Gibson Dunn advised Schlumberger Holdings Corporation (SHC) and Schlumberger Investment S.A. (SISA), indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Schlumberger Limited (SLB), in approximate $1.88 billion private exchange offers to exchange four series of outstanding senior notes issued by SISA for corresponding senior notes newly issued by SHC, and simultaneous consent solicitations from holders to certain proposed amendments to the indentures governing SISA’s outstanding senior notes. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and SG Americas Securities, LLC acted as dealer managers.
The Gibson Dunn capital markets team was led by partner Andrew Fabens and included of counsel Rodrigo Surcan and Justine Robinson and associates Alexandria Johnson and Alexis Levine. Partner Pamela Lawrence Endreny, of counsel Kate Long, and associate Melissa Murphy advised on tax aspects, and partner Michael Collins advised on benefits.
Gibson Dunn advised Forestar Group Inc. in a private offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 6.500% senior notes due 2033. The proceeds of the notes offering were used to fund Forestar’s tender offer to purchase any and all of its outstanding 3.850% Senior Notes due 2026 (of which $329,434,000 aggregate principal amount was tendered) and for general corporate purposes, including to repay borrowings under Forestar’s credit facility.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partners Robyn Zolman and Darius Mehraban and included associates Paul Rafla, Sarah Ediger, and Lauren Hernandez. Of counsel Rodrigo Surcan led the Tender Offer, and partner Michael Cannon and associate Blake Hoerster advised on tax aspects.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that two of London’s preeminent restructuring partners, Chris Howard and Presley Warner, have today joined the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. Counsel Simone Benton and senior associate Matthew Squire will also be joining the firm.
Commenting on their arrival, Scott Greenberg, Global Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group, said: “Chris and Presley are phenomenal additions to our amazing global team. Their arrival rounds out our restructuring practice in Europe, where they will work closely with our top-ranked teams in Paris and the U.S. and builds on our significant momentum and success in the European markets which continue to be very busy.”
“Gibson Dunn has an impressive and fast-growing global platform that provides top-level, integrated restructuring advice to clients across the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. The firm is ambitious — and with recent mandates including the largest restructuring in the world this year — it has every right to be,” said Chris.
“Gibson Dunn is an elite firm, and we are excited by the strength of its bench, ambitious plans for growth, and collegial culture,” Presley added.
Chris and Presley have worked on some of the highest-profile restructurings in Europe, including acting for the senior lenders on Cineworld’s Chapter 11 and U.K. restructuring plan, for the sponsors on Annington’s liability management transaction, for the sponsors on Ambatovy’s U.K. restructuring plan, for the senior lenders on the Markbygden restructuring, and for Fidera on Fuerst’s U.K. restructuring plan.
They also advised on financings for JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, and on event-driven financings such as Amgen’s $28 billion financing for its acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics. Chris and Presley are the co-authors of the definitive restructuring text, Restructuring Law & Practice.
The Gibson Dunn Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group advises on the largest and most complex restructurings globally, dominating the market in the U.S. and Europe. It was named Lead Counsel in the league table for full-year 2024 in Debtwire’s Restructuring Advisory Mandates for North America. The group has significantly bolstered its offering globally over the past two years, with the arrival of partners Lisa Stevens (London), AnnElyse Gains (Washington, D.C.), Caith Kushner (New York), Ryan Kim (New York), and Melissa L. Barshop (Century City), and with the promotion of Stephen D. Silverman (New York) to partner.
About Chris Howard
Chris is a restructuring and finance lawyer, advising international corporations, investment and commercial banks, and financial sponsors on corporate restructurings and financings throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. He joins Gibson Dunn from another leading U.S. firm where he was Head of European Restructuring.
Widely acknowledged as one of the leading restructuring lawyers in London, Chris is ranked Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency in the U.K. by Chambers UK 2025, where he has been ranked for 21 years. He is described as “market leading,” “phenomenal,” and “the guy you want on your side of the table.” Chris is also ranked Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency in Chambers Europe and Chambers Global, as well as in the Hall of Fame for Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency in London by Legal 500 United Kingdom.
Chris earned his LLB from the University of Leeds, and an LLM in International Financial Law from the University of Manchester. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales, and in New York.
About Presley Warner
Presley is a restructuring and finance lawyer, advising international corporations, investment and commercial banks, and financial sponsors on corporate restructurings and financings throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. He joins Gibson Dunn from another leading U.S. firm where he was Head of European Credit and Leveraged Finance.
