Gibson Dunn Practices, Lawyers Recognized by The Legal 500 UK 2026
Accolades | October 2, 2025
Legal 500 UK
Gibson Dunn earned 31 practice area rankings and 25 individual rankings in the 2026 edition of The Legal 500 UK. Five partners were named to The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, recognizing individuals who receive consistent feedback from the market for continued excellence, and 13 partners were named Leading Lawyers in their respective practices.
The firm was recognized in the following categories:
- Corporate and Commercial – Corporate Tax
- Corporate and Commercial – Equity Capital Markets – Mid-High Cap
- Corporate and Commercial – EU and Competition
- Corporate and Commercial – Financial Services: Non-Contentious/Regulatory
- Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals, £750m+
- Corporate and Commercial – Private Equity: Transactions – High-Value Deals (£250m+)
- Corporate and Commercial – VAT and Indirect Tax
- Corporate and Commercial – Venture Capital
- Dispute Resolution – Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail
- Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation: Premium
- Dispute Resolution – Competition Litigation
- Dispute Resolution – International Arbitration
- Dispute Resolution – Public International Law
- Employment – Employers
- Finance: Acquisition Finance – NEW
- Finance: Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency
- Finance: Transport Finance and Leasing – NEW
- Industry Focus: TMT
- Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Infrastructure: M&A and Acquisition Financing
- Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Infrastructure: Project Finance and Development
- Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Oil and Gas
- Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Power (including Electricity and Nuclear)
- Public Sector: Administrative and Public Law
- Real Estate: Commercial Property – Investment
- Real Estate: Property Finance
- Risk Advisory: Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity
- Risk Advisory: ESG
- Risk Advisory: Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (advice to corporates)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms): Artificial Intelligence
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms): Fintech: Regulatory
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms): IT and Telecoms
Our Legal 500 Hall of Fame practitioners for 2026 are: Sandy Bhogal – Corporate and Commercial: Corporate Tax; Steve Thierbach – Corporate and Commercial: Equity Capital Markets; Ali Nikpay – Corporate and Commercial: EU and Competition; Philip Rocher – Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation; and Christopher Howard – Finance: Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency.
The partners named as Leading Lawyers are: Chris Haynes – Corporate and Commercial: Equity Capital Markets: Mid-Large Cap; Michelle Kirschner – Corporate and Commercial: Financial Services: Non-Contentious/Regulatory; Ali Nikpay – Dispute Resolution: Competition Litigation; Penny Madden – Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration; Federico Fruhbeck – Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Infrastructure: M&A and Acquisition Financing; Patrick Doris – Public Sector: Administrative and Public Law; Sean Tierney – Real Estate: Commercial Property: Investment; Robert Carr – Real Estate: Property Finance; Mark Manson-Bahr – Real Estate: Property Finance; Sacha Harber-Kelly – Risk Advisory: Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (advice to corporates); Joel Harrison – TMT (technology, media and telecoms): IT and telecoms; Ben Fryer – Corporate and Commercial: Tax; and James Cameron – Finance: Transport Finance and Leasing .
In addition, Alice Brogi was named a Next Generation Partner for Corporate and Commercial: Private Equity Transactions – High-Value Deals (£500M+) and Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Infrastructure: M&A and Acquisition Financing; Claibourne Harrison was named a Next Generation Partner for Real Estate: Commercial Property – Investment; Freya Church was named a Leading Associate for Real Estate – Commercial Property: Investment; Ceyda Knoebel was named a Leading Associate in Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration; Mark Leverkus was named a Leading Associate for Finance: Transport Finance and Leasing; and Tom Jackson was named a Leading Associate for Finance: Transport Finance and Leasing.
The guide was published on October 1, 2025.