Robert B. Little is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas office. He is a Global Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group and a member of the firm's Executive Committee.
Rob is consistently recognized for his leadership and strategic work with clients, having been named among the nation’s top M&A lawyers by Chambers USA every year for more than a decade. Described as “an impressive lawyer who is super responsive, super business savvy and great to work with” (Chambers USA 2024), he is admired by clients for his “naturally calm demeanor and a way of making problems seem smaller and more manageable. He is practical and laser-focused on business goals” (Chambers USA 2023) and for being “an exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” (Chambers USA 2022). Rob is also ranked as a Private Equity leader by Chambers USA, and his clients have noted, “Rob is a smart, hard-working, high-character, results-oriented lawyer who focuses on timely, efficient and cost-effective solutions – he’s an outstanding lawyer” (Chambers 2023).
Rob’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures, investments in public and private entities, and commercial transactions. He also advises business organizations regarding matters such as securities law disclosure, corporate governance, and fiduciary obligations. In addition, he represents investment funds and their sponsors along with investors in such funds. Rob has represented clients in a variety of industries, including energy, retail, technology, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services.
In 2023, Rob was recognized by his peers as the Dallas/Fort Worth “Lawyer of the Year” in both Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law in The Best Lawyers in America®. He is also consistently recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America® for corporate and M&A law (2013-2023), and has been recognized as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon. In 2024, D CEO magazine named Rob the Dallas Attorney of the Year for the second time. Most recently, Rob was recognized by Texas Super Lawyers Magazine as a 2024 M&A Super Lawyer.
Rob received his law degree in 1998 with highest honors from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was named a Chancellor and a member of Order of the Coif and served as Articles Editor of the Texas Law Review. He holds a B.A. from Baylor University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1995. He previously served as a law clerk to The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Representative Matters
- Counsel to CenterOak Partners LLC in its acquisitions and divestitures of numerous businesses, including Cascade Windows, Wetzels Pretzels, Aakash Chemicals, Full-Speed Automotive, TruRoad, Turf Masters, Entomo Brands, SurfacePrep, HK Solutions Group, Guardian Access, Hometown Services, CollisionRight, Service Champions and Shamrock Environmental
- Counsel to AT&T in the sale of its interest in DIRECTV and in its joint venture with BlackRock to form a wholesale fiber provider
- Counsel to Murata Electronics North America, Inc. in its acquisition of Resonant, Inc. in an all-cash tender offer to create a leading global provider of RF system solutions and filter products
- Counsel to Trive Capital in acquisitions for OWL Services, a provider of integrated solutions for petroleum convenience and electric vehicle markets
- Counsel to Arcosa, Inc. in its acquisition of Cherry Industries, a provider of infrastructure-related products and solutions, and in the dispositions of its international storage tanks business and its steel components business
- Counsel to York Space Systems, an independent provider of small satellites, satellite components and mission operations, in its sale to AE Industrial Partners
- Counsel to Talen Energy in its joint venture with Pattern Energy for the $2 billion development, financing and construction of solar and wind energy projects
- Counsel to creditor groups in the bankruptcies of Envision Healthcare, West Marine, and Robertshaw in corporate and M&A matters
- Counsel to Keystone Group, a privately held investment firm, in multiple investments
- Counsel to Sunrise Oil & Gas on the sale of substantially all of its oil and gas assets to affiliates of Contango Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of Crescent Energy Company
- Counsel to Summit Midstream Partners in its Double E Pipeline Project joint venture to provide natural gas transportation service from the Delaware Basin to the Waha Hub in Texas
- Counsel to Satori Capital in multiple transactions
- Counsel to Callaway Golf Company in its strategic investment in Five Iron Golf
- Counsel to Sony Pictures Television Networks in its acquisition of a substantial majority stake in Japanese anime distributor Funimation Productions, Ltd.
- Counsel to Pizza Hut in its acquisition of ordering provider QuikOrder
- Counsel to Atmos Energy in its acquisition of a natural gas pipeline and related assets from EnLink Midstream and its disposition of its energy marketing subsidiary to CenterPoint Energy
- Counsel to Luminant Holdings in its acquisition of natural gas generation facilities from NextEra Energy for approximately $1.3 billion
- Counsel to Topgolf International, Inc. in its acquisitions of World Golf Tour, Inc. and Protracer AB, its investment in Full Swing Golf Holdings, Inc., and its sales of preferred stock to Providence Equity Partners and institutional investors
Capabilities
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Capital Markets
- Energy and Infrastructure
- Fashion, Retail, and Consumer Products
- Finance
- Investment Funds
- Oil and Gas
- Power and Renewables
- Private Equity
- Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance
Credentials
Education:
- University of Texas - 1998 Juris Doctor
- Baylor University - 1995 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- Texas Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, Hon. Patrick E. Higginbotham, 1998 - 1999