{"id":166298,"date":"2026-10-28T10:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T18:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/28\/weil-gotshal-is-now-discussing-a-possible-wind-down\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T10:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T18:31:15","slug":"weil-gotshal-is-now-discussing-a-possible-wind-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/10\/28\/weil-gotshal-is-now-discussing-a-possible-wind-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Weil Gotshal Is Now Discussing A Possible Wind-Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, we told you Weil Gotshal & Manges was panic mode<\/a>, and now we know just how bad that is.<\/p>\n

The Financial Times reports<\/a> that Weil has brought in Brian Resnick, one of Davis Polk\u2019s top bankruptcy lawyers, to advise on a potential restructuring. A wind-down is on the list of options, alongside a last-minute merger or carrying on as a slimmed-down standalone firm. Weil is also interviewing financial consultancies to go through its books, including obligations like pensions and office leases. As the FT\u2019s Sujeet Indap put it on X<\/a>, Resnick is now on the scene at Weil, and a wind-down is \u201cnow being actively discussed among options.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wind-down, for a firm that brought in $2.1 billion last year. That escalated quickly. A spokesperson for the firm told the<\/a> Wall Street Journal, \u201cNo decision has been made to dissolve the firm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the flood of Weil r\u00e9sum\u00e9s is warping the lateral market itself. With legal recruiters reporting they are seeing a ton of Weil r\u00e9sum\u00e9s right now, and rival firms are responding with quickness. Other lateral searches are getting pushed to the back burner, so if your process suddenly stalled, Weil may be the reason. And if you\u2019re a Weil lawyer, well, your best bet is to move fast.<\/p>\n

Because Weil\u2019s Biglaw rivals aren\u2019t exactly waiting for a merger. Law.com reports<\/a> Simpson Thacher is recruiting in Weil\u2019s Boston office, and Simpson and Paul Weiss are both eyeing Weil\u2019s bankruptcy practice. Why merge with Weil when you can wait and pick up the pieces?<\/p>\n

So, how\u2019d we get here? A timeline of key events:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
Timeline<\/div>\n
How Weil Got Here<\/div>\n
From a leadership handoff to a wind-down discussion in seven months.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Part I: The Exits Begin<\/div>\n
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
March 2026<\/div>\n
Weil names Ramona Nee as Barry Wolf\u2019s successor. She\u2019s set to become the firm\u2019s first woman executive partner<\/a> on January 1, 2027.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
August into early September<\/div>\n
Weil\u2019s private equity and funds bench starts walking. Murray Cox heads to Simpson Thacher, and private funds partners Simon Saitowitz, Stephanie Epstein Srulowitz, Brian Parness, and Andrew Nichol follow him there.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
September 11<\/div>\n
Corporate chair Michael Aiello takes five M&A partners to Cravath<\/strong>, which Weil describes as \u201ca smaller platform.\u201d<\/a> In the days that follow, Weil insiders line up to say good riddance<\/a>, calling it a chance to \u201clet Weil be Weil.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
September 17<\/div>\n
London co-managing partner David Avery-Gee and corporate partner Sarah Flaherty leave for Sullivan & Cromwell.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Part II: The Merger Hunt<\/div>\n
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
September 19<\/div>\n
Bloomberg Law reports Weil is weighing a merger. Weil insists it is \u201cnot engaged in merger discussions with any firm.\u201d<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
September 22<\/div>\n
Paul Weiss helps itself to Weil\u2019s private equity co-head<\/a>, Chris Machera, plus three more lawyers. That\u2019s on top of a year of London exits.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
September 28<\/div>\n
Weil gets one back. Cravath\u2019s private equity head Peter Feist returns to Weil<\/a> as U.S. co-head of private equity. In welcoming him, Nee, who is still publicly the incoming executive partner, says his return \u201creflects the scale of our ambitions.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
Also in September<\/div>\n
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nee privately tells the firm she won\u2019t take the top job. Nobody outside the firm finds out for more than a month.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
October 19<\/div>\n
Bloomberg Law reports Weil is negotiating a merger<\/a> and working out a memorandum of understanding. Former corporate co-managing partner Michael Hickey is expected at Sullivan & Cromwell.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
October 22<\/div>\n
The WSJ reports another wave of exits. Drew Tulumello and Chantale Fiebig are going to Davis Polk, management committee member Caroline Zalka to Paul Weiss, and corporate co-managing partner Lyuba Goltser to Sidley. That night, the Willkie talks die<\/a>.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Part III: The Unraveling<\/div>\n
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
October 25<\/div>\n
The FT reports Nee won\u2019t take the job<\/a>, and Semafor reports she\u2019s held talks with Simpson Thacher. Weil\u2019s management committee meets all day.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
October 26<\/div>\n
The WSJ reports a Weil leader has reached out to restructuring counsel, while partners are \u201cfrantically sending r\u00e9sum\u00e9s\u201d<\/a> to rivals.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
October 27<\/div>\n
The FT reports Davis Polk\u2019s Brian Resnick is on board as the firm\u2019s restructuring counsel, and a wind-down is on the table. While a Weil spokesperson says, \u201cNo decision has been made to dissolve the firm.\u201d<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ninety-five years of building one of Biglaw\u2019s great names, and it only took a few months for the rest of the market to start shopping for the parts.<\/p>\n