He is ranked as a leading lawyer for Banking & Finance: Big-Ticket work in the U.K. in Chambers UK, where he has been ranked for 21 years, as well as in Chambers Europe and Chambers Global. Presley is described as “extremely smart”, a “deal maker”, and a “great tactician.”
Presley earned his J.D. at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales, and in New York.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Michael Saliba has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Capital Markets Practice Group. Michael advises clients on a range of complex capital markets transactions, including registered and private equity financings such as high-yield debt, preferred stock, and other private credit transactions, and special situations and restructuring transactions.
“Michael’s broad-based finance practice perfectly aligns with the continued growth in our M&A, private equity, and restructuring practices, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Gibson Dunn,” said Andrew L. Fabens, Co-Partner in Charge of the New York office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group. “We are in a new world of capital markets. As U.S. markets rise and regulatory hurdles fall, deepening our premier transactional platform with an experienced, technically talented, and versatile capital markets lawyer like Michael will greatly benefit clients seeking to navigate today’s financing environment.”
“I’m delighted to begin the next chapter of my career alongside this extremely talented, collaborative, and elite Gibson Dunn team,” said Michael. “Gibson Dunn’s strength across key transactional areas, including capital markets, private credit, debt finance, and project finance offers the ideal platform to accelerate my practice. With the markets in growth mode, complexity in financing deal transactions is only expected to increase, making this an exciting time to be a capital markets lawyer.”
The firm’s transactional practices in New York have experienced significant synergistic growth with the addition of more than a dozen lateral partners over the past few years. Recent arrivals include private credit partner Ryan Kim, M&A partner George Sampas, private equity partner Brian Scrivani, and special situations partner Caith Kushner.
Gibson Dunn’s preeminent capital markets team provides a deep understanding of all complex capital markets deals for clients ranging from multinational corporations to startups, and from investment banks to private funds, across various industries and jurisdictions. This includes IPOs and other equity transactions, investment grade, high-yield, and other debt, converts, preferred stock, PIPEs, and liability management transactions.
About Michael Saliba
Michael has developed a wide-ranging practice advising issuers, underwriters, sponsors, and investors on a range of complex domestic and cross-border capital markets and hybrid finance transactions. He also regularly counsels clients on a variety of corporate and securities law matters, as well as high-yield debt covenant and debt structuring analyses.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Michael served as a partner at another leading international law firm. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2007.
Gibson Dunn has advised B2B TravelTech company HBX Group on the set-up and launch of The Luxurist, a fully integrated luxury travel ecosystem.
The Luxurist is a French premier booking platform that brings together exceptional properties and luxury-travel advisors to provide seamless travel planning and execution.
The Gibson Dunn team included partners Alice Brogi, Federico Fruhbeck and Ariel Harroch, and associates Frédéric Chevalier and Victor Milon.
Gibson Dunn advised investment manager Eurazeo in connection with its planned investment in software provider Mapal and the acquisition of a majority stake from PSG Equity, alongside the company’s management team and employees.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Will Summers and included of counsel Manjinder Tiwana and associates Charlotte Deans, Valeriya Anopchenko, Freddie Wright, Alex Eldredge, Konstantinos Flogaitis, and Lena Tarrin. Partner Ben Fryer, of counsel Bridget English, and associate Jason Richards advised on tax. Partner Ariel Harroch and associate Frédéric Chevalier provided additional corporate advice.
Gibson Dunn advised funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. and its co-shareholders, Skagerak and OSM Maritime Partners, in connection with the sale of a controlling stake in global ship management group OSM Thome to institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Global Transportation Group. Skagerak and OSM Maritime Partners will continue as shareholders in OSM Thome.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Will Summers and included of counsel Michael Skouras and associates Valeriya Anopchenko, Joanne Hughes, Ruby Taylor, and Alex Eldredge. Partner Ben Fryer and associate Jason Richards advised on tax, and partner Attila Borsos and associate Tyron Willey advised on antitrust.
Gibson Dunn is advising Publicis Groupe on its acquisition of Lotame, the world’s leading independent identity solution.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partner Quinton Farrar and includes associates Colette McNeela and Kira Dennis.
Gibson Dunn advised Crestview Partners on its acquisition of Smyth Companies, a premier, full-service provider of pressure sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, in-mold labels, glue-applied labels, and flexible packaging, from Novacap.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Alexander Fine and included of counsel Daisy Wu and associate Kyle Ezring. Partner Darius Mehraban, of counsel Jason Durschlag, and associate Matthew Ross advised on financing. Partner Matt Donnelly and associate Hayden Theis advised on tax aspects, and partner Michael Collins advised on benefits.
