Kirkland strikes at Paul Weiss to land one of the City's top PE lawyers

Kirkland & Ellis has hired leading private equity M&A partner Will Aitken-Davies from Paul Weiss in London, in a major coup for the firm.

Aitken-Davies is one of the City’s top dealmakers. He joined Paul Weiss in 2023 from Linklaters as head of European M&A, as part of the US firm’s high-profile London relaunch that saw it hire heavily from Kirkland.

His departure marks a notable reversal of that flow, with Kirkland now claiming one of the senior figures brought in to build out Paul Weiss’s European offering.

Return fire in London

Aitken-Davies advises leading private equity sponsors including KPS Capital Partners, General Atlantic and TDR Capital, and specialises in cross-border deals across Europe.

His hire boosts Kirkland’s already dominant private equity platform in London, where it continues to invest heavily in senior talent to maintain its position at the top of the market.

The move also underlines the intensity of competition for top-tier dealmakers in the City, particularly in private capital, where partners continue to move between elite firms as competition for the best mandates intensifies.

What they said

“Will is a trusted adviser to leading financial investors on sophisticated, cross‑border European transactions,” said Jon A. Ballis, Kirkland chairman. “His arrival strengthens our market-leading team’s ability to support sponsors executing at scale across London and Europe.”

“Will is a market‑leading dealmaker and a natural fit for our London private capital team,” said Matthew Elliott, member of Kirkland’s executive committee and corporate partner. “His diversity of experience leading European M&A for global sponsors and infrastructure investors will further enhance our ability to deliver integrated, top‑tier advice to private capital clients across London, Europe and the broader Kirkland platform.”