Sullivan & Cromwell adds Weil's London co-chief in double partner hire. Dealmaker David Avery-Gee joins alongside corporate partner Sarah Flaherty in the latest in string of senior exits from Weil across London and New York 17 September 2026 Weil's London co-managing partner, David Avery-Gee, is set to join Sullivan & Cromwell (S&C) alongside corporate partner Sarah Flaherty, as senior exits from Weil continue to mount on both sides of the Atlantic. At S&C, Avery-Gee will serve as co-head of European M&A alongside Olivier de Vilmorin in Paris, the firm said on Thursday. News of their move comes less than a week after it emerged that Weil's corporate department chair Michael Aiello was defecting to Cravath Swaine & Moore in New York alongside a team of five M&A partners, around the same time Weil's private equity co-head, Chris Machera, moved to Paul Weiss in the city. A clutch of Weil partners has also defected to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett this year, among them London energy and infrastructure M&A specialist Murray Cox, with S&C also repeatedly hitting the firm to build its City bench in a drive that began last September with the hire of its former London managing partner Mike Francies. Advertisement S&C said Avery-Gee and Flaherty would "add significant strength to our global M&A practice and enhance the advice we provide to our clients on their most important transactions". Avery-Gee's practice covers cross-border public and private M&A, joint ventures, public takeovers, distressed M&A and the corporate aspects of restructurings. He currently serves as Weil's London co-managing partner alongside Jonathan Wood and head of its London M&A practice. Earlier this year he advised Advent and FedEx on their €7.8bn takeover of InPost Group. Recently he and Flaherty - both of whom were partners at Linklaters before joining Weil - also acted for Glencore on its planned $260bn merger talks with Rio Tinto. Flaherty's work covers international public and private M&A, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and equity offerings. She previously had a two year-stint on secondment as a senior case officer at the UK Takeover Panel and is noted as one of London's leading Takeover Code lawyers. LAW OVER BORDERS COMPARATIVE GUIDES White-collar Crime Law Guide White-collar crime is one of the defining legal and regulatory challenges of modern business... | 2d. S&C's London co-managing partners, Kon Asimacopoulos and John Horsfield-Bradbury, said the duo's capabilities "complement our US securities and regulatory expertise and our continental European M&A practices in Paris, Frankfurt and Brussels". They added: "Their arrivals also mark another important step in the continued growth of the London office." Including Avery-Gee and Flaherty, S&C has recruited 13 lateral partners in London over the past year, among them Weil finance trio Chris McLaughlin, Alastair McVeigh and Jenny Choi. Its City office now boasts 30 partners amid a wider team of more than 120 according to its website - its second-largest globally and around 40 more than New York rival Davis Polk. For its part Weil, which also saw a three-partner restructuring team led by Neil Devaney leave for Akin in London in May, has been adding senior talent in the City in recent months, recruiting leveraged finance partner James Crooks from Sidley Austin and secondaries partner Charles Cooper-Isow from Kirkland & Ellis. Bloomberg Law reported the firm had selected Michael Lubowitz, a New York-based public company M&A dealmaker, and Kyle Krpata, a Silicon Valley private equity lawyer, to lead its 600-lawyer corporate practice after Aiello's departure.

Weil welcomes back private capital specialist. Published on 10/09/2026 The new partner will return to the firm's New York office. International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges has rehired partner Damian Ridealgh, who will rejoin its New York banking and finance group. Ridealgh left the firm to serve as global co-head of private credit and capital solutions at global law firm Freshfields, where he advised private capital clients on direct lending mandates, creditor-side liability management matters and restructurings. He has over two decades of legal experience in the finance landscape, advising credit funds, private equity funds and other financial institutions on capital solutions, special situations and liability management transactions. Ridealgh also has notable experience guiding private capital clients on complex US and European financings covering acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, REIT and fund financings and asset-based lending. Weil's corporate department chairman Michael J. Aiello said: "Damian is an accomplished creditor-side lawyer with deep experience in distressed situations, direct lending and liability management. He brings a substantive skill set that spans both transactional and restructuring work, allowing him to serve clients across the full range of their needs." Ridealgh added: "I'm excited to return to Weil. The firm's premier corporate and restructuring platforms and collaborative culture create an outstanding environment to grow my practice and deliver exceptional results for our clients. Weil's increasing focus on liability management and capital solutions aligns closely with where I see the market heading, and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with colleagues I've long admired and to contributing to the firm's outstanding banking and finance team." Related firms. Related publications.

