Gina Hancock

Gina Hancock is a partner in the Dallas office. She practices in the firm’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Department. Gina has significant experience with executive compensation, complex domestic and international transactional matters, initial public offerings, health and welfare benefit plan, retirement plan, and related matters. Her practice focuses on all aspects of equity compensation; employee stock purchase plans; 401(k), pension and nonqualified deferred compensation plans; executive employment, severance, retention, change in control and restrictive covenant agreements; incentive compensation; and cafeteria and other welfare benefit plans. She also provides advice with respect to general corporate governance and disclosure matters.

Gina is recognized by Chambers USA 2024 as an Associate to Watch and on the 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America list for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law.

Representative Experience:

• Represented Pioneer Natural Resources Company in its $60 billion merger with ExxonMobil.
• Routinely advises Fortune 500 companies on SEC disclosure requirements, executive compensation arrangements and equity compensation programs.
• Advised Lone Star Funds in $2.3 billion sale of AOC to Nippon Paint Holdings.
• Represented Platinum Equity on on its majority investment in Kohler’s Energy Division (now Rehlko).
• Advised numerous life sciences companies on go-public business combination transactions.
• Provided compensation, benefits and employment advice to Citation Capital in connection with its acquisition of Cibo Vita.
• Advised on compensation and benefits matters in Heska Corporation's $1.3 billion strategic acquisition by Mars, Inc.
• Represented Contago Oil & Gas Company on benefits, compensation and employment matters in its $5.7 billion merger with Independence Energy.
• Represented Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. on compensation matters in its $993.6 million initial public offering.
• Advised Platinum Equity on compensation, employment and employee benefits matters in its $4.5 billion acquisition of McGraw Hill.
• Advised on benefits, compensation and employment matters in Stone Canyon’s $3.2 billion acquisition of K+S Americas salt business, including Morton Salt.

Gina graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2015, where she served on The Tax Lawyer. In 2012, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting, summa cum laude, with honors, from Oklahoma State University.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Gina was an Executive Compensation and Benefits associates at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Dallas.

Gina is admitted to practice law in the State of Texas.

Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements:

• “Riding Out the Storm: A (Non-Exhaustive) Punch List for Compensation in Volatile Times” (April 2025)
• Webcast: Restrictive Covenants: Key Considerations for 2025 (February 2025)
• “ECEB Considerations in M&A Transactions,” Dallas Bar Association (July 2024)
• “Delaware Court of Chancery Invalidates Elon Musk’s $55.8 Billion Equity Compensation Package” (February 2024)
• “Executive Compensation Disclosure Handbook: A Practical Guide to the SEC’s Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules,” Donnelley, February 2023 (co-author with Elizabeth Ising, Krista Hanvey, Geoffrey Walter, Heather Marshall, Brian Myers and Steve Seelig)
• “Pay vs Performance, Clawbacks & Other Recent Developments,” Dallas Bar Association (February 2023)
• “SEC Releases Final Pay Versus Performance Rules” (August 2022)

Capabilities

• Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance

Credentials

Education:

• Georgetown University - 2015 Juris Doctor
• Oklahoma State University - 2012 Bachelor of Science

Admissions:

• Texas Bar