2019 Vault Rankings
Texan litigation boutique Gibbs & Bruns steps in where BigLaw firms fear to tread. An expert in "bet the company" cases in high-stakes commercial litigation, the firm has procured settlements of staggering nine to ten-digit sums from major players like Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.
From Full-Service to Litigation
Though officially founded in 1983, Gibbs & Bruns' origins trace back almost a decade earlier. Robin Gibbs, an insurance defense practitioner at Vinson & Elkins since 1971, left to form full-service firm Wood, Campbell, Moody & Gibbs P.C. in 1974. He developed a trial group there, but, his thirst for founding firms not yet quenched, he left again in 1983, but this time with the trial lawyers, to start a firm exclusively focused on high-stakes commercial litigation. The firm then known as Gibbs & Ratliff LLP and today known as Gibbs & Bruns LLP has remained true to its roots and emerged as a major player in its chosen field.
The Fear of Big Banks Everywhere
Gibbs & Bruns made headlines as the little firm that could in post-subprime meltdown battles between mortgage-backed security investors and big banks. The firm has carved a niche pursuing banks that New York BigLaw firms are unable or unwilling to take on due to their longstanding histories and relationships. On behalf of mortgage-backed security investor clients including BlackRock, the New York Fed, and Pacific Investment Management Company, Gibbs & Bruns won a headline-grabbing $8.5 billion settlement from banking behemoth Bank of America. The case concerned $100 billion in housing loans issued by lender Countrywide Financial, which was acquired by BofA during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.
The recent BofA settlement was the latest in a string of Gibbs & Bruns' crusade against large banks, which includes representing Pimco against Goldman Sachs and UBS and eventually winning $550 million for its client and achieving a confidential settlement from JPMorgan Chase on behalf of an investor claiming $35 million in devalued securities holdings from the bank.
All for One
Those who work together, stay together. Gibbs & Bruns is known for its "all for one" mentality and what The American Lawyer called its "family-style culture." The firm doesn't hire lateral partners and encourages attorney bonding through yearly retreats and its own amateur cycling team. Gibbs & Bruns attorneys' commitment to one another became especially evident when three partners participated in the Brazil Ironman Triathlon to raise nearly $50,000 in cancer research funds for a fellow partner who had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
1100 Louisiana
Suite 5300
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: (713) 650-8805
Employer Type: Private
Managing Partner: Scott A. Humphries
Recruiting Chairs: Brian T. Ross and Mike Absmeier
Total No. Attorneys 2017: 31
1st year: $190,000
Summer associate: $3,250/week
Houston, TX
Antitrust Litigation
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