The Legal Cheek View
Meet Gibson Dunn at Legal Cheek’s first Virtual Law Fair of the autumn on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
If money talks, then US colossus Gibson Dunn is fluent. Boasting some of the best trainee and NQ salaries the City has to offer, this ruthlessly efficient American heavyweight is scaling up operations in London and beyond.
That growth mindset extends to its trainee intake, which is set to jump 67% from 15 to 25 places, giving even more budding recruits the chance to sit atop the junior lawyer money tree. At £180,000, Gibson Dunn offers the joint-highest NQ salary in the City, while trainees aren’t short-changed either, with a starting salary of £65,000 rising to £70,000 in year two. It’s not just more green recruits you’ll be seeing around the office, either. The firm has recently gone on a hiring spree, snapping up partners from City competitors including A&O Shearman, Linklaters, Jones Day, White & Case, DLA Piper and Milbank.
With a modus operandi of expansion, it should come as no surprise that Gibson Dunn has formidable financials to back it up. The firm recently recorded its 30th consecutive year of revenue growth, with global revenues increasing 18% to a record $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion). Revenues in London surged by roughly a third to $317 million (£236 million), underlining the office’s growing importance within the global platform. It’s been an even better year for profits per equity partner (PEP), which jumped nearly 24% to $8.9 million (£6.6 million), helped in part by a 4.6% reduction in the firm’s equity partnership. For context, PEP at the top-performing Magic Circle players sits just above the £2 million mark.
The firm has nearly doubled its revenue in the last five years and more than doubled PEP since Barbara Becker took the helm as managing partner in 2021. Gibson Dunn credits much of this success to its strategy of building “destination practices”: highly specialised teams regarded as market leaders in their field. Standout examples include its data centres practice, which completed more than 200 deals last year, and its royalty finance group, which accounted for more than half of all deals in the sector last year.
The firm has come a long way from its LA beginnings. Founded in 1872 by 34-year-old corporate lawyer John Bricknell, it quickly became the biggest player in the City of Angels before expanding across California, the US and, by the 1970s, overseas. Gibson Dunn now boasts 2,200 lawyers across 23 offices worldwide, and that footprint continues to grow. Over the last year, the firm launched a new office in Zurich and a Madrid as it pursues continued international growth.
M&A remains the firm’s bread and butter, and we’re not talking small-ticket transactions. Gibson Dunn recently advised on SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI, a deal reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion and described as the largest M&A transaction in history. Closer to home, the London office offers a mixed bag of expertise including private equity, arbitration, energy and infrastructure. Trainees in the City regularly work alongside some of the biggest names in global asset management, with recent mandates for KKR spanning billion-dollar investments in rail infrastructure, data centres and high-growth technology businesses. Blackstone, Apollo, Macquarie and EQT also feature among the firm’s heavyweight client roster.
Corporate work isn’t all trainees in London will get up to, however. The office is also involved in complex disputes reaching the highest courts, including recent Supreme Court litigation for UBS arising from a foreign exchange competition class action suit. Those who get a chance to be involved in litigation may also meet a rather notable partner: Charlie Falconer KC, ex-Lord Chancellor and first Secretary of State for Justice under the Blair government.
Trainees rotate around four six-month seats with the opportunity to spend time in corporate, finance, dispute resolution, employment, tax, competition and funds teams. The training is not particularly structured, with insiders telling us that “Gibson trainees tend to learn on the job rather than have comprehensive formal training,” a trend adopted by many US outfits across the City. That said, there are some “regular training sessions that are offered which are very helpful for the day-to-day tasks trainees do”, according to one insider.
As far as the work goes, sources tell us “the transactions we work on are often cutting-edge and high profile, meaning the work tends to be exciting even if mundane in nature.” Rookies are encouraged to get involved with as many matters that interest them, and this fluidity has its advantages. As one insider puts it: “What is great is the amount of flexibility you are given and control over your own work.” Trainees frequently share a room with either a partner or senior associate, making it easy to discuss queries as they arise. Sources rate their seniors as very approachable, with partners said to be “always happy to discuss matters with you and share their views.” All new lawyers in London, not just trainees, are also assigned a “buddy” to ensure their integration into the firm goes as smoothly as possible.
Counter to its cut-throat US image, trainees at Gibson Dunn support each other and maintain close relationships. “We have an incredibly close trainee cohort which socialises outside of work when we can,” one rookie tells us. The small intake is said to foster a supportive network among new recruits, with regular socials like Gibson’s annual bake-off. “We always pitch in to help each other out where required!” another insider told Legal Cheek. Bonds are formed early, thanks in part to Gibson Dunn’s trip to California for the New Lawyers Academy, which has seen lawyers from all international offices flown out to Palm Springs. The supportive atmosphere extends to senior levels of the firm too. As one insider put it: “My colleagues are genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.” Another source agrees: “Partners really want you to get as fulfilling a training experience as possible and I learn a lot from them.”
Juniors are also encouraged to engage in business development with clients and receive a $1,000 (£830) annual allowance to support this.
Beyond a market-topping pay packet, the firm doesn’t offer a huge number of perks, and trainees are expected to earn their keep. “I have had very busy seats, and I find myself working on weekends and late at night more often than not,” one weary rookie reports, “though there are nice quieter periods.” Another source offers a more detailed picture: “Work/life balance varies. In some seats I’ve been consistently busy but have not had to work weekends and finished most nights at 7–8pm, whereas in other seats it’s been much more up and down, with some quiet weeks and some very hectic weeks where I’ve worked until the early hours and sometimes weekends.” That said, the same source notes that the “firm is very supportive of people maintaining hobbies and interests outside of work,” adding that they had managed to attend twice-weekly hockey sessions almost every week since joining, simply by communicating this with their team and ensuring the work was completed.
Trainees joining Gibson Dunn in the near future will find themselves in brand new surroundings. As part of the firm’s continued London expansion, Gibson Dunn has announced plans to relocate to One Exchange Square, one of the City’s most recognisable office buildings. Sitting directly above Liverpool Street station, the building combines a prime City location with excellent transport links, putting lawyers within easy reach of Shoreditch, Spitalfields Market and some of London’s best bars, restaurants and coffee spots. A Virgin Active gym next door and plenty of options for post-work socials round out the picture nicely.
Budding trainees with an eye on life abroad will be pleased to know that international secondments are available too, with a handful of recruits this year heading to Abu Dhabi. Past offerings have included equally far-flung destinations such as Hong Kong and Dubai. Client secondments are also on the table, with one rookie reporting a six-month stint at a large investment bank.
The firm has adopted a flexible working-from-home policy, allowing lawyers to structure their own office schedules around client and mentoring needs. On the kit front, rookies receive screens, a laptop, the latest iPhone, keyboard, mouse and headphones, plus a £300 annual budget to spend as they see fit.