why the Mississippi Constitution calls the right to a free press ‘sacred.’ The Court’s decision honors those constitutional rights and ends Governor Bryant’s unconstitutional crusade against Mississippi’s free press,” said New York partner Lee Crain.
The Gibson Dunn team included partners Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. (Los Angeles), Lee R. Crain (New York), and Katie Townsend (Los Angeles) and New York associates Chase Weidner, Iason Togias, and Peter Jacobs.
Judge Mills’ order dismissing the case: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25879902-mills-judgment-4-4-25/#document/p1
Mississippi Today’s brief in support of motion to dismiss: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25879903-mississippi-today-brief-in-support-of-motion-to-dismiss/
Read more about the case:
Mississippi Today: https://mississippitoday.org/2025/04/04/a-win-for-press-freedom-judge-dismisses-gov-phil-bryants-lawsuit-against-mississippi-today/
The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2025/04/05/phil-byrant-mississippi-today-lawsuit-dismissed/
The Clarion-Ledger: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2025/04/04/phil-bryant-to-appeal-defamation-lawsuit-dismissal-involving-mississippi-today/82888715007/
Gibson Dunn is advising AIP Management on its agreement to invest in Silicon Ranch Corporation, one of the largest independent power producers and developers of utility-scale energy infrastructure projects in the U.S.
Silicon Ranch’s portfolio includes 3.6 GW of operating capacity, 3.7 GW in construction or under contract, and a near- and mid-term development pipeline of more than 12 GW. Under the agreement, AIP will join an existing shareholder group including Shell, Manulife Investment Management, and TD Asset Management.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partner Nick Politan and includes of counsels Ata Dinlenc and Jessica Basil and associates George Hang and Vlad Zinovyev. Partner Michael Cannon and associates Josiah Bethards and Nathan Sauers are advising on tax; partner William Hollaway and senior counsel Janine Durand on energy regulatory matters; partner Michael Murphy on environmental matters; partner Michael Collins on employment; counsel Andrew Cline and of counsel Michelle Weinbaum on antitrust and foreign investment; associate Lauren Traina on real estate; and associate Matthew Goldstein on offtake and other commercial arrangements.
Gibson Dunn advised ReliaQuest and KKR on ReliaQuest’s new funding round of more than $500 million led by EQT, KKR, and FTV Capital, with participation from other existing investors Ten Eleven Ventures and Finback Investment Partners.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partners Wim De Vlieger, Christopher Harding, and Andrew Fabens and of counsel Soren Kreider.
M&A Deal Team:
- Wim De Vlieger
- Christopher Harding
- Soren Kreider
- Mickal Haile
- Chris Ayers
- Sam Shapiro
- Willem van Hootegem
- Chad Kang
Capital Markets:
- Andrew Fabens
- Clinton Eastman
- Kevin Mills
Employment/FLSA:
- Michael Collins
- Ryan Stewart
- Kurtis Michael
Intellectual Property:
- Meghan Hungate
- Sarah Scharf
Tax:
- Matt Donnelly
- Bree Gong
Antitrust/FDI/CFIUS:
- Christian Riis-Madsen
- Kristen Limarzi
- Andrew Cline
- Claire Shepherd
- Francois Vanherck
A federal court has vindicated the strategy of a team of Gibson Dunn lawyers who brought a civil RICO suit against foreign actors who tried to ruin their client and steal his company. The court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss across the board, finding that our team had plausibly alleged predicate acts of wire fraud, witness tampering, extortion, and kidnapping and violations of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and turning away jurisdictional, extraterritoriality, and numerous other significant arguments.
After our client, a successful Chinese-born investor now living in New York, refused to participate in a scheme to use his hedge fund as a front to steal U.S. technology for a foreign espionage ring with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military, and after he reported the scheme to the FBI, he was targeted in one of the CCP’s now-infamous “Fox Hunt” campaigns, in which it seizes assets and exerts pressure abroad on perceived enemies of the state who refuse to do its bidding.
Our team includes partner Akiva Shapiro, senior associate Jason Bressler, and associate Peter Jacobs.
The case is Khan Funds, et al v. Nations Technologies Inc., et al.
Gibson Dunn advised AIP Management on its agreement to acquire a 49.99% equity stake in Pine Forest, a co-located 300 MWac solar photovoltaic and 200 MW / 400 MWh battery energy storage system project, from Clearway Energy Group. The total investment amount is approximately $200 million. The transaction follows AIP’s collaboration with Clearway on Victory Pass & Arica, a solar and battery storage project in California on which Gibson Dunn also advised AIP.