Partner Meghan Hungate and associates Sarah Scharf and Mona Mosavi advised on IP and data privacy aspects. Partner Christopher Timura and associates Chris Mullen and Karsten Ball advised on international trade aspects. Partner Michael Murphy and associate Phil Washburn advised on environmental aspects. Partner Kimberly Schlanger and associate To Nhu Huynh advised on real estate aspects.
Gibson Dunn advised Serena Williams, one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, in the acquisition of an ownership stake in the Toronto Tempo, the first Canadian Women’s National Basketball Association team.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Kevin Masuda and included associates Irina Dykhne and Joey Herman. Partner A.J. Frey and associate Kevin Lafferty advised on investment funds aspects.
Gibson Dunn has advised H.I.G. Capital, a leading global alternative investment firm managing $67 billion in capital, on its strategic investment in TIMETOACT GROUP.
The Gibson Dunn international private equity team was led by partners Till Lefranc, Dirk Oberbracht, Isabel Berger, and of counsel Aliresa Fatemi. The team also included of counsel Cason Moore, and associates Fabiana Obermeier, Lisa Hollfelder, and Sarah Reder.
Partner Benjamin Rapp and associate Daniel Reich advised on tax aspects. Partner Sebastian Schoon and of counsel Daniel Rogits advised on finance aspects. Partner Kai Gesing advised on privacy and IT matters. Partners Finn Zeidler and Katharina Humphrey advised on regulatory and compliance matters. Of counsel Peter Gumnior advised on employment law.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce the expansion of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group with the addition of Patrick W. Pearsall as a partner in Washington, D.C. Patrick is a leading lawyer in the areas of international arbitration and public international law who served in the U.S. State Department for nearly a decade working on economic diplomacy and departed as the Chief of Investment Arbitration. Since leaving government, Patrick has developed a robust practice advising multinational corporations and sovereign states on a variety of cross-border matters. He regularly appears before tribunals around the world. He is also regularly called upon by business leaders to advise on strategic political issues and disputes, or potential disputes, with governments (including the U.S. government). His practice will focus on international arbitration, complex commercial disputes, investment protection, public international law, and geopolitical crisis management.
“We are thrilled to welcome Patrick to Gibson Dunn,” said Rahim Moloo, Co-Chair of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group. “I have known Patrick for many years. He is well-respected because of his thoughtful counsel and rich experience. His experience includes advising and acting for businesses and states alike in their most challenging matters. That experience adds even greater depth to Gibson Dunn’s leading international disputes offering. Especially in today’s environment, Patrick will help us provide our clients with the perspective they need to effectively deal with their most challenging global disputes.”
“I am excited to join the Gibson Dunn team,” said Patrick. “We are in a moment of change unseen in our lifetimes and clients are now, more than ever, looking for strategic partners who will help them navigate this increasingly complex and dynamic environment. Gibson Dunn is a destination for clients with high-profile, high-stakes international issues that need careful thought and attention.”
Recognized leaders in the field of international arbitration, Gibson Dunn is a “go-to” firm for complex and high-value disputes. With more than 100 lawyers across 17 offices, the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group seamlessly advises leading multinational corporations and sovereign states in proceedings before tribunals around the world. The team provides top-tier international arbitration capabilities in commercial and investor-state disputes, alongside cutting-edge arbitral award and judgment enforcement strategies and solutions.
About Patrick Pearsall
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Patrick led the disputes practice for the western hemisphere at an international law firm. For nearly a decade (2009-2017), he was a senior lawyer at the U.S. Department of State and departed as the Chief of Investment Arbitration. In addition to his representations, Patrick was on a drafting committee for revision of the International Chamber of Commerce Rules, was advisor on the revision of the American Arbitration Association Rules, and led the negotiations of several bilateral and multilateral treaties on behalf of the U.S. Government.
Patrick has extensive experience representing Fortune 500 companies and sovereign states in complex commercial contract and investment disputes. In addition to his commercial work, he is often called upon to assist companies and executives struggling with exposure from a geopolitical crisis. Accordingly, he is ranked by various directories as a leader in both international arbitration and public international law.
In 2022, Patrick was asked to create a reparations program for Ukraine. He holds a presidential appointment from Ukraine and is recognized as the principal architect of the Register of Damage for Ukraine now operating through the Council of Europe at The Hague. Patrick directs the International Claims and Reparations Project at Columbia Law School, where he is an adjunct professor.
