Weil

Weil (formally Weil, Gotshal & Manges) is a US law firm headquartered in New York.

Founded in New York in 1931, Weil soon became synonymous with big-ticket corporate and finance work, quickly establishing itself as a Wall Street institution.

Weil’s ascent through the 1990s was supercharged by its stand-out bankruptcy and restructuring practice. The firm was a go-to adviser on complex insolvencies, handling landmark high-profile cases including Enron (2001) and WorldCom (2002).

Weil cemented that reputation during the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis where it was involved in five of the six largest US bankruptcy cases in history, including Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual and General Motors.

Today, Weil stands as one of the most prestigious names in the US market, with a decent-sized international footprint.

Globally, Weil has around 1,100 lawyers spread across offices in many key financial centres, including London, Frankfurt, Paris and Hong Kong.

Its London office, established in 1996, has become an important hub for the firm’s operations outside the US, acting as the spearhead of its European strategy.

The office houses over 160 lawyers and more than 45 partners. Despite being relatively younger compared to its Magic Circle counterparts - as well as many of its US rivals in London - Weil’s London office punches well above its weight in cross-border transactions, international disputes, and multinational restructurings.

Weil’s restructuring practice is arguably the crown jewel of its London offering, closely followed by its private equity practice which boasts longstanding relationships with industry giants like Advent, Bain and Ardian.