Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Teams With Belgian Firm

The Los Angeles law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has formed an alliance with a Belgian law firm, positioning itself to take advantage of business opportunities stemming from the planned 1992 economic unification of Western Europe.

Under an informal partnership agreement, Gibson Dunn will cooperate on legal matters and share personnel and technology with the Brussels-based firm of Van Bael & Bellis. The Belgian firm plans to establish operations near the Tokyo and Hong Kong offices of Gibson Dunn.

The Los Angeles firm, in turn, plans to open a Brussels office. Gibson Dunn now has offices in London, Paris and 13 other cities.

Second Such Union

The arrangement will enable Gibson Dunn to expand its European presence “at a time when the development of the single European market is presenting many of our clients with unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” said Norman B. Barker, chairman of the management committee at Gibson Dunn.

The alliance is at least the second informal union involving large Los Angeles and European law firms in 1989. The Los Angeles law firm of O’Melveny & Myers in May forged a working relationship with Macfarlanes, a London-based firm.

Gibson Dunn provides legal corporations and banks legal services for matters relating to finance, litigation, employment and tax law. The firm had $236 million in revenue in 1988, making it the fourth-largest law firm in the United States.