Gibson Dunn has unveiled plans to move into significantly larger offices in London, following rapid growth in the city over the previous five years.
The US firm is set to take 155,000 square feet of One Exchange Square, more than double the size of its current 75,000-square-foot base at Telephone House. The firm did not confirm a moving date, though the building’s redevelopment is expected to complete in the first quarter of this year.
The relocation underscores the importance of London to Gibson Dunn’s global strategy. The firm has had a presence in the City for nearly 50 years and the office has grown to be its largest outside the US.
“London remains a critical market for Gibson Dunn,” said firm chair and managing partner, Barbara Becker. “We’ve grown our presence here tremendously in recent years, and this new space will allow us to continue to do so for years to come.”
Gibson Dunn has more than doubled its London lawyer headcount over the past five years, from 84 in 2020 to 218 last year. Its London partnership has increased by 18 in that time to 49.
Last year the Telephone House office added eight partners including Simon Tysoe, a mainstay of Latham & Watkins’ London energy practice for many years. Other partners joined across its business restructuring and reorganisation, finance, investment funds, labour and employment, real estate and transportation and space practices.
Home-grown talent has also been expanded; at the beginning of this year 11 London lawyers were promoted to partner, the highest ever number of advancements in London for the firm.
Rob Carr and Osma Hudda, co-partners in charge of Gibson Dunn’s London office, said the move marked “the next chapter” for the firm in the City.
Carr added: “Our new office will enhance client access, strengthen collaboration and position us at the heart of the industries we advise.”
One Exchange Square’s new design is focused on sustainability, and will be 100% electric and net-zero-carbon once in operation, surpassing the Greater London Authority’s carbon targets.
The redesigned office will be one of 22 that Gibson Dunn operates worldwide across Europe, the Middle East, the US and in the Asia Pacific, with more than 2,200 lawyers.
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