October 1, 2014
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Charlie Geffen and Mark Sperotto will join the firm as partners in the London office.
Geffen, who served as Ashurst’s senior partner and prior to that, head of its market-leading private equity practice, will join Gibson Dunn as Chair of the London Corporate Practice. He will focus on global corporate and sponsor relationships, including mergers and acquisitions of all forms and private equity transactions.
Sperotto is a corporate finance and private equity partner at Ashurst. He will continue to focus on cross-border M&A, private equity and equity capital markets transactions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Charlie and Mark to the firm,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Both are recognized leaders in the UK legal market and the private equity space, and will enhance our ability to serve our clients on cross-border M&A, private equity and corporate transactions. With the additions of Charlie and Mark, coupled with corporate partners Nigel Stacey and Jonathan Earle who joined us earlier in the year and our legacy team of strong transactional lawyers, we are well-positioned to represent our clients on the most complex transactions in the UK and across Europe.”
Doran added, “We have deepened our corporate bench and now have one of the strongest, competitively dynamic teams in the City. We did so without compromising our unwavering commitment to recruiting only the top legal talent. I have known Charlie for many years, and always have been impressed with his energy, business acumen and judgment. I am confident that Charlie and Mark will be very strong additions to our firm.”
“Charlie and Mark are terrific additions to our London offering,” said Tom Budd, Co-Partner in Charge of the London office. “Charlie has been among the luminaries in the London private equity market for over two decades and is one of most prominent lawyers in the London M&A community. Mark, after helping to build Ashurst’s Milan practice, returned to London and has quickly established himself as a leading practitioner in the market. They are very talented and successful lawyers, who have strong track records of building practices and client relationships. We are confident that the our new partners, together with an exceptional existing team, will be market leaders and will position us solidly within the ranks of the global corporate powerhouses.”
“Gibson Dunn represents a truly exciting and unique opportunity,” said Geffen. “The firm is a global market leader with a clear vision and the firepower to execute its strategy, and I look forward to helping the firm continue to strengthen its position.”
“The quality of the lawyers across the firm and its collegial culture are key differentiating factors and explains the firm’s outstanding success,” said Sperotto. “I am looking forward to working closely with my new colleagues.”
London Office Expansion
Gibson Dunn has acquired 75,000 square feet of office space to continue its expansion in the London market. The firm has renewed its lease of 35,000 square feet in historic Telephone House, Temple Avenue, which it has occupied since 2000, and acquired another 40,000 square feet in the adjoining, newly built Carmelite Riverside, 50 Victoria Embankment. Both buildings overlook the River Thames, close to Blackfriars Bridge.
Budd commented, “The expansion of Gibson Dunn’s London office premises underlines the firm’s commitment to the London market and will enable us to continue to build a first-class, full-service English law practice in London in the coming years.”
About Charlie Geffen
With 30 years of experience, Geffen has advised many leading buy-out houses in the U.K. and the U.S., as well as domestic and overseas corporates on a wide variety of corporate activity, including leveraged buy-outs, cross-border transactions, fundraisings and other corporate finance matters. His client roster has included leading private equity names and global corporates. He is ranked as an “Eminent Practitioner” by Chambers & Partners in the UK-wide, Private Equity: Buyouts category.
Geffen joined Ashurst in 1982 and led the private equity practice for years when it was independently ranked a top-tier practice. From 2009 to 2013, he served as senior partner during a transformational period. He graduated from Leicester University in Law in 1981.
About Mark Sperotto
Sperotto has broad experience, covering all aspects of corporate, private equity and investment banking. His particular areas of focus include cross-border M&A, leveraged buy-outs, fund establishment and international corporate finance and equity capital markets transactions.
He joined Ashurst in 1996 and served as managing partner of its Italian practice from 2009 to 2011 while based in Milan. He graduated from St John’s College, Cambridge in Law in 1995. He speaks fluent Italian.