On the scaffold, minutes before he was beheaded for his part in the 1715 Rebellion, the Earl of Derwentwater turned to his lawyer and friend Jasper Gibson and asked him to draft his Last Will and Testament. Gibson, attending the rebel leader in his last hours, had nothing to write with. Taking a sharp instrument (the nature of which is not recorded), he made an incision in his skin and wrote Derwentwater’s final instructions in blood on the cuff of his shirt.
Over the ensuing 300 years, Gibson & Co. has been no less resourceful in looking after its clients. In matters of law, there is very little that the firm has not seen.
Today it operates globally, resolving disputes worth many millions of pounds and representing clients at every level of court and tribunal. The firm has a diverse list of clients and acts for many organisations, including Credit Suisse; the European Union Commission; the Arab Republic of Egypt; the Sri Lankan government and Superdrug Stores plc. It also maintains strong profiles in family, property, agriculture, and regional legal matters.
Gibson & Co.’s “niche commercial disputes practice has earned an exceptional reputation for its financial services litigation expertise. It attracts work from high-profile regional, national, and international clients” according to Legal 500.
Partners Toby Gibson and Jane Gibson head a niche commercial dispute resolution practice, ranked as leading individuals by Chambers and Partners and holding Hall of Fame badges in Legal 500.
Since the high drama of the Derwentwater affair, Gibson & Co. has remained a quick-witted, reliable, and client-focused partner for countless individuals and institutions. As Senior Partner Toby Gibson says of the firm’s 300th Anniversary, “It’s unusual but the law is what I do; it’s what my family has always done. A new client recently told me that ‘you don’t get to be in business for 300 years unless you’re pretty good at it’. I suppose he might have a point”.