Gibson Dunn grows global Tax Practice with Frankfurt partner Jens Hafemann. Thursday, October 29, 2026 Gibson Dunn announced today that Jens Hafemann has joined the firm's Frankfurt office as a partner in its Tax Practice Group, as the firm builds out its market-leading global and European tax platform in one of the region's most important markets. Hafemann joins Gibson Dunn from Cleary Gottlieb. Jens advises on all tax law aspects of national and international M&A, capital markets transactions, and reorganizations, represents clients in tax controversy matters, and advises on the corporate law aspects of complex, multi-jurisdictional reorganizations. His broad, cross-border capability positions him to support the firm's private equity, M&A, and restructuring clients on the German tax aspects of their most complex transactions. "Jens is an exceptional addition to our European tax platform," said partner Sandy Bhogal, Global Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn's Tax Practice Group. "Germany is one of the most important markets in Europe for our private equity, M&A, and restructuring clients. As those clients increasingly look to Gibson Dunn to advise on a joined-up, pan-European basis, a senior tax partner on the ground in Germany is critical to maintaining and expanding the firm's key client relationships and delivering the seamless cross-border service the market expects. Jens brings a rare combination of transactional tax, tax controversy, and corporate law expertise, and his arrival ensures that we can advise on all German tax dimensions of our clients' most sophisticated matters. He is exactly the right person to anchor and grow our tax offering in Germany." "The opportunity to establish a leading German tax offering in Frankfurt while working alongside the firm's market-leading private equity, M&A, and restructuring teams across Europe was one I could not pass up," said Jens. "Gibson Dunn has built a preeminent global tax practice that plays a vital role in clients' most sophisticated transactions and disputes. I look forward to being part of that team." Gibson Dunn's Tax Practice Group is recognized as one of the premier tax practices globally. The team advises many of the world's multinationals, asset managers, fund sponsors, and financial institutions on their most complex transactional, structuring, and controversy matters. Analysis | Jobs | News

Trouble at the top: the departures from Weil's leadership team so far. You're reading your free article. Your next one is available in 30 days. Log in or subscribe for full access. With the news that incoming executive partner Ramona Nee will no longer be taking the top job at Weil come January, the embattled US firm took another hit, just days after it called off merger discussions with Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Nee's move to decline the executive partner role, which has been held by Barry Wolf for the last 16 years, comes at a tumultuous time for the New York-headquartered firm, which has reportedly turned to Davis Polk for advice on options, including a potential restructuring, according to both the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Legal Business has tracked over 50 partner exits from Weil since January this year - many of them concentrated in Weil's New York headquarters and its London office. Moreover, several of the partners who have left had held leadership positions at the firm. Here, Legal Business tally up those departures, from office and practice heads to members of the management committee. Christopher Machera - PE group co-head. The latest wave of Weil exits kicked off this August with the departure of private equity partner Christopher Machera (pictured right), who moved to Paul Weiss in New York. In addition to co-heading Weil's US PE practice, Machera also had a role on its global leadership and strategy committee, which was created in February 2025 to oversee the firm's strategy and growth in preparation for Wolf's planned retirement in December 2027. At the same time, Weil's management committee also appointed Nee and private funds partner Jonathan Soler as co-managing partners of the firm, with Nee announced as Wolf's successor this March. Machera had spent over a decade at Weil before his exit, and is recognised by Legal 500 as a leading partner for high-value PE. He is one of only three Weil partners recognised in the practice area, alongside Nee, who also co-heads the firm's US PE practice, and global practice co-head Doug Warner. Michael Aiello - corporate department chair. Weeks later, corporate department chair Michael Aiello (pictured right) also left the firm, heading to Cravath - and bringing with him a team of five additional partners, including Weil's co-head of M&A, Matthew Gilroy. In addition to his role leading the firm's corporate department, Aiello also chaired the global strategy and leadership committee. Aiello is also in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for high-value M&A, where Gilroy is also a leading partner. The departures mean Weil now has no individuals recognised in the practice area. Chantale Fiebig - global leadership and strategy committee member. A third committee member is also set to leave the firm, with trial lawyer Chantale Fiebig (pictured right) set to leave for Davis Polk in Washington DC. With Fiebig's exit, the global leadership and strategy committee has been reduced by half. At time of its appointment, the committee included Aiello, Machera, and Fiebig, as well as former restructuring co-chair Gary Holtzer and global litigation department co-chair John Neurwith in New York, and London-based global PE co-head Marco Compagnoni. Alongside her committee role, Fiebig previously served as co-managing partner of Weil's DC office, and is recognised as a next generation partner for premium commercial disputes. Fiebig leaves Weil after just over five years, having joined from Gibson Dunn in 2021. Drew Tulumello - global litigation department co-chair. Alongside Fiebig, fellow DC litigation partner Drew Tulumello (pictured right) is also understood to be moving