Formidable in a myriad of practice areas, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher remains one of the most in-demand and influential firms in litigation. With offices across the country, especially in major markets, there is no shortage of nationally recognized litigators who dutifully uphold the firm’s exceptional reputation. “Gibson Dunn is doing a good job in having an array of people in a variety of cases,” sums up one contemporary, who also notes, “And it’s also cross-ideological. They have people who are more liberal and others who are more conservative, and yet they all work well together very professionally.” A client testifies, “Gibson Dunn is excellent and has greater resources [than many of the firms I use for smaller litigations.]”
Already comprehensively entrenched nationally, Gibson Dunn remains in growth mode. This is arguably most obviously visible via its Texas operations, whose ranks have been swelling with trial talent as of late. In September 2022, the firm welcomed former Fifth Circuit judge Gregg Costa to its Houston’s office. Costa is a celebrated figure in this market and has been focused on building out that office’s civil trials and white-collar capacity. Cox was part of a team that achieved a milestone summary-judgment victory followed by a sweeping victory at trial for an ad hoc group of lenders in the Serta Simmons Bedding dispute in Bankruptcy Court in Texas, validating a market-leading transaction that provided Serta Simmons Bedding with new liquidity and capital structure relief in order to ensure its survival during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collin Cox, a commercial litigator who earned his stripes at boutique firm Yetter Coleman, also lends a flair for trial to this office. The Dallas office has been equally abuzz of late; in July of 2024, the firm augmented its already-strong bench in that city with the addition of Liz Ryan, formerly with Weil Gotshal, who peers address as an “awesome trial lawyer.”
Trey Cox, another Dallas partner who honed his chops at another firm (the boutique now known as Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann) is championed as “someone who tries cases and very often wins.” Also in Dallas,
Allyson Ho obtained victories for Vistra and Luminant in litigation stemming from Winter Storm Uri, securing reversal from the Houston Court of Appeals of the MDL court’s refusal to dismiss billions of dollars in personal injury and property claims against Vistra and other Texas generators. “All in all,” surmises a local peer, “this is Texas litigation at its finest. We are hard-asses around here about outsiders coming in [to the Texas trial lawyer scene] and thinking they can hang, but Gibson Dunn is doing it right.”
There has been no shortage of milestones logged in other offices as well.
Thomas Hungar, an appellate specialist in the DC office, obtained a 9-0 Supreme Court win for Slack Technologies in what has been hailed as the first securities and derivative suit relating to going public through a direct listing. Also in DC,
David Burns, a white-collar practitioner with a niche national-security practice, is also a noted favorite. “David has great experience at the DoJ, and he is really smart and thoughtful,” testifies a client. “My entire team likes working with him, and he builds a strong team within Gibson Dunn too. He is a go-to person for challenging, high-risk investigations and disputes, and also gives good general risk-management advice.”
Gibson Dunn maintains its historic stronghold in the California market. In Los Angeles, where the firm’s roots begin,
Theane Evangelis has experienced a remarkable rise in profile on the strength of her multifaceted practice that incorporates appellate, labor and employment, and media and entertainment. Evangelis persuaded the Supreme Court to grant
certiorari and decide whether the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. The Supreme Court’s grant of review comes after hundreds of amici—including states, cities, politicians and myriad community and business groups—told the Court that the Ninth Circuit’s unprecedented interpretation of the Eighth Amendment has contributed to the growing problem of encampments in cities across the West. In the San Francisco office, securities star Brian Lutz is cheered by a peer as “matter-of-fact and easy to deal with.” Lutz secured dismissal of a shareholder derivative action against the Board of Directors of Block (f/k/a Square) arising out of Square’s acquisition by a group of recording artists led by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z of the music streaming service TIDAL. Lutz also secured a full dismissal with prejudice for Danimer Scientific of a securities class action related to alleged “greenwashing” statements about the company’s products used in biodegradable plastic utensils and packaging.
In the New York office, Orin Snyder, a commercial litigator with a noted niche in media and entertainment, remains a ubiquitous figure. “Orin is always involved in the media stuff I do,” confirms a practice-area peer, “but I have to admit, he’s more hooked-up than I am! Want to meet Jerry Seinfeld or get backstage at a Billy Joel concert? Orin has the in – his profile is just at that level.” Illustrating this point, Snyder achieved a historic victory for pro bono client Deon Jones when a federal jury returned a unanimous verdict in his favor, finding that a Los Angeles Police Department officer violated the client’s Fourth Amendment rights by shooting him in the face with a rubber bullet during a demonstration in the wake of the George Floyd murder. Following a seven-day trial, the jury awarded $375,000 to the client. Snyder was also part of the firm team on the aforementioned Serta Simmons bankruptcy case. In another tangentially entertainment-oriented matter,
Reed Brodsky and Rahim Moloo scored for Jay-Z’s SCLiquor in an intense battle with a Bacardi subsidiary, resolving over 10 actions with a negotiated transaction over a premium cognac company.
Laura Goldman is addressed by a peer as “the go-to legal issues person at Gibson. I would hire her to write a brief in a heartbeat – she’s excellent.”
