Robert Little
Partner
Gibson Dunn
Dallas, TX

Robert B. Little is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas office.  He is a Global Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group.

Mr. Little has consistently been named among the nation’s top M&A lawyers every year since 2013 by Chambers USA. Mr. Little is admired by clients as “an exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” who is “a smart, hard-working, high-character, results-oriented lawyer who focuses on timely, efficient and cost-effective solutions – he’s an outstanding lawyer.” (Chambers USA 2022).  Also viewed by clients as “very efficient, always knowledgeable in the subjects with immediate recommendations for action” and “an excellent corporate attorney well suited for negotiating tough deals” (Chambers USA, 2021), Mr. Little’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures, investments in public and private entities, and commercial transactions. Further described by clients in Chambers USA 2018 and 2019 as an “exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” and in 2017 as a “practical and proactive lawyer who is oriented to problem solving,” he also advises business organizations regarding matters such as securities law disclosure, corporate governance, and fiduciary obligations.  In addition, he represents investment funds and their sponsors along with investors in such funds.  Mr. Little has represented clients in a variety of industries, including energy, retail, technology, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services.

In 2013, Mr. Little was the youngest corporate M&A lawyer in Texas to receive a ranking by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.  Chambers noted that Mr. Little “attracted a raft of glowing comments, with one interviewee noting: ‘He is very personable and one of the best lawyers in negotiations at keeping the relationship with the other side good. He is a fantastic lawyer with great commercial and interpersonal skills.’”  Chambers 2014 observed that he has a “remarkable grasp of legal issues” and “provides outstanding legal work.”  The 2015 edition noted that he “receives extensive praise from clients and peers who describe him as ‘extremely thorough and very knowledgeable.’”  In 2016, Chambers observed that clients praise him for being ‘strategic, super-responsive [and] a fast learner of industries” and having “an excellent approach to complex and highly contested negotiations.”

In 2023, Mr. Little was recognized by his peers as the Dallas/Fort Worth “Lawyer of the Year” in both Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law in The Best Lawyers in America®.  He is also consistently recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America® for corporate and M&A law (2013-2023), and has been recognized as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon.  D CEO magazine and the Association of Corporate Growth named Mr. Little the 2017 Dallas Dealmaker of the Year.  In addition, Texas Lawyer named Mr. Little to its 2013 list of “Legal Leaders on the Rise” recognizing Texas lawyers under age 40 whose accomplishments distinguish them from their peers.

Mr. Little received his law degree in 1998 with highest honors from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was named a Chancellor and a member of Order of the Coif and served as Articles Editor of the Texas Law Review.  He holds a B.A. from Baylor University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1995. He previously served as a law clerk to The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Krista Hanvey
Partner 
Gibson Dunn
Dallas, TX

Krista Hanvey is Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group and Co-Partner-In-Charge in the firm’s Dallas office.  She counsels clients of all sizes across all industries, both public and private, using a multi-disciplinary approach to compensation and benefits matters that crosses tax, securities, labor, accounting and traditional employee benefits legal requirements.  Ms. Hanvey has significant experience with all aspects of executive compensation, health and welfare benefit plan, and retirement plan compliance, planning, and transactional support.  She also routinely advises clients with respect to general corporate and non-profit governance matters.  Ms. Hanvey also oversees the Dallas office’s pro bono adoption program. Ms. Hanvey offers broad expertise on all types of public and private equity compensation and employee stock purchase plans; 401(k), ESOP and 403(b) tax-qualified retirement and nonqualified deferred compensation plans; executive employment, severance, retention, change in control and non-compete agreements; performance bonus, sales commission and other incentive pay plans; and retiree medical, cafeteria and other welfare benefit  plans.  She regularly advises clients on the requirements of and compliance with tax laws, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, the Affordable Care Act and executive compensation securities disclosure requirements. Chambers USA ranked Ms. Hanvey as an Up and Coming attorney in the area of Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation in their 2022 publication and Law360 named her as a 2020 Rising Star.  In 2022, she was selected as one of the Texas Diversity Council’s Top Women Lawyer Award Winners and was ranked among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers. Ms. Hanvey graduated first in her class from William and Mary School of Law, where she served as Senior Articles Editor of the William & Mary Law Review.  Ms. Hanvey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors in Government from The University of Texas at Austin.  She is a member of the Order of the Coif and Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Hanvey is admitted to practice law in the state of Texas.