Gibson Dunn advised Kraft Heinz Foods Company, as issuer, and The Kraft Heinz Company, as guarantor, on the issuance of $1 billion of USD-denominated senior notes and €600 million of Euro- denominated notes.
The proceeds of the offerings will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of outstanding indebtedness. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC acted as joint book-running managers for the USD offering and Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, and J.P. Morgan Securities plc acted as joint book-running managers for the Euro offering.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by partners Andrew Fabens and Robert Giannattasio and included associates Nneka Chukwumah and Kevin Mills. Partner Pamela Lawrence Endreny and associate Galya Savir advised on tax aspects, and partner Michael Collins advised on benefits.
The Supreme Court issued a unanimous win for Gibson Dunn client Dewberry Group in a landmark opinion addressing available profits-related remedies under the Lanham Act. The Act provides that a prevailing trademark plaintiff may, “subject to the principles of equity,” recover the “defendant’s profits.” 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a). In this trademark dispute between Dewberry Group and Dewberry Engineering, the district court ordered Dewberry Group to disgorge nearly $43 million in profits realized only by its legally distinct corporate affiliates, which weren’t parties to the case. After a divided Fourth Circuit panel affirmed the award, the Supreme Court granted review. And after argument (Tom Hungar argued for Dewberry Group), the Court vacated the entire award in a 9–0 opinion authored by Justice Kagan.
The Supreme Court emphatically rejected the basis on which the lower courts had defended the award, which had ordered Dewberry Group to disgorge the profits earned by its distinct affiliates. The Court’s opinion confirms that because the Lanham Act permits disgorgement only of the “defendant’s” profits, courts may not lump in the profits earned by non-parties—because doing so would require the court to disregard corporate formalities and treat distinct entities as if they were one and the same.
The Court’s opinion confirms the vital importance of respecting corporate separateness, allowing companies to structure their work and anticipate their liability in a sensible and predictable manner. Its holding will also reverberate beyond the Lanham Act to many other statutory schemes that permit parties to seek disgorgement and other remedies from defendants found liable.
The Gibson Dunn team included partners Tom Hungar, Helgi Walker, and Jonathan Bond, and associates Patrick Fuster, Matt Aidan Getz, and Christian Talley.
The case is Dewberry Group Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc., No. 23-900 (S. Ct.)
Gibson Dunn advised BMO Capital Markets Corp., BofA Securities, Inc., Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as global coordinators and joint bookrunners, and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Santander US Capital Markets LLC, as joint bookrunners, in an additional $750 million registered note offering by Vale Overseas Limited and Vale S.A. The proceeds of the note offering will be used to repurchase certain series of notes in connection with a simultaneous $450 million tender offer by Vale Overseas Limited and Vale S.A.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Alan Bannister and included of counsel Rodrigo Surcan and associates Malakeh Hijazi, Vlad Zinovyev, and Héctor González Medina. Partner Michael Q. Cannon and associate Blake Hoerster advised on tax matters.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Matthew Axelrod, formerly the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is joining the firm’s D.C. office as a partner in the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group and as Co-Chair of its new Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group.
Amid the increased prioritization of sanctions and export enforcement across governmental agencies, particularly DOJ, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s BIS, Gibson Dunn’s new Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group will bolster the firm’s existing work in this space and offers clients experienced perspectives from veterans of these three primary enforcement agencies. Partner Adam Smith, who previously served as Senior Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s OFAC and as Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council, will serve as Co-Chair of the new practice group alongside Matt. Adam also co-chairs the firm’s International Trade Advisory and Enforcement Practice Group. Partner David Burns, who served in senior positions in the DOJ’s Criminal Division and National Security Division and is Co-Chair of the firm’s National Security Practice Group, will also be a member of the new practice group.
“Matt is one of the country’s foremost leaders in export control enforcement, bringing unique experience from senior-level service at two cabinet agencies, as a white collar defense lawyer in private practice, and as a federal prosecutor, making him a rare talent for launching our Sanctions and Export Enforcement practice,” said David. “When it comes to sanctions and export controls, what was once a discrete area of regulatory risk for companies now poses significant enforcement challenges,” added Adam. “The firm is launching this practice group to further enhance our existing capabilities to help clients manage and mitigate heightened risks in this complex enforcement landscape.”