Earlier:<\/strong> Weil Partners Are \u2018Frantically Sending R\u00e9sum\u00e9s\u2019 As Leadership Weighs Its Options<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Successor Walked Away, And Now The Firm Has A \u2018Run On The Bank\u2019 Problem<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Incoming Leader Won\u2019t Take The Job, And Might Take One At Simpson Thacher Instead<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Merger With Willkie Is Dead, But Its Partner Exodus Is Very Much Alive<\/a>
Weil Gotshal Is Reportedly Negotiating A Merger, About A Month After Saying It Wasn\u2019t In Merger Talks<\/a>
Cravath And Weil Are Just Trading Partners At This Point<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Revolving Door Now Spins In Both Directions<\/a>
Weil Seeks To Strengthen Its \u2018Platform\u2019 As Merger Rumors Swirl<\/a>
Weil Is Relieved To Lose Its Biggest Rainmaker. Cravath Is Thrilled To Get His \u2018Values.\u2019<\/a>
The Cravath Shade Wasn\u2019t A One-Off: Weil Insiders Line Up To Say Good Riddance<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Corporate Chair Decamps For Cravath, Which Weil Would Like You To Know Is \u2018A Smaller Platform\u2019<\/a>
Top Biglaw Firm Announces Its First Female Executive Partner In History<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Weil Gotshal Is Now Discussing A Possible Wind-Down<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Yesterday, we told you Weil Gotshal & Manges was panic mode<\/a>, and now we know just how bad that is.<\/p>\n

The Financial Times reports<\/a> that Weil has brought in Brian Resnick, one of Davis Polk\u2019s top bankruptcy lawyers, to advise on a potential restructuring. A wind-down is on the list of options, alongside a last-minute merger or carrying on as a slimmed-down standalone firm. Weil is also interviewing financial consultancies to go through its books, including obligations like pensions and office leases. As the FT\u2019s Sujeet Indap put it on X<\/a>, Resnick is now on the scene at Weil, and a wind-down is \u201cnow being actively discussed among options.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wind-down, for a firm that brought in $2.1 billion last year. That escalated quickly. A spokesperson for the firm told the<\/a> Wall Street Journal, \u201cNo decision has been made to dissolve the firm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the flood of Weil r\u00e9sum\u00e9s is warping the lateral market itself. \u201cWe are inundated with Weil candidates at every level seeking our advice right now,\u201d headhunter Evan Fox wrote on LinkedIn<\/a>. <\/p>\n

According to Fox, top firms have gone all hands on deck to meet Weil partners, counsel, and associates, and several have moved Weil candidates straight to full rounds of interviews. Basically, on-campus recruiting crammed into a single week. That lands on everyone else, too. Other lateral searches are getting pushed to the back burner, so if your process suddenly stalled, Weil may be the reason. Fox\u2019s advice to candidates whose credentials don\u2019t pop on paper is to wait a month or so for the dust to settle. His message to Weil lawyers was blunter: they don\u2019t deserve this, but they need to look out for themselves, cast a wide net, and move fast.<\/p>\n

Because Weil\u2019s Biglaw rivals aren\u2019t exactly waiting for a merger. Law.com reports<\/a> Simpson Thacher is recruiting in Weil\u2019s Boston office, and Simpson and Paul Weiss are both eyeing Weil\u2019s bankruptcy practice. Why merge with Weil when you can wait and pick up the pieces?<\/p>\n