to Davis Polk. Tulumello has been a member of Weil's management committee and co-chair of its global litigation department since 2025, and is also recognised for premium commercial disputes, as a leading partner. Like Fiebig, Tulumello joined Weil from Gibson Dunn in 2021. Tulumello spent more than two decades at his previous firm, and held multiple management roles, including positions on its management and executive committees, and as co-partner in charge of the DC office. Fellow management committee member Caroline Zalka is also reportedly set to leave the firm, for Paul Weiss. David Avery-Gee - London co-managing partner. Outside of the US, Weil has also seen partners with leadership roles leave from its London office. These include the co-managing partner of its city office, David Avery-Gee (pictured right), who left for Sullivan & Cromwell with fellow M&A partner Sarah Flaherty in September, leaving PE partner Jonathan Wood as the sole London managing partner. Avery-Gee left Weil after six years, having joined from Linklaters in 2020. He is a Legal 500 leading partner for high-value M&A, where Flaherty is a next-generation partner. Tom Richards - London finance practice head. These exits were followed by that of London finance practice head Tom Richards (pictured right), who is set to move to Simpson Thacher with a three-partner team. Richards joined Weil as an associate in 2012 from legacy Hogan Lovells, quickly moving up the ranks to partner in 2015. Like many of the partners listed here, he is also recognised by Legal 500, as a leading partner for acquisition finance - the firm's sole individual ranking in the practice area. Weil has replaced a number of its departed practice leads, with California partner Kyle Krpata and New York partner Michael Lubowitz appointed as co-chairs of the corporate department after Aiello's departure in September. Lubowitz also leads the firm's M&A practice, while Krpata co-heads US PE. In addition, the firm rehired PE partner Peter Feist from Cravath in September, bringing him in to co-head the US PE practice alongside Nee and Krpata. Weil has also made a number of hires in recent months, including the additions of New York antitrust partner Yuni Yan Sobel from Paul Weiss, and London-based PE partner Rebecca Ward from Freshfields.

Gibson Dunn taps Freshfields for arbitration heavyweight in Singapore. Nicholas Lingard joins as practice co-chair, marking Gibson Dunn's third partner hire from Freshfields in Singapore in less than a year 19 October 2026 Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has hired a heavyweight arbitration partner from Freshfields in Singapore as co-chair of its international arbitration practice. Nicholas Lingard has joined after 15 years at Freshfields, where he led the international arbitration group in Asia and was managing partner of the Singapore office. He brings a high-profile practice representing sovereign states and investors in politically sensitive treaty arbitrations and also focuses on commercial and construction disputes. "Expanding our arbitration and disputes offering in Asia is a strategic priority for us, and there is no one better placed to anchor it than Nick," Rahim Moloo, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's international arbitration practice group, said in a statement. "He is one of the best arbitration lawyers I know, and his practice aligns with our client base and industry strengths. He will immediately enhance our ability to represent clients in complex cross-border disputes." Lingard's hire follows the firm's former Asia head of arbitration, Paul Tan, joining One Essex Court in late 2024, when it trimmed its Singapore partnership by half in a move that left it with five partners in the city. Advertisement Following his arrival, Gibson Dunn will have nine partners in Singapore, including private equity and M&A duo Nigel Gleeson and Jon Bowden, both of whom have joined from Freshfields within the past year. Gibson Dunn's chair and managing partner, Barbara Becker, said Lingard's hire was in line with the firm's strategy to "build destination practices in everything we do, all connected across our platform to serve our global clients seamlessly". She added: "In Singapore, Nick deepens what we offer clients in private equity, M&A, finance, financial regulation and now international arbitration. We plan to keep investing in the region with intention." Lingard's hire comes as Gibson Dunn focuses on growing its broader disputes offering, which accounted for more than $2bn of its record $4.2bn in gross revenue in 2025 and, according to research by The Lawyer, is the fastest-growing disputes practice among the world's 10 leading firms. LAW OVER BORDERS COMPARATIVE GUIDES Arbitration Law Guide The Law Over Borders Comparative Guide to Arbitration provides a comprehensive understanding of the current complexities of international arbitration... | 1yr. Alongside marquee litigation hires, mostly in the US, the firm has been adding top arbitration talent. Last year it recruited barrister Christopher Harris KC from London set 3 Verulam Buildings as co-chair of its international arbitration and judgment and arbitral award enforcement practices, in a move that saw it debut in Zurich. The firm also hired Patrick Pearsall, former US State Department chief of investment arbitration, in Washington DC from legacy Allen & Overy. Meanwhile, Freshfields, which has been aggressively targeting US growth in recent years, has seen a spate of partner departures in Asia over the past few months. Senior corporate dealmakers Grace Huang and Edward Freeman left for Latham & Watkins in Hong Kong, while M&A duo Noah Carr and Gordon Palmquist moved to White & Case in Tokyo, though this was offset by the hire of Tokyo M&A partner Gregory Salathé earlier this month from Morrison Foerster. In July, it emerged that Freshfields had axed equity partners in the UK, France and Germany and downgraded others' equity shares as part of the drive to improve its US growth prospects. Commenting on Lingard's departure, a Freshfields spokesperson said: "We wish Nick all the best".