Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. It has over 1,000 attorneys and 2,000 staff located in 18 offices around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is best known for its litigation practice, and in 2012 was named as the top "Litigation Department of the Year" for an unprecedented second consecutive time by The American Lawyer. The firm won this honor again in 2016. On the transactional side, the firm is particularly known for its land use and real estate practice.
The American Lawyer ranks Gibson Dunn second among national law firms on the "A-List," which measures firms' ability to balance financial success with associate satisfaction, pro bono commitment, and diversity. The 2016 Vault Law Firm Rankings place Gibson Dunn as the number one law firm in Southern California and the top firm in the country for appellate litigation.
The firm's attorneys have argued more than 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court.
The firm represented Apple, Inc. in its patent infringement suit against Samsung (Apple v. Samsung) relating to the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, and won an injunction in June 2012 blocking the sale of the Galaxy Nexus phone in the United States. The injunction was vacated in October 2012 based on the results of the trial.
The firm is representing Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, in a $17 billion contract dispute with purported seed money financier Paul Ceglia.
The firm is representing Chevron in its long-running, $27 billion environmental dispute in Ecuador.
The firm is defending Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in the landmark $11 billion employment discrimination class action Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Partner Theodore Boutros, Jr. argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2011. In June 2011, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Ninth Circuit's order certifying the plaintiff class.
The firm is representing the Dole Food Company in a multibillion-dollar toxic tort suit in Nicaragua involving allegations of farmworker sterility stemming from Dole's use of certain pesticides. After the firm uncovered substantial evidence of fraud and a conspiracy between the plaintiffs and Nicaraguan judges to extort Dole out of billions with manufactured claims, courts in the United States dismissed multiple related suits against Dole and refused to enforce several Nicaraguan judgments.
The firm is defending Intel against several multibillion-dollar antitrust lawsuits filed by AMD and the European Union.
Gibson Dunn is currently defending Amazon.com against patent infringement claims relating to the company's development of the Kindle.
Partner Theodore B. Olson represented the NFL Players Association during the 2011 NFL lockout.
The firm's attorneys sued for the right of same-sex couples to marry by arguing in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Theodore B. Olson acted for two gay couples against Proposition 8. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ordered the ban to be lifted, and that decision stands because the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by supporters of the Proposition for lack of standing.
In 2009, the firm represented NBC Universal in its contract dispute with Conan O'Brien.
The firm represented Viacom in its billion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against Google and YouTube in Viacom International Inc. v. YouTube, Inc.. After multiple rulings at the District Court and Appellate Court, the case was settled in 2014.
The firm defended a conglomerate of domestic and international auto manufacturers—including Honda, Toyota, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and Nissan—against a multibillion-dollar global warming lawsuit filed by the State of California. A federal court granted Gibson's motion to dismiss in 2007. Gibson attorneys also represented a coalition of automakers, engine manufacturers, and dealers before the United States Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA.
Current partner Theodore Olson served as lead counsel for George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore, which secured Bush's election as President of the United States. Olson subsequently served as United States Solicitor General during Bush's first term, 2001-2004.
Governor Chris Christie hired Gibson, Dunn attorney Randy Mastro to conduct an internal investigation of the circumstances surrounding the Fort Lee lane closure scandal and representing the Governor in a later federal investigation. The firm was later criticized by U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton for its methods of record keeping, and accused the firm of "opacity and gamesmanship."
The firm advised Hewlett-Packard in its £7 billion bid for Autonomy Corporation.
The firm advised Kraft in its $19.7 billion bid for Cadbury.
Gibson attorneys advised Heineken in its $7.6 billion buyout of Mexican brewing conglomerate FEMSA.
Advised long-standing client Vivendi parent company of subsidiary Vivendi Games in its $19 billion merger with Activision to form Activision Blizzard.
Provided legal counsel to PeopleSoft after Oracle launched an unsolicited $6.3 billion tender offer (hostile takeover).
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Gibson Dunn was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.45 million, 55% to Democrats. Since 1990, Gibson Dunn contributed $6.15 million to federal campaigns.
Miguel Estrada
Theodore Olson
Eugene Scalia
Debra Wong Yang
Robert C. Bonner