Commenting on Matt’s arrival, F. Joseph Warin, Chair of the Litigation Department of Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office and Co-Chair of the firm’s global White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group, and Stephanie Brooker, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, Anti-Money Laundering, and Financial Institutions Practice Groups, said: “Matt, who led a robust enforcement regime at the Commerce Department, joins an already world-class enforcement and white-collar practice. We are pleased to have his deep experience to further assist our clients.”
“I’m thrilled to join forces with Gibson Dunn’s collaborative and esteemed white collar, national security, international trade, and export control teams, where my practice will sit at the center of these critical areas,” said Matt. “Sanctions and export controls are likely to remain a centerpiece of the enforcement environment for the foreseeable future, bringing increased scrutiny and risk. With the launch of Gibson Dunn’s Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group, we are establishing a premier destination practice for clients who need assistance navigating and mitigating their potential export controls and sanctions enforcement risks.”
Gibson Dunn’s Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group handles all aspects of sanctions and export enforcement matters, including evaluating existing compliance programs, conducting internal investigations, advising on voluntary disclosures, and defending against enforcement actions.
About Matthew Axelrod
Matt is a White Collar Defense and Investigations partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Sanctions and Export Enforcement Practice Group. Matt is a nationally recognized white collar defense lawyer with deep criminal, export control, and national security enforcement experience. Matt’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and compliance counseling for U.S. and foreign institutions and executives.
From 2021-2025, Matt served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, where he led a team of over 200 special agents, analysts, and compliance specialists dedicated to enforcing the country’s export control laws. In that capacity, Matt and his team worked to prevent the export of sensitive goods and technologies that could be used by nation-state adversaries to modernize their militaries or commit human rights abuses, worked to ensure that U.S. persons did not participate in unsanctioned foreign boycotts, and brought a record number of criminal and administrative enforcement actions, including the highest standalone administrative penalty in the agency’s history. During his tenure, Matt also co-led the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement initiative that targeted illicit actors, protected supply chains, and prevented critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
Matt also spent over thirteen years at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, where he advised the Deputy Attorney General and Attorney General on DOJ’s most sensitive matters, including its most consequential criminal and national security corporate enforcement matters. As an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, Matt conducted 19 felony jury trials and handled some of the office’s most high-profile cases, including the convictions of two founders of the Cali Cartel. Matt also previously served as Special Counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office, where he advised on national security and domestic issues.
Matt also previously practiced for four years as a partner at another major international law firm, where he represented companies and individuals in internal investigations and government enforcement matters.
Matt graduated from Amherst College and Yale Law School, where he served as Notes Editor for The Yale Law Journal. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and for the Honorable Janet C. Hall on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
A Gibson Dunn team secured a victory for client UPS when the Eastern District of Washington granted UPS’s motion for new trial and wiped out a $237.6 million jury verdict against UPS in a single-plaintiff retaliation and wrongful termination case.
UPS hired Gibson Dunn to handle post-trial motions and appeal after a jury in Yakima, Washington issued an adverse verdict following a trial handled by another law firm. The plaintiff, a former UPS driver, was awarded $39.6 million in compensatory damages solely for emotional distress and $198 million in punitive damages. The plaintiff had been terminated after an investigation substantiated allegations he had sexually assaulted a co-worker. But the plaintiff, who is African American, claimed the termination was retaliation for a series of complaints he had filed about his working conditions and about alleged racial discrimination and harassment.
The Gibson Dunn team quickly digested the trial record in a matter of days and set out to attack the punitive damages award and the verdict more broadly. In just a week after they were hired, Gibson Dunn filed a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law challenging the punitive damages award. The Court granted that motion, holding that no reasonable jury could have found UPS acted with malice or reckless indifference as required for punitive damages. The Gibson Dunn team then continued its attack on the verdict, filing a motion for new trial on the grounds that, among other things, Plaintiff’s counsel’s misconduct during the trial led to an outsized $39.6 million damages award solely for emotional distress.
The Gibson Dunn team included partners Theane Evangelis and Blaine Evanson, and associates Madeleine McKenna, Josh Zuckerman, and Minsoo Kim.
The case is Gratton v. United Parcel Service, Inc., No. 1:22-cv-03149-TOR (E.D. Wash.)
Gibson Dunn has been advising a group of about 180 senior secured creditors of Altice France, holding an aggregate amount of c.€20 billion in claims. Altice France is a major telecommunications company held by Patrick Drahi.
