Hastings rejoices 'milestone' hire of Eduardo Gallardo

Hastings rejoices 'milestone' hire of Eduardo Gallardo

Eduardo Gallardo is the most recent high-profile hire in the Big Apple as the employee count approaches 400

Gibson Dunn's global M&A co-chair, Eduardo Gallardo, has been hired by Paul Hastings in a move described as an 'important milestone' by the firm's chair, Seth Zachary.

Gallardo's appointment, who served as shareholder activism defence chair at Gibson Dunn, is the latest in a series of notable hires secured by Paul Hastings as it seeks to expand its New York presence.

Eduardo is one of the most highly respected and successful dealmakers in the world, trusted by the world's leading global corporations, asset managers and financial institutions with their most critical and complex transactions, Zachary said.

In 2005, Gallardo joined Gibson Dunn. He became a partner in 2008, and in 2012, he was appointed co-chair of M&A, a position he will continue to hold at his new firm.

At various points of his career, he has represented a variety of high-profile clients, including AT&T, Hewlett Packard, and Barnes & Noble, in transactions worth billions of dollars, earning him a reputation as one of the country's most prominent dealmakers, according to his new firm.

Gallardo has particular experience representing public and private companies in connection with proxy contests, leveraged buyouts, spinoffs, divestitures, reorganizations, recapitalizations, joint ventures, and other complex corporate transactions.

His recent work includes assisting AT&T with its $1.4 billion sale of Warner Bros Games' Playdemic to Electronic Arts, as well as representing Barnes & Noble Education in its successful defence against an unsolicited takeover bid by Bay Capital Finance.

As part of Gallardo's new role, he plans to "assist in transitioning Paul Hastings into an advisory platform for M&A and takeovers".

According to its website, Paul Hastings has 30 M&A lawyers in New York, including 12 partners. Its total employee count in the Big Apple is expected to reach 400 by the end of the year.

In March, we hired a three-partner team from Shearman & Sterling and brought on board a restructuring team comprised of 18 partners from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, which has helped fuel our growth trajectory.

In 2021 the firm recorded a 20 percent increase in global revenue to $1.57 billion, which was offset by a 20.5 percent increase in profit per equity partner. Zachary's time at the helm has concluded with positive results, and he is preparing to step down at the end of the year after serving seven terms in the post. Toward the end of last year, the firm announced that he will hand over the reins to leveraged finance partner Frank Lopez, who currently oversees the firm's capital markets group in New York.

Additionally, Gibson Dunn has added new talent in New York with the appointment of Douglas Horowitz from Cahill Gordon & Reindel to lead its leveraged finance and acquisition finance groups.

In December, 2021, the California firm hired two private equity partners from Sidley Austin as part of a concerted effort to recruit lateral talent from across the pond.