A lordly catch

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has nabbed former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer as a senior counsel based in its London office.
California-based Gibson Dunn has a prominent private equity practice; its clients include Arcapita, The Gores Group, Investcorp, Leonard Green & Partners, Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, Quadrangle and Silver Lake Partners.
Lord Falconer, a barrister, served in various high-level positions in the administration of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Most recently, he served as the first Secretary of State for Justice and as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was the architect of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, which changed the relationship between the executive and judicial branches of government and led to the creation of a first-ever Supreme Court for the United Kingdom and of a new commission to appoint judges.
“We are delighted that Charlie has chosen to join our firm,” said Gibson Dunn managing partner Ken Doran.
“Charlie has had an extraordinarily accomplished career and is highly regarded not only within the United Kingdom, but within the international legal, business and political communities.
His addition will support our strategic effort to further broaden our presence and profile on the international stage.”
“At the firm, Charlie will be an active, ‘hands-on’ lawyer, working as a integral part of our existing UK dispute resolution team to advise clients on a wide range of dispute resolution matters,” said Tom Budd, co-partner in charge of the London office.
Lord Falconer joined the Blair government as Solicitor-General for England and Wales in 1997, moving a year later to the Cabinet Office as Minister of State. In 2001, he became Housing, Planning and Regeneration Minister and, in 2002, he became Criminal Justice Minister.
In 2003, Lord Falconer became Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor. In 2007, Lord Falconer became the first Secretary of State for Justice, bringing together courts, prisons and justice policy for the first time. Lord Falconer stepped down from his ministerial posts when Tony Blair was succeeded by Gordon Brown as prime minister.
Prior to entering public service, Lord Falconer was a commercial barrister with Fountain Court Chambers from 1974 to 1997, becoming a Queen’s Counsel in 1991. During his legal career, he was involved in industrial disputes in the newspaper and airline industries, including those involving The Times and British Airways; and in the litigation that followed the Bank of Credit and Commerce International collapse.