James Cameron

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is plotting a major scaling up of its London office to up to 500 lawyers in the next five years. According to sources with knowledge of the strategy, this could see the office more than double in size from its current headcount of around 215 fee earners, including those who straddle London and other offices. One person with knowledge of the firm said the aim was to bring its London headcount closer to that of its New York office. Insiders said the firm’s plans for a new London office are designed to meet the expansion effort. In September, Law.com reported that the firm has agreed to take around 140,000 sq ft at 1 Exchange Square in Central London, according to sources—significantly larger than its current Temple area offices. The firm has continued to build out its London bench this year with a series of strategic hires, several of whom arrived with additional lawyers in tow. In March, Chris Howard and Presley Warner joined from Sullivan & Cromwell, strengthening the firm’s business restructuring and reorganisation practice. They arrived with one counsel and one senior associate. That same month, James O’Donnell joined after 11 years at DLA Piper—where he served as global co-chair of investment funds—bringing with him an of counsel. In May, James Cameron joined the London office from Milbank as a partner in the finance practice and as co-chair of the transportation and space practice. Also in May, real estate partner Hayden Cameron arrived from A&O Shearman. The firm further expanded its transactional capabilities in October with the hire of M&A partner Simon Tysoe from Latham & Watkins. In 2024, private equity partner Will Summers joined from White & Case, alongside former Jones Day lifer and M&A partner Will McDonald. Commenting on London, chair and managing partner of Gibson Dunn, Barbara Becker said: "Our London growth has been transformative. The strength and depth of our London offering now mirrors the exceptional platform we have built globally. "We have strategically expanded our transactional capabilities—particularly in private equity, M&A, infrastructure, finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and real estate—while leveraging our established disputes practice to attract and promote top-tier talent. Crucially, this growth reflects not just lateral recruitment but our investment in elevating homegrown talent." The strategy reflects strong confidence in London’s high-end transactional and disputes markets, where U.S. firms continue to exert significant influence. It also comes amid intensifying transatlantic competition. Law.com data shows that U.S. firms have doubled the volume of London office space they’ve transacted over in the past five years, while U.K.-founded firms have expanded far more cautiously. Since 2020, 18 Am Law 200 firms have committed to new London offices, compared with just eight among the U.K. top 50—during a period in which U.S. firms increased square footage by 50%, while U.K. firms collectively contracted by nearly 30%. For U.S. firms, London is increasingly viewed as both a crucial counterweight to domestic operations and a fiercely contested battleground for top talent. Gibson Dunn’s trajectory suggests it intends not only to compete in that arena, but potentially to redefine the scale of what a U.S. firm’s London presence can be.

Dec 2

2 min

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:~~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.~~Download PDF~~

Oct 2

2 min

Chambers UK~~Gibson Dunn was recognized with 14 firm and 31 individual rankings in the 2026 edition of Chambers UK.~~The firm was recognized in the following categories:~~•              Asset Finance: Aviation Finance – UK-wide~~•              Capital Markets: Equity – UK-wide~~•              Competition Law – London~~•              Corporate/M&A: £800 million and above – London~~•              Information Technology & Outsourcing – London~~•              Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas – UK-wide~~•              Infrastructure – UK-wide~~•              International Arbitration: Commercial Arbitration – UK-wide~~•              International Arbitration: Investor-State Arbitration – UK-wide~~•              Investment Funds: Investor Representation – UK-wide~~•              Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above – UK-wide~~•              Real Estate: £150 million and above – London~~•              Real Estate Finance – UK-wide~~•              Tax – London~~The following partners were recognized in their respective practice areas:~~•            Alison Beal – Information Technology & Outsourcing – London~~•            Sandy Bhogal – Tax – London~~•            Alice Brogi – Infrastructure – UK-wide~~•            James Cameron – Asset Finance: Aviation Finance – UK-wide~~•            Rob Carr – Real Estate Finance – UK-wide~~•            James Cox – Employment – London~~•            Federico Fruhbeck – Infrastructure – UK-wide; Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above – UK-wide~~•            Ben Fryer – Tax – London~~•            Christopher Harris – International Arbitration – UK-wide~~•            Joel Harrison – Information Technology & Outsourcing – London; Data Protection & Information Law – UK-wide~~•            Chris Haynes – Capital Markets: Equity – UK-wide~~•            Christopher Howard – Restructuring/Insolvency – UK-wide~~•            David Irvine – Leveraged Finance: Big Ticket – London~~•            Tom Jackson – Asset Finance: Aviation Finance – UK-wide~~•            Mark Leverkus – Asset Finance: Aviation Finance – UK-wide~~•            Michelle Kirschner – Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory – UK-wide~~•            Penny Madden – International Arbitration – UK-wide~~•            Mark Manson-Bahr – Real Estate Finance – UK-wide~~•            Ali Nikpay – Competition Law – London~~•            James O’Donnell – Investment Funds: Investor Representation – UK-wide~~•            Piers Plumptre – International Arbitration – UK-wide~~•            Ben Shorten – Projects: Mainly International – UK-wide~~•            Lisa Stevens – Restructuring/Insolvency – UK-wide~~•            Will Summers – Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above – UK-wide~~•            Dee Taylor – Competition Law – London~~•            Simon Tysoe – Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas – UK-wide~~•            Presley Warner – Leveraged Finance: Big Ticket – London~~•            Hannah Watson Fanin – Investment Funds: Investor Representation~~•            Rebecca West – Asset Finance: Aviation Finance – UK-wide~~The guide was published on October 16, 2025.~~Download PDF~~

