‘It’s exciting for people joining the firm because there is plenty of growth potential,’ says Rob Carr, one of the newly appointed co-partners in charge at Gibson Dunn in London, as he sits down with fellow office head Osma Hudda for their first interview since taking on their new roles.
Hudda and Carr (pictured) have succeeded Penny Madden KC and Ali Nikpay leading the US firm’s London office, and have a strong performance to follow.
Since Madden and Nikpay started sharing the leadership role in May 2021, lawyer headcount has grown by 53%, with fee earner count standing at 144 in Legal Business’s 2024 Global London survey.
While Madden and Nikpay will continue in their roles co-chairing the international arbitration group and antitrust and competition group, respectively, they formally handed over the reins of the London office last month to disputes partner Huda and Carr, who joined from HSF in 2021.
After a year of eye-catching lateral hires, Carr stresses that ‘there’s still room to grow’ across both of the firm’s transactional and litigation practices, with market sources suggesting that the firm is still keen to build up its leveraged finance team in the City.
Any additional hires in this area would follow the arrival of David Irvine, former co-head of leveraged finance at Linklaters, who joined last February.
Last year also saw the additions of restructuring partner Lisa Stevens from Freshfields in January, privacy partner Lore Leitner from Goodwin in July, and private equity partner Will Summers from White & Case in September. Meanwhile, M&A partner Will McDonald moved from Jones Day at the end of the year.
‘The firm will continue to seek opportunities across the board,’ says Carr. ‘The firm has twin engine rooms – litigation and transactions. If the right opportunities for growth arise, we’ll look to expand in both.’
When asked whether the firm has a revenue target for London, Carr replies: ‘No, that’s not how the firm works. We had a very busy year in London last year, and management expects us to be working on the right deals for the right clients. What matters to management is that we continue to focus on those things – key clients for the firm, good referrals within the network, strong integration, and excellence in our chosen areas of expertise.’
The duo – who describe their leadership style as ‘accessible and authentic’ and emphasise the importance of being good listeners – are jointly leading the City office without a strict division of responsibilities.
Hudda explains: ‘Once we get into a rhythm and recognise each other’s strengths, we might say, “Okay, let me take the lead on this, and then I’ll check in with you for a judgment perspective.” I suspect that’s how we’ll find our groove rather than formally setting out a division of labour chart.’
When asked how their approach would differ from their predecessors, Carr responds: ‘I don’t think our approaches will differ much, but we hope to bring our respective experiences – me as a lateral hire who joined three years ago, and Osma as a lawyer who started as an associate in the litigation department many years ago.’
Globally, the firm is led by global chair and managing partner Barbara Becker, an M&A partner, alongside chief operator officer Joshua Lipshutz, a litigator. The division of responsibilities between the London office’s co-managing partners ‘mirrors the firm’s [global] leadership,’ says Carr, with him bringing transactional expertise and Hudda her background in litigation.
‘[T]his dynamic will be key to the firm’s continued growth in London, especially with a couple of internal promotions this year – one on the transactional side and one on the litigation side,’ Carr notes, emphasising Madden’s arbitration background working well alongside Nikpay’s competition expertise.
‘It’s great having two perspectives – Osma knows the firm inside out and has served on the executive committee, while I joined three years ago as a lateral hire and have felt truly welcomed,’ continues Carr.
Carr explains that Gibson Dunn’s London growth is part of the firm’s broader global growth strategy, citing recent moves in the Middle East, such as the 2023 hire of a seven-partner team from White & Case to open a Riyadh office, and the hires of three Shearman partners to launch the Abu Dhabi office earlier the same year.
Recent notable deals in the region include advising KKR on its $5bn investment in a stake in Gulf Data Hub, one of the largest independent data centre platforms in the Middle East.
‘We’re continuing to grow in London and further develop what’s been an amazing launch in the Middle East, which will serve as the main connectivity,’ says Carr. ‘We also continue to be strong in Europe where we have fabulous offices.’
‘What excites me most is continuing on this path but with fresh perspectives,’ concludes Hudda. ‘As a partner in charge, I can see the different angles where we fit and the broader strategy, and I love being a part of that.’
