Bio

Gregory Gooding is a corporate partner and member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Special Situations team. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other transactions for public companies, financial institutions, private equity funds and other domestic and international clients. Mr. Gooding also has extensive experience in securities offerings, restructurings and special committee assignments. He is recognized for M&A by The Legal 500 US (2019) and IFLR1000 (2022). In The Legal 500 US, he has been lauded by clients for being “extremely responsive, diligent and business savvy.” Mr. Gooding is ranked as a leading M&A lawyer in Latin America by Chambers USA (2018), Chambers Latin America (2020) and Chambers Global (2020), where sources have noted he “stands out for his hands-on approach to a deal.” In previous editions of the guide, he is noted for being “very well versed in everything cutting-edge” and “pragmatic, with his eye on the ball in terms of getting the deal done.” He receives further praise for his knowledge of “what is commercial and what will fly in the market.” Mr. Gooding is also recognized by Latin Lawyer 250 (2017) for his high profile in Latin America. Mr. Gooding is the co-author of Takeovers: A Strategic Guide to Mergers & Acquisitions (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2020) and the Insurance and Investment Management M&A Deskbook (Practising Law Institute, 2018). His published articles include: “Tiny Tweaks To Bank Merger Forms May Have Big Impact,” Law360 (May, 2024); “Delaware Supreme Court Holds MFW Inapplicable Based on Banker Conflict Disclosure Deficiencies,” Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance (May, 2024); “Del. Ruling Highlights M&A Deal Adviser Conflict Disclosures,” Law360 (May, 2024); “Delaware Supreme Court Holds Entire Fairness Applicable to All Conflicted Controller Transactions,” Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance (April, 2024); “Special Committee Report,” Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance (February, 2024); “Precise Advance Notice Bylaws May Help Prevent Disputes,” Law360 (January, 2024); “Delaware holds target cannot recover lost-premium damages,” Westlaw Today (November, 2023); “Special Committee Report,” Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance (August, 2023); “Del. Ruling May Signal New Era Of Board Accountability,” Law360 (August, 2023); “Debevoise & Plimpton Discusses the Mindbody Problem,” CLS Blue Sky Blog (March, 2023); “Special Committees and M&A: A Half-Year Report,” The M&A Lawyer (September, 2022); “Debevoise & Plimpton Discusses SEC’s Proposed SPAC Rules and Investment Banks,” CLS Blue Sky Blog (May, 2022); “Special Committee Report,” Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance (March, 2022); “The End of Leveraged Buy Outs as We Know Them? Hardly,” Bloomberg Law (February, 2021); “Sponsor-Backed PIPEs Can Aid In The Race For Liquidity,” Law360 (May, 2020); “Navigating Indirect Transfer Restrictions,” Bloomberg Law (March, 2020); “What the FRB Non-Control Proposal Means for Activist Investment in Banks,” Bloomberg Law (May, 2019); “Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation: Delaware M&A Appraisal After DFC, Dell and Aruba,” Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation (May, 2019); “Debevoise Discusses Delaware Chancery Ruling on a Material Adverse Event,” The CLS Blue Sky Blog (October, 2018); “US And UK Share Purchase Agreements: Comparing Approaches,” Practical Law (2015); “Getting to an Answer in In Re Answers,” Private Funds Management (2014); “How Sell Side Advisors Can Reduce Litigation Risk in Light of Delaware’s Rural/Metro Decision,” Journal of Investment Compliance (2014); “The Liquidity Crunch (This Year's Model): Recent Delaware Cases Involving Controlling Stockholders,” The M&A Lawyer (2012); and “Yes Virginia, You Really Can Waive Fraud Claims,” Private Equity Manager (2012). He is also a contributing author of the Debevoise & Plimpton Financial Institutions Report, the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and The Private Equity Primer: The Best of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report. Mr. Gooding joined Debevoise in 1988 and became a partner in 1996. He was resident in the firm’s Hong Kong office from its opening in 1994 until 1998. Mr. Gooding received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1987, where he was managing editor of the Journal of International Law, and his A.B. from Kenyon College in 1983. Prior to joining the firm, he served as law clerk to the Hon. Robert Hill, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.