The planned closure of Weil, Gotshal & Manges is triggering another wave of departures, with six lawyers from the prominent New York-based firm preparing to join rival law firm Latham & Watkins.
Among the incoming lawyers is Jannelle Seales, who held a leadership position in Weil’s real estate practice and is based in New York. The other five lawyers — Merritt Johnson, Chris Henry, Liza Cotter, Megan Granger and Evan Nichols — bring experience across capital markets, intellectual property, privacy, antitrust and finance. Their practices are spread across New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.
Latham confirmed the recruitment but declined to disclose further details. The lawyers involved had not immediately commented on their moves.
The latest departures add to the growing exodus from Weil, which is preparing to shut down after nearly 95 years in operation. The firm’s leadership recommended a wind-down to its partners late last month, following months of senior partner exits and unsuccessful efforts to negotiate a merger with another firm.
Several major competitors have already benefited from the upheaval. Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Paul Weiss, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Sullivan & Cromwell have all recruited prominent Weil lawyers in recent months.
Paul Weiss announced another significant addition on Monday, confirming that Caroline Hickey Zalka, Weil’s former head of securities litigation and a member of its management committee, had joined the firm as a partner in New York.
Meanwhile, Massumi + Consoli is expanding its presence into Silicon Valley with the arrival of Matt Stewart, a Weil partner specialising in private equity and mergers and acquisitions. Announcing the move, Stewart said his clients would benefit from the transition and pointed to the firm’s recently established management services organisation as a structure designed to address challenges affecting larger law firms.
The movement of lawyers has extended well beyond individual partner hires. Around 40 Weil lawyers are set to join Kirkland & Ellis, including private equity partner Ramona Nee, who had previously been expected to assume a leadership role at Weil.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is also reportedly in discussions to recruit approximately 120 Weil lawyers, potentially making it one of the largest group departures connected to the firm’s planned closure.
Goodwin Procter and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan are among the other firms that have announced hires from Weil.
With experienced partners and entire practice groups finding new homes, Weil’s impending shutdown is rapidly reshaping the competitive landscape of the US legal industry.
