Gibson Dunn London signs up Lord Falconer
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has taken a leaf out of the book of rival Debevoise & Plimpton by hiring a lawyer who served under former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer has joined Gibson Dunn as senior counsel in the firm’s London dispute resolution team, following in the footsteps of former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, who joined Debevoise earlier this year.
According to a Debevoise partner, lawyers who have held positions of high office in the UK Government are particularly attractive to US firms.
“In the States it happens all the time, with lawyers moving to the likes of Debevoise and Gibson Dunn from the DoJ [Department of Justice] or other areas of government,” said the partner. “It’s just another Americanism that’s been brought to the UK.”
Gibson Dunn managing partner Ken Doran backed this up when commenting on Falconer’s appointment.
“His extensive experience and ;understanding ;of government and regulation in the UK and abroad will be of significant value to our clients,” ;said ;Doran. “Charlie’s had an extraordinarily accomplished career and is highly regarded not only within the UK, but within the international legal, business and political communities.
“His addition will support our strategic effort to further broaden our presence and profile on the international stage.”
Lord Falconer told The Lawyer: “I’m very much looking forward to returning to private law practice and Gibson Dunn is the right place for me to begin this next phase of my career.”
Falconer was previously a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers, but due to the political nature of his role as Lord Chancellor he would have been unable to rejoin the bar.