So, how\u2019d we get here? A timeline of key events:<\/p>\n

\n

Timeline<\/p>\n

How Weil Got Here<\/p>\n

From a leadership handoff to a wind-down discussion in seven months.<\/p>\n

Part I: The Exits Begin<\/p>\n

\n
\n

August into early September<\/p>\n

Weil\u2019s private equity and funds bench starts walking. Murray Cox heads to Simpson Thacher, and private funds partners Simon Saitowitz, Stephanie Epstein Srulowitz, Brian Parness, and Andrew Nichol follow him there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

September 11<\/p>\n

Corporate chair Michael Aiello takes five M&A partners to Cravath<\/strong>, which Weil describes as \u201ca smaller platform.\u201d<\/a> In the days that follow, Weil insiders line up to say good riddance<\/a>, calling it a chance to \u201clet Weil be Weil.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

September 17<\/p>\n

London co-managing partner David Avery-Gee and corporate partner Sarah Flaherty leave for Sullivan & Cromwell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Part II: The Merger Hunt<\/p>\n

\n
\n

September 28<\/p>\n

Weil gets one back. Cravath\u2019s private equity head Peter Feist returns to Weil<\/a> as U.S. co-head of private equity. In welcoming him, Nee, who is still publicly the incoming executive partner, says his return \u201creflects the scale of our ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Also in September<\/p>\n

According to the Wall Street Journal, Nee privately tells the firm she won\u2019t take the top job. Nobody outside the firm finds out for more than a month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

October 19<\/p>\n

Bloomberg Law reports Weil is negotiating a merger<\/a> and working out a memorandum of understanding. Former corporate co-managing partner Michael Hickey is expected at Sullivan & Cromwell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

October 22<\/p>\n

The WSJ reports another wave of exits. Drew Tulumello and Chantale Fiebig are going to Davis Polk, management committee member Caroline Zalka to Paul Weiss, and corporate co-managing partner Lyuba Goltser to Sidley. That night, the Willkie talks die<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Part III: The Unraveling<\/p>\n

\n
\n

October 25<\/p>\n

The FT reports Nee won\u2019t take the job<\/a>, and Semafor reports she\u2019s held talks with Simpson Thacher. Weil\u2019s management committee meets all day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

October 26<\/p>\n

The WSJ reports a Weil leader has reached out to restructuring counsel, while partners are \u201cfrantically sending r\u00e9sum\u00e9s\u201d<\/a> to rivals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

October 27<\/p>\n

The FT reports Davis Polk\u2019s Brian Resnick is on board as the firm\u2019s restructuring counsel, and a wind-down is on the table. While a Weil spokesperson says, \u201cNo decision has been made to dissolve the firm.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ninety-five years of building one of Biglaw\u2019s great names, and it only took a few months for the rest of the market to start shopping for the parts.<\/p>\n

Earlier:<\/strong> Weil Partners Are \u2018Frantically Sending R\u00e9sum\u00e9s\u2019 As Leadership Weighs Its Options<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Successor Walked Away, And Now The Firm Has A \u2018Run On The Bank\u2019 Problem<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Incoming Leader Won\u2019t Take The Job, And Might Take One At Simpson Thacher Instead<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Merger With Willkie Is Dead, But Its Partner Exodus Is Very Much Alive<\/a>
Weil Gotshal Is Reportedly Negotiating A Merger, About A Month After Saying It Wasn\u2019t In Merger Talks<\/a>
Cravath And Weil Are Just Trading Partners At This Point<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Revolving Door Now Spins In Both Directions<\/a>
Weil Seeks To Strengthen Its \u2018Platform\u2019 As Merger Rumors Swirl<\/a>
Weil Is Relieved To Lose Its Biggest Rainmaker. Cravath Is Thrilled To Get His \u2018Values.\u2019<\/a>
The Cravath Shade Wasn\u2019t A One-Off: Weil Insiders Line Up To Say Good Riddance<\/a>
Weil\u2019s Corporate Chair Decamps For Cravath, Which Weil Would Like You To Know Is \u2018A Smaller Platform\u2019<\/a>
Top Biglaw Firm Announces Its First Female Executive Partner In History<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of\u00a0The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of\u00a0Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email\u00a0her<\/a>\u00a0with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky\u00a0@Kathryn1<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, we told you Weil Gotshal & Manges was panic mode, and now we know just how bad that is. The Financial Times reports that Weil has brought in Brian Resnick, one of Davis Polk\u2019s top bankruptcy lawyers, to advise on a potential restructuring. A wind-down is on the list of options, alongside a last-minute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":166284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}