Led by partner Nick Politan, the Gibson Dunn corporate team included of counsels Ata Dinlenc and Jessica Basil and associates Matt Goldstein and Andrew Watson. Partner Michael Cannon and associates Josiah Bethards and Nathan Sauers advised on tax, partner William Hollaway and senior counsel Janine Durand on energy regulatory matters, partner Michael Murphy on environmental matters, associate Lauren Traina on real estate, and associate Vlad Zinovyev on project construction and operation.
Gibson Dunn advised Stem Distribution founders Milana Rabkin Lewis and Kristin Graziani on the sale of Stem Distribution to Concord Music Group. Stem, a market-leading music distribution platform, will continue to be operated as a separate division within Concord Label Group, led by its existing CEO Milana Lewis and President Kristin Graziani.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Sarah Graham and included partner Taylor Hathaway-Zepeda and associate Christopher Lee. Partner Sean Feller advised on benefits.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Jina Choi, most recently the Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, has joined the firm’s San Francisco office as a partner in the Securities Enforcement and the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Jina also previously served as Director for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s San Francisco Regional Office, affording her unrivaled insights into the Bay Area and Silicon Valley’s enforcement landscape. Jina’s practice will focus on internal and government investigations and enforcement actions, as well as civil litigation and compliance-related challenges.
“Jina brings a rarefied skill set in the government enforcement space, as a combined veteran of high-level roles as a federal prosecutor, SEC enforcement lawyer, and defense lawyer, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our market-leading team,” said Winston Y. Chan, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. “Jina’s varied and deep enforcement and investigations experience will provide clients with the first-hand knowledge, relationships, and strong reputation that only come from having been in the room at the highest levels of federal law enforcement in the Bay Area.”
Commenting on Jina’s arrival, David Woodcock, Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group, added: “Jina is well known in the Bay Area and beyond as a highly respected and seasoned securities enforcement lawyer, having led some of the SEC’s most complex and ground-breaking enforcement actions. Jina will enhance our leading practice and provide immense value to our global clients who rely on Gibson Dunn for its holistic approach to managing complex securities issues.”
“Gibson Dunn’s government investigations and white collar practice is exceptional, and I am excited to bring additional Northern California strength to the firm’s tremendous platform,” said Jina. “Global companies are facing investigations and enforcement actions on multiple fronts, especially tech clients in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. I look forward to beginning the next chapter of my career alongside this group of tremendously talented colleagues as we guide clients through this fluid regulatory and enforcement period.”
Gibson Dunn has a deep bench of seasoned securities enforcement partners. The firm recently added Osman Nawaz, former SEC Enforcement Senior Officer and National Unit Chief, to build on the firm’s strength. Notable recent government white collar investigations hires include Matthew Axelrod, former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at DOJ, and Jake M. Shields, former Senior Trial Counsel in the Fraud Section of the Civil Division at DOJ.
About Jina Choi
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jina served as the Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, where she oversaw some of the most complex criminal investigations and prosecutions in the Bay Area.
Over the course of two decades, Jina served in a number of public service roles. She had a notable tenure at the SEC as Regional Director. Under her leadership, the San Francisco office brought numerous high-impact enforcement actions. Her SEC tenure included serving as an Assistant Regional Director and Branch Chief. Previously, Jina served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at DOJ and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Jina earned her law degree from Yale Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review. Following graduation, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She also served as a partner at a major international law firm.
A Gibson Dunn trial team secured a resounding victory for client Energy Transfer in a case that held that First Amendment rights did not extend to violent and destructive behavior. After more than three weeks of trial in North Dakota, a state court jury awarded over $660 million in damages against Greenpeace and its affiliates. Energy Transfer had argued that Greenpeace had facilitated trespass, nuisance, and civil conspiracy in relation to demonstrations held against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Energy Transfer turned to Gibson Dunn after the case survived the motion to dismiss phase, seeking seasoned trial counsel. In what was termed the “ground torts,” encompassing physical damage to the pipeline and equipment, along with increased security costs, Gibson Dunn aimed to prove that the people on the ground in North Dakota were funded and coordinated by trainers sent and paid for by Greenpeace to organize everyone in the camps surrounding the construction. Gibson Dunn also significantly narrowed the defamation claims to the nine most malicious statements, specifically designed to harm Energy Transfer’s standing in the international finance community, to show that Greenpeace deceptively and maliciously communicated with the international finance community in a malicious and deceptive way to “toxify” any relationship with Energy Transfer.
The Gibson Dunn team included partners Trey Cox, Collin Cox, and Gregg Costa, and associates Ben Betner, Travis Jones, Lara Kakish, Brian Sanders, Bryston Gallegos, Cody Johnson, Johanna Smith, and Hunter Heck.
