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.

Mr. Little has consistently been named among the nation’s top M&A lawyers every year since 2013 by Chambers USA. Mr. Little is admired by clients as “an exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” who 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 USA 2022).  Also viewed by clients as “very efficient, always knowledgeable in the subjects with immediate recommendations for action” and “an excellent corporate attorney well suited for negotiating tough deals” (Chambers USA, 2021), Mr. Little’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures, investments in public and private entities, and commercial transactions. Further described by clients in Chambers USA 2018 and 2019 as an “exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” and in 2017 as a “practical and proactive lawyer who is oriented to problem solving,” 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.  Mr. Little has represented clients in a variety of industries, including energy, retail, technology, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services.

In 2013, Mr. Little was the youngest corporate M&A lawyer in Texas to receive a ranking by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.  Chambers noted that Mr. Little “attracted a raft of glowing comments, with one interviewee noting: ‘He is very personable and one of the best lawyers in negotiations at keeping the relationship with the other side good. He is a fantastic lawyer with great commercial and interpersonal skills.’”  Chambers 2014 observed that he has a “remarkable grasp of legal issues” and “provides outstanding legal work.”  The 2015 edition noted that he “receives extensive praise from clients and peers who describe him as ‘extremely thorough and very knowledgeable.’”  In 2016, Chambers observed that clients praise him for being ‘strategic, super-responsive [and] a fast learner of industries” and having “an excellent approach to complex and highly contested negotiations.”

In 2023, Mr. Little 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. D CEO magazine and the Association of Corporate Growth named Mr. Little the 2017 Dallas Dealmaker of the Year.  In addition, Texas Lawyer named Mr. Little to its 2013 list of “Legal Leaders on the Rise” recognizing Texas lawyers under age 40 whose accomplishments distinguish them from their peers.

Mr. Little 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, Techna Glass, Palmetto Exterminators, SurfacePrep, HK Solutions Group, Hometown Services, CollisionRight and Service Champions
• 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 disposition of its international storage tanks 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 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 its minority investment in Torani, the flavor company
• Counsel to Callaway Golf Company in its strategic investment in Five Iron Golf
• Counsel to SemGroup Corporation in its private placement of $350 million of newly authorized 7% Series A Convertible Preferred Shares
• Counsel to Celanese Corporation in its agreement to acquire thermoplastics custom compounder Omni Plastics
• 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 Edge Natural Resources, LLC in its formation of a joint venture focused on small-cap upstream oil and gas investments
• 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 and investment in Full Swing Golf Holdings, Inc.
• Counsel to Topgolf International, Inc. in its sales of preferred stock to Providence Equity Partners and institutional investors
• Counsel to Tenet Healthcare Corporation in multiple joint venture transactions
• Counsel to Berkshire Hathaway Energy in its acquisition of publicly-traded NV Energy, Inc. for $10 billion
• Counsel to Berkshire Hathaway Energy in its acquisition of a Texas wind power project