Oct 16

2 min

Law360~~Partners John Pollack and George Sampas recently spoke to Law360 about the launch of our new Aerospace and Defense Industry Group.~~The group brings together a multidisciplinary team of partners across our global offices and a wide range of practice areas to support clients in navigating this complex and rapidly evolving sector.~~Speaking to the publication, John emphasized the firm’s collaborative strength as a foundation for addressing the often complex, multi-faceted challenges clients face. “We’re not unique in our ability to problem-solve, but I think our ability to do so collaboratively, with our team of experts, puts us in a fantastic position to help clients in this space.”~~Other group members include partners Madalyn Miller, James Cameron, and David Wilf. They are also co-chairs of Gibson Dunn’s transportation and space group.~~Download PDF~~

Jul 22

1 min

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is plotting a major scaling up of its London office to up to 500 lawyers in the next five years. According to sources with knowledge of the strategy, this could see the office more than double in size from its current headcount of around 215 fee earners, including those who straddle London and other offices. One person with knowledge of the firm said the aim was to bring its London headcount closer to that of its New York office. Insiders said the firm’s plans for a new London office are designed to meet the expansion effort. In September, Law.com reported that the firm has agreed to take around 140,000 sq ft at 1 Exchange Square in Central London, according to sources—significantly larger than its current Temple area offices. The firm has continued to build out its London bench this year with a series of strategic hires, several of whom arrived with additional lawyers in tow. In March, Chris Howard and Presley Warner joined from Sullivan & Cromwell, strengthening the firm’s business restructuring and reorganisation practice. They arrived with one counsel and one senior associate. That same month, James O’Donnell joined after 11 years at DLA Piper—where he served as global co-chair of investment funds—bringing with him an of counsel. In May, James Cameron joined the London office from Milbank as a partner in the finance practice and as co-chair of the transportation and space practice. Also in May, real estate partner Hayden Cameron arrived from A&O Shearman. The firm further expanded its transactional capabilities in October with the hire of M&A partner Simon Tysoe from Latham & Watkins. In 2024, private equity partner Will Summers joined from White & Case, alongside former Jones Day lifer and M&A partner Will McDonald. Commenting on London, chair and managing partner of Gibson Dunn, Barbara Becker said: "Our London growth has been transformative. The strength and depth of our London offering now mirrors the exceptional platform we have built globally. "We have strategically expanded our transactional capabilities—particularly in private equity, M&A, infrastructure, finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and real estate—while leveraging our established disputes practice to attract and promote top-tier talent. Crucially, this growth reflects not just lateral recruitment but our investment in elevating homegrown talent." The strategy reflects strong confidence in London’s high-end transactional and disputes markets, where U.S. firms continue to exert significant influence. It also comes amid intensifying transatlantic competition. Law.com data shows that U.S. firms have doubled the volume of London office space they’ve transacted over in the past five years, while U.K.-founded firms have expanded far more cautiously. Since 2020, 18 Am Law 200 firms have committed to new London offices, compared with just eight among the U.K. top 50—during a period in which U.S. firms increased square footage by 50%, while U.K. firms collectively contracted by nearly 30%. For U.S. firms, London is increasingly viewed as both a crucial counterweight to domestic operations and a fiercely contested battleground for top talent. Gibson Dunn’s trajectory suggests it intends not only to compete in that arena, but potentially to redefine the scale of what a U.S. firm’s London presence can be.

Dec 2

2 min