Gibson Dunn in Talks to Hire About 120 Lawyers From Weil, Including More Than 20 Partners

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is in talks to hire about 120 lawyers from Weil, Gotshal & Manges in the United States and London, including more than 20 partners, according to Reuters. The group is drawn largely from Weil’s private funds practice and includes New York private funds head Andrew Chizzik and London co-heads James Bromley and James Sargent. If completed, the move would be one of the largest group transfers since Weil’s leadership recommended that the 95-year-old firm pursue an orderly wind-down.

Weil’s management committee recommended last week that partners vote to wind down the firm, but a formal dissolution still requires partnership approval. The firm has faced a series of senior departures, leadership turmoil and failed merger talks. As partners and clients look for new homes, Gibson Dunn’s recruitment shows how major law firms are competing for talent in private funds and private equity.

About 120 lawyers are in talks to move, including more than 20 partners

Reuters reported that Gibson Dunn is seeking to hire the U.S. and London private funds teams from Weil, with a combined group of about 120 lawyers and more than 20 partners. The London contingent includes around 40 lawyers, among them Bromley, Sargent, Philip Baynes, Fiona Cumming, Aron Joy, Sophie Smith and Jacquelyn Volpe. The U.S. group includes Chizzik, Weil’s New York-based private funds head, along with other lawyers in funds, tax and financial regulation.

The Global Legal Post reported that the London transfer had not been formally confirmed by either firm, although people familiar with the situation expected the group to join Gibson Dunn. Gibson Dunn has about 2,200 lawyers globally and around 265 in its London office. The proposed move would significantly expand its funds practice.

Weil’s planned wind-down accelerates the search for new firms

Founded in 1931, Weil was one of Wall Street’s best-known corporate law firms. It has about 1,200 lawyers worldwide and annual revenue of more than $2 billion. Before its management recommended an orderly wind-down, several high-profile partners had already left. Among them was M&A leader Michael Aiello, who joined Cravath with a team of partners. Ramona Nee, who had been expected to take over the firm’s leadership, later withdrew from the succession plan, while merger talks with Willkie Farr & Gallagher failed.

Weil plans to wind down outside bankruptcy, with restructuring adviser AlixPartners assisting and Davis Polk providing legal advice. The firm still needs a partner vote to approve the dissolution plan. Weil has said it will continue serving clients during the process and support employees as they look for new roles.

Gibson Dunn is expanding its private funds and cross-border capabilities

The proposed hiring is not simply about adding headcount. It would strengthen Gibson Dunn’s private funds business in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Private funds lawyers advise on fund formation, investor relations, private equity transactions and fund finance. As large investment firms rely increasingly on cross-border fundraising, secondary-market transactions and complex financing structures, an established international team can be strategically valuable.

Reuters reported that Gibson Dunn already had about 171 lawyers in its global investment funds practice. Adding a group of around 120 would materially change the size and market position of the practice. Gibson Dunn has also recruited funds partners from other major firms in recent years, showing a broader effort to build out the practice.

The hiring remains unconfirmed and Weil’s dissolution is not complete

The confirmed development is that Gibson Dunn is in talks to hire about 120 Weil lawyers across the United States and London, including more than 20 partners. Neither firm has formally announced that the group transfer has been completed. Weil’s proposed wind-down still requires a partner vote, and the date and details of any dissolution remain unsettled.

The recruitment could provide a new platform for some Weil lawyers and their clients, but it does not resolve the future of the firm’s remaining lawyers, staff and trainees. Key questions include whether the full team will move, whether clients will follow their lawyers, how partner compensation and work allocation will be handled, and whether Weil can complete an orderly wind-down as planned.