The sluggish M&A arena is picking up and profile law firm Gibson Dunn has made some major new lateral hires from Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Weiss.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, with almost 1900 attorneys, has strengthened its mergers and acquisitions practice with two significant additions from rival firms this week. George Sampas, a longtime partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, joins as co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s M&A practice and head of cross-border M&A. Sampas brings with him a client portfolio that includes Enbridge, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Symbotic.
The firm also hired Brian Scrivani, a private equity partner from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York. Scrivani’s experience includes working with clients such as Apollo Global Management.
These moves come at a time when the M&A landscape is showing signs of recovery. The first quarter of 2024 marked the strongest start for U.S. dealmaking in three years, according to London Stock Exchange Group data.
While the number of deals decreased compared to the previous year, their combined value increased.
Industry experts anticipate a rise in deal volume in the coming months. Jon Truster, a legal recruiter at Macrae, notes that M&A and private equity remain crucial revenue generators for law firms, despite last year’s slowdown.
Sampas, who spent 32 years at Sullivan & Cromwell, plans to split his time between New York and Florida, where he has resided for years. Notably, neither Sullivan & Cromwell nor Gibson Dunn currently maintains an office in Florida.
Sampas made the news recently with his record, $9 million purchase of a Miami Shores ‘teardown’ home.
Sampas has also been appointed by Gibson Dunn, a LawFuel prestige list law firm, with a role as co-chair of the firm’s M&A practice.
