NEW YORK – Gibson Dunn has strengthened its private equity and merger and acquisitions (M&A) Practices with four corporate partners including Greek-American George Stamas, co-founder of The Hellenic Initiative. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced that Mr. Stamas, Mark Director, Andrew Herman, and Alexander Fine have joined the firm as partners. Mr. Stamas will work in the firm’s New York and Washington, DC offices, while Messrs. Director, Herman, and Fine will be based in the Washington, DC office and also will work regularly in the New York office. They all join from Kirkland & Ellis, continuing their corporate, mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices.

“We are delighted to add this distinguished team to the firm,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn.  “George, Mark, Andrew, and Alex are talented, highly regarded lawyers and energetic business developers. They have strong contacts in the legal and business communities in DC, New York and internationally. Their addition will significantly strengthen our M&A, private equity and corporate practices not just on the East Coast but across the firm worldwide.”

“Many of us here at Gibson Dunn have worked opposite of this group in a number of transactions, and we have the utmost respect for them,” said Stephen Glover, a partner in the Washington, DC office and Co-Chair of the M&A Practice Group. “Our combined practice will create a DC corporate powerhouse that will firmly establish our position as a leader in high-end corporate and M&A. In addition, their private equity and public company M&A experience will complement and expand our national and international practice.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to join the firm,” said Mr. Stamas.  “We have long admired Gibson Dunn’s culture and collaborative approach to servicing clients.  We are committed to joining the team and further developing our practice together.  We wish the very best to our former colleagues, who we hold in high regard.”

George Stamas served as a senior partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ corporate practice group since 2002 and will continue to serve as a senior partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York and Washington, DC offices. He focuses on public company and private equity M&A and corporate securities transactions. He also counsels C-level executives and board of directors on corporate governance matters.

Stamas has previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Deutsche Banc Alex Brown, Inc.; as a founding board member of FTI Consulting (NYSE); as a venture partner of international venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates; and as a member of numerous public and private corporate boards.

He is an executive board member of New York private equity firm MidOcean Partners. He also is a board member of the Shakespeare Theatre Company and on the National Advisory Council of Youth Inc. He is a co-founder of The Hellenic Initiative and a member of The Council on Foreign Relations.

Stamas is also is a partner of Monumental Partners, which controls the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, and is a partner of the Baltimore Orioles.

He graduated in 1976 from the University of Maryland Law School, where he was a member of the International Law Review, and from 1977 to 1979, he served as special counsel to Stanley Sporkin in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission.