Weil boosts London debt finance bench with Sidley hire

Weil has hired leveraged finance partner James Crooks from Sidley Austin in London.

Crooks will join after 10 years at Sidley, where he advised private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers, credit funds and other lenders on leveraged financings, special situations and broader capital solutions.

He joined Sidley from Willkie and was previously at Kirkland.

His notable mandates include advising Clearlake Capital on its £4.25 billion acquisition of Chelsea FC in 2022. More recently, he has acted on a number of deals for private equity firm HIG Capital.

Debt finance talent

Weil said Crooks would strengthen its capabilities across leveraged finance, special situations and capital solutions, an area that continues to attract growing interest from sponsors and private capital providers amid a more complex financing environment.

Tom Richards, head of Weil’s London finance practice, said Crooks would be an “excellent fit” for the firm. 

“Weil is a market leader in capital solutions, an area that sits at the intersection of finance, restructuring and broader transactional expertise and remains a strategic priority for our practice,” he added.

Weil has lost several leveraged finance partners in the City this year, most notably Chris McLaughlin and Alastair McVeigh, who were recruited by Sullivan & Cromwell as part of the US firm's continued London buildout.

Sidley’s finance play

The hire also marks a departure from Sidley, which has spent the past two years aggressively building its own London debt finance platform. 

The firm has recruited a string of partners across leveraged finance, high-yield and capital markets, many from Latham & Watkins, in one of the most aggressive debt finance hiring drives in the City.