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Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a Hollywood superstar. One of L.A.'s "Big Three" law firms, GD&C has long been a player on the international scene. History: L.A. player Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher was founded in 1890 in Los Angeles and has become an international firm with approximately 700 lawyers in eleven offices. Gibson was the first of L.A.'s "Big Three" to establish a New York office and the second to open an outpost in Washington, DC. In 1967 the firm branched out internationally, opening for business in Paris. Unfortunately, Gibson is perhaps most famous for offering the top Stanford law graduate of 1952 a job as a legal secretary. That Stanford grad, Sandra Day O'Connor, was later appointed to the Supreme Court. The firm, like all other California law firms, suffered financially when the California economy went into a tailspin in the early 1990s. While other firms laid off associates, Gibson responded by closing its smaller offices: San Jose in 1992, then Brussels, Moscow, and Seattle in 1994. The trend has carried over into the recent boom economy - the firm announced the closing of its San Diego office in April 2000. More star partners Gibson is chock full of powerful lawyers. Partner John Olson, a respected securities lawyer, has served on the legal advisory committee of the National Association of Securities Dealers and currently serves on the legal advisory board for the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Council of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. Partner Theodore Olson served as an assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration and recently represented several telecom industry associations in a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Committee regarding wiretapping. Joseph Kattan, a partner in the Washington, DC office, represented Intel during an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. And Theodore Boutrous Jr., who moved from the firm's Washington office to L.A. to become co-chair of Gibson's Appellate and Media Law Practice group, has won reversals of more than $1 billion in jury awards, including a $200 million award against The Wall Street Journal. Invading M&A turf GD&C is one of the few firms based outside of New York that dares to challenge Big Apple-based firms for M&A advisory work. Gibson ranked third (in terms of number of deals) among law firms in 1999, advising on 189 deals worth a total of $69.6 billion. Notable transactions include representing the Chandler family, part-owners of publisher Times Mirror, in that company's merger with the Tribune Co. The deal was quite controversial for Gibson - William Steinhart, the Gibson partner who represents the Chandlers, is a Times Mirror board member and negotiated the deal on behalf of the Chandlers without telling his fellow board members. Another notable client was Computer Science Corp., which GD&C defended against a hostile takeover bid from Computer Associates. Other practice areas Gibson Dunn has a strong corporate practice beyond its M&A clientele. The firm delves into areas such as antitrust, taxation, intellectual property, employee benefits, and securities law. Ironically, Gibson received some press for an IP case it couldn't argue. NextWave Telecom selected the firm to represent it in a lawsuit against the FCC regarding control of licenses after Nextwave went bankrupt. Too bad for Gibson that Judge Robert Sack, a former Gibson partner, was part of the three-judge panel hearing the appeal of the case. In March 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals prohibited Gibson from taking the case, saying Sack had been assigned first and NextWave should have sought other counsel.
Don't even think about it Firm insiders say Gibson "has strict grade point cutoffs." The grade requirements "apply to every potential hire [and] make it difficult for otherwise attractive candidates to get their feet in the door." According to one associate, the grade cutoffs vary by school, but everyone agrees the firm sticks to them religiously. One lawyer criticizes this practice, saying that the firm adheres to it "blindly." Centralized hiring process Gibson undertakes a massive annual recruiting effort - the firm conducts on-campus interviews at about 40 law schools. Unlike other large firms, hiring is done on a national level, as opposed to by individual office. "In order for you to get an offer, the recruiting committee, which is made up of all the different offices, has to agree," explains one contact. Identical process Because of this centralized process, the callback round is nearly identical. For summer associates, the firm conducts four interviews, usually with partners. The candidate is then taken to lunch with associates. If all goes well, the candidate is asked to dinner. In the break between lunch and dinner, everyone who has met the candidate compares notes, and if they like what they see, an offer can be extended at dinner. (Don't fret if you don't get a dinner offer. Outside circumstances, such as a scheduling conflict with a partner, can cause a delay.) Looking for initiative One associate who conducts interviews says that Gibson's free market assignment system influences what she looks for in a candidate. "I'm looking for somebody who's got initiative, who's pretty outgoing," says that contact. "People who are sort of shy are probably going to have a difficult time here. If I'm the one asking question after question, it's probably not going to work out well. If I start a topic and they go off on their own, that's probably not good." Job seekers can visit Gibson's web site, which lists recruiting contacts and features a firm brochure.
