November 29, 2011
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that John Gaffney has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner. Before joining one of his clients, Gaffney spent most of his career as a partner with Cravath, Swaine & Moore where he focused on complex corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets transactions, with particular emphasis on the media, telecom, renewable energy and shipping industries.
“We are very pleased to welcome John to the firm,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “John is a seasoned corporate lawyer who is highly regarded in corporate and investment banking circles. The depth of his experience and breadth of his expertise will serve our clients well. John is well known for providing valuable business-oriented and pragmatic advice to clients on a 24/7 basis. He understands first-hand what it means to provide quality client service.”
“John will be a terrific addition to the firm,” said Steven Shoemate, Co-Partner in Charge of the New York office. “He is an outstanding lawyer, who handled many prominent deals in numerous industries when he was in private practice. His extensive corporate experience will add capacity to and complement our New York corporate team.”
“I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues,” Gaffney said. “Gibson Dunn’s collegial culture and top-tier corporate and litigation platforms provide a strong foundation for my return to private practice.”
About John Gaffney
Upon graduation from New York University with a J.D. and M.B.A. in 1986, Gaffney joined Cravath, where he practiced M&A and securities law for 22 years: seven years as an associate and 15 years as a partner. In 2008, he was persuaded to leave Cravath to join one of his clients, First Solar, a solar manufacturer, as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. In 2010, following a change in senior management at First Solar, Gaffney was recruited to join Solyndra Inc., another company in the solar industry, as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and General Counsel.
In his 25 years of practice, Gaffney has developed broad experience in mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, capital markets transactions, and corporate governance matters. He has extensive transactional experience across a broad range of industries, with depth in the media, telecom, clean technology and shipping sectors. His client roster in private practice included notable companies, such as Alcon, Credit Suisse, Cytec Industries, Deutsche Bank, First Solar, Goldman Sachs, Home Box Office, Nestle, Time Inc., Overseas Shipholding Group, Public Service Enterprise Group, Rogers Communications, Time Warner Cable and Turner Broadcasting.
Gaffney received his law degree and master’s degree in business in 1986 with distinction from New York University, where he was a member of the Annual Survey of American Law
