Gibson Dunn shatters records with 42 partner promotions in single global round

Gibson Dunn promotes 42 lawyers worldwide, including a record 11 in London, effective January 2026

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has announced a record-breaking global promotions round, elevating 42 lawyers to partner, including 11 in London, marking the largest single-year intake for the firm’s City office.

The top-five US firm said the promotions reflect continued growth driven by rising client demand across key markets and practice areas. The new partners will take up their roles on 1 January 2026.

London accounted for more than a quarter of the global promotions, a sharp increase compared with recent years when the office saw no more than three promotions annually, and in two years, none at all. The expanded London cohort has pushed the proportion of international promotions to 40 percent, significantly higher than in previous rounds.

The promotions come amid sustained investment in Gibson Dunn’s London office, which has grown rapidly over the past five years. Headcount has increased from 84 lawyers in 2020 to 218 currently, including 49 partners, making it the firm’s largest office outside the United States. London revenue rose from $205 million to $238 million in 2024.

Global chair and managing partner Barbara Becker is expected to return to London for an extended stay early next year, following a two-month relocation earlier this year. Her focus has been on expanding the firm’s capabilities in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure, finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and real estate.

Those priorities were reflected in the latest promotions. The new London partners include private equity specialist Michael Skouras and mergers and acquisitions lawyer Osvaldo Galeano, alongside three promotions in the antitrust and competition practice.

The London M&A practice has also been strengthened through lateral hiring. In October, the firm recruited Simon Tysoe, a long-standing figure in Latham & Watkins’ London energy practice. Earlier this year, Anna Howell, former co-lead of Gibson Dunn’s oil and gas practice, departed for Orrick.

Across the United States, 35 lawyers were promoted. Washington DC led with six new partners, followed by four in Los Angeles, three each in New York and Houston, and two apiece in Dallas, Palo Alto and Orange County.

The remaining international promotions were spread across Brussels, Paris, Munich, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

By practice area, litigation saw the highest number of promotions, with eight new partners. The antitrust and competition team gained six, while real estate and appellate and constitutional law each added four. Additional promotions were made across finance, private equity, transportation and space, and business restructuring and reorganisation.

Commenting on the round, Ms Becker said each of the promoted lawyers had made outstanding contributions to client work and the wider firm, adding that Gibson Dunn was pleased to welcome them into the partnership.