Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has taken home overall prize in The Recorder's Corporate Department of the Year contest, which honors firms whose California lawyers worked on the biggest, most complex and trendsetting deals this past year. Sidley Austin and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, which both worked on blockbuster deals of their own, are finalists in the overall competition.

Winners were also named for seven corporate specialties, including U.S. M&A, cross-border M&A, capital markets, corporate governance, venture capital, emerging companies and tech transactions. The Recorder is also recognizing three in-house lawyers who made pivotal contributions to deals last year, and 13 trusted advisers—individual lawyers who get the first call from clients contemplating transformational transactions.

Honorees will be recognized at an event at the Hilton San Francisco on Nov. 16. Details on the event will follow.