As legal counsel to this ad hoc secured creditor group (advising on U.S., French, and EU law), Gibson Dunn took part in the negotiation of a landmark restructuring agreement with the company that will substantially de-lever its balance sheet, initially burdened with €24 billion in debt, in what will be the largest restructuring in the world over the past year and one of the largest in Europe historically.
The Gibson Dunn team was led by restructuring partners Jean-Pierre Farges and Scott Greenberg and included partners Benoit Fleury, Michael J. Cohen, Caith Kushner, Amanda Bevan-de Bernède, and Jérôme Delaurière. Also advising were counsel Clarisse Bouchetemblé and Christopher Dickson and associates Antoine Bécot and Charles Peugnet.
Gibson Dunn is advising Blackstone Infrastructure on its agreement to acquire Safe Harbor Marinas, the largest marina and superyacht servicing business in the United States, from Sun Communities, Inc.
The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partner Marwan Azzi and of counsel Soren Kreider and includes associates Jay Pak, Caitlin Dortch, Jack Jacobson, Jessica Um and Aliya Zuberi. Partners Joanne Franzel and Harry Silvera; of counsel Ian Ratner; and associate Genta Stafaj are advising on real estate aspects. Partners Kathryn Kelly and Evan Gusler and associate David Horton are advising on tax aspects. Partner Ekaterina Napalkova is advising on benefits; and partner Michael Murphy is advising on environmental aspects. Partners Eric Feuerstein, Federico Fruhbeck Jr. and Tomer Pinkusiewicz are also advising. Alice Brogi and Ariel Harroch in London and Paris, respectively, are advising on international matters.
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agency veteran Mellissa Campbell Duru has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. Mellissa’s practice will focus on advising clients on a broad range of SEC disclosure and compliance and corporate governance matters, including domestic and cross-border M&A advisory matters, strategic shareholder engagement, climate risk and compliance disclosures, and cybersecurity governance and incident reporting.
“We are excited to welcome Mellissa to our preeminent team,” said Elizabeth A. Ising, Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. “With over 18 years of combined SEC and Division of Corporation Finance experience, Mellissa adds further depth to our market-leading practice. Mellissa has extensive firsthand knowledge of and oversaw recently enacted SEC disclosure requirements and interpretative positions. Her public and private sector experience advising companies will be invaluable to clients as they navigate current SEC requirements and anticipated changes. I’ve known Mellissa for many years, and her reputation as a hands-on, thoughtful, and engaged advisor precedes her. I am so pleased to now call her a colleague.”
“I am absolutely thrilled to join Gibson Dunn,” said Mellissa. “The depth of SEC experience at Gibson Dunn and its unique, stand-alone Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance platform are truly extraordinary. It was a privilege to have worked with the talented staff at the SEC; I am excited to now work alongside my talented colleagues at Gibson Dunn.”
Gibson Dunn’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group regularly represents Fortune 100 and 500 companies on a variety of disclosure and regulatory issues, corporate governance issues, and shareholder matters. The firm has a deep bench of senior SEC alumni and longstanding relationships with the stock exchanges and the proxy advisory and governance-rating services.
Gibson Dunn continues to add premier legal talent from government amid an unprecedented period of strategic expansion in the firm’s history. Recent additions include Osman Nawaz, former SEC Enforcement Senior Officer and National Unit Chief; Jake M. Shields, former Senior Trial Counsel in the Fraud Section of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice; Katlin McKelvie, who joined after serving senior roles at the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services; and Stuart Delery, former White House Counsel.
About Mellissa Campbell Duru
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mellissa was a senior officer and Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, Legal Regulatory Policy at the SEC. As Deputy Director, Mellissa oversaw the Office of Mergers & Acquisitions, Office of International Corporation Finance, Office of Small Business Policy, Office of Structured Finance, and the Office of Rulemaking. Prior to serving in this role, Mellissa was counsel and a Vice-co-chair of the ESG practice in private practice at an international law firm.
Mellissa also served in several roles at the SEC from 2004 to 2021, including Counsel to then-Commissioner Kara Stein, Special Counsel in the Division of Corporation Finance’s Office of Mergers and Acquisitions, and Cybersecurity Legal and Policy Advisor in the Division of Examinations.
Throughout her career, Mellissa’s experience has focused on the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934; public company reporting obligations; registered business combination transactions and contested solicitations, domestic and cross-border tender offers, going-private transactions, beneficial ownership reporting, and advising on strategic shareholder engagement and activism trends; corporate governance; environmental, social and governance advisory work; and cybersecurity governance, preparedness, and incident reporting.
Mellissa earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1999.