A state appeals court Thursday ruled that Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher should receive an arbitrator's award of more than $700,000 in unpaid legal fees from former clients World Class Capital Group and World Class Acquisitions, rejecting several of the investment firm's arguments, including that it never entered into a written engagement for services with Gibson Dunn.

"The law and public policy upon which respondents [World Class Capital Group and World Class Acquisitions] rely is the requirement that an attorney provide a client with a written letter of engagement, with their main argument being that an attorney's claim for breach of contract is unsustainable against a client who did not enter into a written engagement," wrote the Appellate Division, First Department court in an opinion that affirmed the legal fees award for Gibson Dunn, which in 2021 placed 12th on The American Lawyer's Am Law 200 ranking of firms.