They hate New York (at least the culture) "The culture used to be laid-back and somewhat attuned to lifestyle issues," says one New York associate. "Now, for some reason, Gibson has decided to become like the New York firms, pushing associates to work harder and being far less interested in ensuring that associates have lives outside of the office." Indeed, several Gibson attorneys comment on a perceived clash between the firm's California roots and its New York aspirations. "The firm wants to be a laid-back, California-type lifestyle firm," another contact says. "This tends to conflict with the firm's desire to have the profits of a New York firm." Teddy Roosevelt in khakis and a polo shirt Even while the firm is preparing its associates for the proverbial charge up San Juan Hill, a relaxed atmosphere is retained. "Although a traditional firm, the culture is very informal," notes one associate. "I can't imagine a big law firm with a more easygoing culture," adds a Dallas lawyer. "The firm's California roots are readily apparent in the casual demeanor of most of the office's lawyers. We have recently adopted a full-time business casual dress code." Partners in a free market Given the free market system, Gibson partners have an incentive to treat associates well. Indeed, most insiders say that partners treat them with respect and "quickly come to rely" on them. That doesn't mean all partners do so. "The partners could be a little more friendly," one associate complains. "When I say 'Good morning,' I don't expect to be stared at in response." Another contact reports that the attitude towards associates "varies from partner to partner. Some are respectful; others border on unprofessional." A Los Angeles associate says, "I am concerned that the associate pay increases will have a negative effect on partner attitudes," as it has in some other firms. Other insiders point out that "with the free market system, negative partners find it hard to get people to do their work." Market pay "There's never any doubt Gibson, Dunn will pay market," says an associate. Another says "GD&C always pays enough to stay exactly where the New York market is paying but is never a salary leader." The firm has the unusual policy of paying associates in all offices on the same scale, regardless of the cost of living. That leads to happy lawyers, or at least well-compensated ones, in smaller markets. "Los Angeles pay and Dallas cost of living: the best of both worlds!" enthuses an associate. Unsupportive staff Gibson associates are nearly unanimous in panning the support staff. "Ha! Ha! Ha! That's a good one," a New York attorney cracks about the staff. "Simply stated, poor to none." Another lawyer says that support staff is "terrible. Virtually no paralegal help and many secretaries border on incompetent." "This is our greatest weakness," says one contact. Another offers this mathematical equation for secretarial support: "Sharing a secretary with a senior partner equals no secretary." Mass exodus on the way? Gibson Dunn seems to have the same retention issues as other large firms. "Associates leave, but I think it is primarily because the opportunities that GD&C associates are exposed to are too good to pass up." Remarks another associate, "Gibson Dunn's New York office seems to experience turnover in waves, with no one leaving for quite a while and then several associates leaving all at once." One of those waves might be coming soon. "There is about to be a mass exodus from the litigation department as the character of the firm is changing for the worse," claims one insider. "Lucky" associates Many Gibson lawyers, despite their complaints, seem satisfied with the firm. "I feel lucky to work for this firm," an insider gushes. "It's been a great experience." Another associate claims, "I have had a much better experience than I ever imagined possible while in law school." But the feeling is far from unanimous. At least one associate predicts impending doom for the firm. "In the last year the character of the firm has changed a great deal for the worse. I think the partners' greed means that new work is never turned down, whether or not the staffing exists to undertake [it]." Additionally, that insider reports that "a small group of partners - ones that are generally disliked by associates and thus, find it difficult to staff their cases - are trying to change the free agent system so that they will have associates assigned to permanent misery with them." "I chose GD&C for the culture," says one associate. Another mentions the free market system as his reason for joining, while others chose Gibson because of the clientele. The lawyer offers a warning, though: "The culture is rapidly disappearing and a lot of homegrown GD&C people will probably leave in the next year or so if the trend is not arrested."
Leslie Ripley National Recruiting Manager (213) 229-7273
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