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.

Other things to know

Long Hours: Weil topped Legal Cheek’s 2024 ranking of the most demanding City law firms when it comes to hours. According to surveyed lawyers, the average working day for an associate at Weil’s London office is 13 hours, 23 minutes. More than any other City firm.

What is Weil known for?

Weil is a full service corporate law firm. In the UK market, it is best known for its expertise in the following areas:

Restructuring and Insolvency: One of the City’s go-to advisers on complex restructuring and insolvency mandates. Weil has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for restructuring work.

Private Equity: Weil is a leading adviser on big-ticket buyouts, with a long list of high-profile private equity firm clients. It is ranked in Band 2 by Chambers for the highest value deals.

Leveraged Finance: Weil has one of the City’s leading practices advising on the financing side of leveraged buyouts (LBOs). It is ranked in Band 2 by Chambers.

What's Chambers?

We use Chambers rankings to demonstrate a firm's strengths. Chambers is the most highly-regarded provider of law firm rankings in the legal industry. Law firms are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) across a range of practice areas.

It's important to note that being ranked in any band at all is still considered a significant achievement.

Who does Weil compete with?

In the UK market, Weil competes with the Magic Circle and leading US rivals like Kirkland, Latham, Paul Weiss and Simpson Thacher.

In 2023, Weil’s global revenue was $1.83 billion.

In 2023, its profit per equity partner (PEP) was $4.6 million.

How much does a partner at Weil make?

In 2023, Weil’s average profit per equity partner (PEP) was $4.6 million.

This is the total amount of profit available for distribution among equity partners, divided by the number of equity partners at the firm.

This represents the average amount that equity partners are entitled to. Some will receive significantly more, some less. It depends on the firm’s profit-sharing formula and each partner’s seniority.

How many trainees does Weil take?

Weil takes up to 15 trainees each year in London. Trainees are required to do seat in both corporate and finance.