The case is Energy Transfer v. Greenpeace, Inc. No. 30-2019-0V-00180 (N.D. Dist. Ct.)
Gibson Dunn advised Elk Range Royalties on the landmark acquisition of a significant mineral and royalty position spanning approximately 250,000 net royalty acres in the DJ Basin from affiliates of Occidental. The $905 million transaction significantly expands Elk Range’s presence in a premier oil and gas region and aligns with Elk Range’s strategy of acquiring attractive royalty assets in core basins.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Rahul Vashi and included associates Chris Atmar and Kene Obi. Partner Matt Donnelly and associate Hayden Theis advised on tax aspects; and counsel Andrew Cline advised on antitrust aspects.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that James O’Donnell has today joined the firm’s London office as a partner in its Investment Funds Practice Group.
Commenting on James’ arrival, Shukie Grossman, Global Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Investment Funds Practice Group, said: “We have been expanding our elite Investment Funds Practice, and, as one of London’s leading investment funds practitioners, James is a natural fit, and a very welcome addition. James’ practice encompasses fund formation and strategic arrangements with institutional investors, and he is known as a market leader in advising on matters that sit at the intersection of these disciplines.”
“With Gibson Dunn’s prestigious global platform, and its fast-growing transactional practices in London, this is a fantastic opportunity, and a wonderful way to start the year. We have great ambitions for our London funds team, and I’m excited to begin working with new colleagues in London and internationally as part of the elite funds transaction practice,” said James.
James is joined by Hannah Watson Fanin, with whom he has worked for many years. Hannah, who is ranked as ‘Up and Coming’ by Chambers UK 2025 for Investment Funds — Investor Representation, will join the firm as of counsel.
Gibson Dunn has expanded its transactional practices in London, with other recent arrivals including M&A partner Will McDonald, private equity partner Will Summers, and finance partners Kavita Davis and David Irvine. The London office has also been joined in recent years by transactional partners Isabel Berger, Alice Brogi, Wim de Vlieger, Robert Dixon, Federico Fruhbeck, and Till Lefranc.
About James O’Donnell
James advises sponsors of, and investors in private investment funds. His experience includes the establishment and operation of funds, managed accounts and joint ventures, carried interest arrangements, management spin-outs, and secondary and co-investment transactions. His clients include fund managers, fund-of-funds managers, sovereign wealth funds, banks, development finance institutions, pension plans and insurance companies.
James is recommended for Investment Fund Formation and Management: Private Funds in Legal 500 United Kingdom 2025 and has consistently been ranked Band 1 for UK-wide Investment Funds: Investor Representation in Chambers UK 2025, where clients describe him as “absolutely top of the class, top in his field” and a “shining star of the funds sector.” He is also ranked for Africa-wide Investment Funds in Chambers UK 2025.
James earned his BA Honours History at the University of Durham.
About Hannah Watson Fanin
Hannah’s experience spans a variety of fund-related transactions, from fund formation, co-investments and secondary transactions, through to GP and LP-led restructurings, enforcement actions and advising on end-of-life issues. Having worked in-house prior to joining her previous firm, Hannah has first-hand knowledge of the unique needs and objectives of institutional investors.
Hannah is described by Chambers UK 2025 as being a “fantastic lawyer” who “consistently provides expert advice, leads negotiations and represents our interests with aplomb.”
Gibson Dunn has advised funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., and other investors in connection with the sale of a majority controlling stake in the energy solutions business OEG Energy Group to funds managed by Apollo affiliates. The transaction implies a headline valuation of more than $1 billion for OEG.
The London corporate team was led by partner Will Summers and of counsel Michael Skouras and included associates Valeriya Anopchenko, Oliver Hill, and Lena Tarrin. Partner Ben Fryer and associate Jason Richards advised on tax aspects, and partner David Irvine and associate Patrick Garrett advised on debt finance aspects. Partner Attila Borsos and associate Tyron Willey advised on antitrust aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised Veritas Capital and Frontgrade Technologies, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic solutions for space and national security missions, on Frontgrade’s acquisition of IDSI, LLC, the Defense Solutions division of Crescend Technologies, LLC.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partners John Pollack and Lilit Voskanyan and included of counsel Robert Banerjea and associates Nicolette Fata, Owen Alderson, and Mona Kalantar. Partner Aaron Adams advised on financing. Partner Matt Donnelly advised on tax aspects. Partner Michael Collins advised on benefits. Partner Kari Krusmark advised on commercial transactions aspects; and partner Meghan Hungate advised on IP aspects.