Gibson Dunn

About us

THE FIRM

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. More than 2,200 lawyers, spanning 22 offices and dozens of practice areas, operate as a unified whole.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

Our International Arbitration Practice Group advises leading multinational corporations in arbitration proceedings around the world. We regularly assist clients in litigation involving arbitration issues and have represented clients in national court proceedings under the laws of the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Hong-Kong, Dubai, and many others.

The International Arbitration group’s lawyers have appeared before many of the world’s leading arbitrators and work with all major arbitral institutions and rules, including:

• International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• German Arbitration Institute (DIS)
• Chinese European Arbitration Center (CEAC)
• Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
• London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
• American Arbitration Association (AAA)/International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR)
• Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)
• Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
• Swiss Rules
• Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
• Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

Our practice is particularly deep in the mining, technology, telecommunications, energy, insurance, construction, pharmaceutical, consumer products, and banking sectors, and our cases arise in a wide variety of contexts that include:

• Concession and privatization agreements
• Infrastructure projects
• Insurance and reinsurance arrangements
• Joint ventures
• Licensing and distribution agreements
• Complex financial transactions

We advise clients on each stage of the dispute resolution process, from the drafting of arbitration clauses to mediation or early neutral evaluation to the conduct of arbitration proceedings and through to the enforcement of arbitral awards.

Our lawyers are ranked as leaders in major directories, including Chambers Global, US and UK, and are frequent thought-leaders, speakers and writers on international arbitration matters.

JUDGMENT AND ARBITRAL AWARD ENFORCEMENT

Gibson Dunn is a leader in global judgment and arbitral award enforcement, renowned for its expertise in enforcing and defending judgments and arbitral awards worldwide.

The team excels in navigating complex cross-border legal challenges, leveraging deep knowledge of international arbitration and litigation to secure favorable outcomes for clients. With a track record of success in high-stakes enforcement actions, the practice is distinguished by its strategic approach and ability to handle intricate legal and procedural issues, ensuring that clients’ rights and interests are effectively protected and advanced.

Strategic Expertise and Innovative Solutions
Gibson Dunn has substantial experience crafting creative and highly effective global enforcement strategies. Our approach involves a thorough analysis of the judgment debtor’s business, assets, and financial conditions, utilizing both publicly available information and insights from trusted global investigators. We then develop the most effective course of enforcement, including both prejudgment and post-judgment actions in multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, we excel at defending companies and individuals against fraudulent arbitration awards and foreign judgments, exposing massive frauds and corporate shakedown attempts in the process.

Integrated Litigation Strategies
Our enforcement strategies are integrated from start to finish. We begin working towards enforcing an arbitral award or judgment at the inception of the dispute process, not just once an award or judgment has been issued. We routinely collaborate with counsel—whether within Gibson Dunn’s international arbitration group, transnational litigation practice, or outside the firm—to plot an enforcement strategy that will realize our client’s anticipated award. Utilizing tools such as prejudgment attachments, fraudulent transfer actions, and 28 U.S.C. § 1782 discovery petitions, we have successfully secured billions of dollars in judgments and arbitral awards that many deemed unrecoverable.

Recognized Achievements
Our lawyers have been recognized for obtaining results where others have failed or where the issues are of first impression. For instance, Robert Weigel, co-chair of our group, was named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer’s Am Law Litigation Daily for securing one of the largest enforcement victories against a sovereign debtor on behalf of Crystallex. This victory helped Crystallex become the first judgment creditor of Venezuela to obtain judicial authorization to attach key U.S.-based assets. This work contributed to Gibson Dunn being named The American Lawyer’s 2020 Litigation Department of the Year.

Gibson Dunn has also been lauded for its representation of Chevron Corporation in its successful RICO suit against the purveyors of what The Wall Street Journal called the legal “fraud of the century,” exposing a $9.2 billion Ecuadorian judgment as the product of fraud and bribery. Recently, our lawyers were again named Litigators of the Week for defeating efforts to recognize a sham $18 billion arbitral award against Chevron Corporation and Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

Global Team
The strength of our group extends beyond its co-chairs. Gibson Dunn has premier enforcement-focused practitioners across the world, including in the United States, London, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Our team members have been at the forefront of major cases that have shaped judgment and arbitral award enforcement law globally.