- Europe
- Lateral moves
- London
- Fund Formation
Gibson Dunn is set to hire Weil's nearly 40-person London private funds team, including about eight partners, in a move that Law.com International called one of the year's most significant team moves in the global legal industry.
The hire comes as Weil, Gotshal & Manges plans to wind down after 95 years, following failed merger talks with Willkie Farr & Gallagher and a series of partner departures, Bloomberg reported. For Gibson Dunn, taking on an established London funds team brings in a group that would otherwise take years of lateral hiring to assemble, though that reading is interpretation rather than a stated fact.
Gibson Dunn built its London office from 84 to 218 lawyers since 2020
Gibson Dunn launched a dedicated London investment funds practice only in March 2025, when it hired James O'Donnell, DLA Piper's global co-chair of investment funds, as a partner, along with Hannah Watson Fanin as of counsel (Gibson Dunn). The nearly 40-person hire expands the practice it launched in March 2025 instead of partner by partner.
It is part of a wider expansion. Gibson Dunn more than doubled its London lawyer headcount from 84 in 2020 to 218 in 2025. Over the same period, the partnership grew from 31 to 49 partners. The firm also promoted 11 London lawyers to partner in 2025, its largest-ever round there (Law.com International; The Global Legal Post). Gibson Dunn has told the market it could reach up to 500 London lawyers within five years. It is also moving to a 155,000 sq ft office at One Exchange Square, more than double its Telephone House premises (Law.com International; Gibson Dunn).
Weil has lost nearly 40 partners since January as teams move to Simpson Thacher and S&C
The funds team is a near-40-strong group within a wider unwinding. Nearly 40 partners have left Weil or indicated that they plan to leave since January. That is roughly 13% of its approximately 300-partner partnership, including about 12 partners in London (Legal Business). Law.com data indicates that the firm has lost or is set to lose more than 30 partners globally since July, including around 19 industry-ranked lawyers (Law.com International).
Rivals have picked up the practices one group at a time. Weil's London finance head since 2012, Tom Richards, is set to join Simpson Thacher, with partners Alex Eagle, Patrick Brendon and Gilles Teerlinck understood to be moving with him. Private funds partners Simon Saitowitz, Stephanie Epstein Srulowitz, Brian Parness and Andrew Nichol are also understood to be heading to Simpson Thacher (Legal Business). London co-managing partner and M&A head David Avery-Gee moved to Sullivan & Cromwell with corporate partner Sarah Flaherty and finance partners Chris McLaughlin, Alastair McVeigh and Jenny Choi. Private equity partner Max Oppenheimer joined Paul Weiss, while restructuring partners Neil Devaney, Lois Deasey and Matt Benson left for Akin (Non-Billable; Legal Business). In the US, Michael Aiello moved to Cravath with a team of partners (Semafor).
Private fund formation sits among the practices US firms target in London
The contested work includes private funds, leveraged/acquisition finance, private equity and restructuring. US firms have pursued all of these practices aggressively in London (Legal Business). Competition has been especially visible in fund formation. Sidley Austin expanded its London private funds practice in late 2025 by hiring Stephen Fox and Peter Boulle from Weil, after previously hiring former Weil funds head Ed Gander (Sidley Austin).
Weil spent 2025 rebuilding the team after those departures, hiring Phil Baynes from A&O Shearman and secondaries specialist Simon Saitowitz from Ropes & Gray (Legal Business). A team of this size moving intact is different from the single-partner hires that have shaped City funds recruiting.
Gibson Dunn takes a whole practice as Weil's London office unwinds
Since January, Weil's London funds, finance, private equity and restructuring practices have moved to Simpson Thacher, Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul Weiss, Akin, Sidley and now Gibson Dunn. The Gibson Dunn hire is different in scale. It is a nearly complete team joining a practice the firm opened in 2025, as Gibson Dunn works toward a stated target of up to 500 London lawyers.
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