Weil accelerates Bay Area Private Equity expansion with additions of Jon Stott and Michael Hanna. August 31, 2026 SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2026: International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that Jonathan Stott and Michael Hanna have joined the Firm as partners in its U.S. Private Equity Group in San Francisco, further strengthening Weil's market-leading Private Equity platform in California. The addition of Jon and Michael to Weil's global Private Equity Group underscores the Firm's continued investment in one of the world's leading private equity platforms. And with their additions, Weil now has 20 partners across California who focus on advising its outstanding Private Equity client base. The Firm has been expanding strategically in California over the past several years, with the 2024 openings of its San Francisco and Los Angeles offices advancing Weil's longstanding Silicon Valley presence into two of the state's leading private equity markets. The Bay Area remains one of the world's premier markets for private equity sponsors, investment firms and innovative companies, making it a strategic focus for Weil and its clients. Jon advises private equity sponsors, alternative asset managers and operating companies on mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, growth investments, joint ventures and other transformative transactions across industries including technology, healthcare, industrials, aerospace and financial services. Michael advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on leveraged acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, joint ventures, corporate governance and other strategic transactions. "We are delighted to welcome Jon and Michael as we continue to strengthen our premier private equity platform and expand our presence in California," said Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf. "The Bay Area is one of the world's most important private equity markets, and Jon and Michael's experience and relationships will further strengthen our ability to serve clients at the highest level." "We are highly focused on continuing to grow our Private Equity Group in the U.S. and globally with high-quality attorneys who are committed to excellence and collaboration. Jon and Michael are an exciting part of our growth strategy - they are 'go-to' advisors for many of the world's leading private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on their most important, sophisticated matters," said Michael J. Aiello, Chairman of Weil's Corporate Department. "We have substantially expanded the scale and depth of our Private Equity Group in recent years - with the group doubling in size during my tenure - and their arrival reflects our commitment to continuing that trajectory. They strengthen our capabilities in California and further enhance our ability to serve clients across our global private equity platform." "We have built one the deepest Private Equity benches in the California market with 20 partners who focus on Private Equity clients," said Kyle Krpata, Co-Head of Weil's U.S. Private Equity Group, and Tana Ryan, the managing partner of Weil's Los Angeles office. "Jon and Michael are outstanding lawyers with deep market relationships and a collaborative and team-oriented approach to client service, which we value. They are ideal additions to our growing California platform, and we look forward to continuing to build on our momentum in this important market." Jon joins Weil from Dechert LLP, where he served as Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office and led its West Coast Private Equity practice. Michael joins Weil from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he served as a partner in the firm's Private Equity practice. "Weil has long been recognized as one of the world's premier private equity firms, and the continued investment in their Private Equity platform in California has been truly amazing to watch," Jon said. "The Firm's collaborative culture and commitment to the Bay Area make this an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to joining this outstanding team." "I'm excited to join Weil's growing private equity team in San Francisco and to be part of the Firm's continued expansion in California," Michael said. "I look forward to working with my new colleagues to help clients navigate their most significant transactions." About Weil's Private Equity practice. Weil's global Private Equity practice is recognized by the industry as being one of only a very small number of elite market leaders in this field. Our clients include many of the highest-profile private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, as well as family offices and other equity financial investors. Weil advises more than 300 private equity clients worldwide, ranging from middle-market buyout firms to each of the 10 largest global private equity funds and 8 of the 10 largest global private equity funds as ranked by PEI 300 2026. Our advice covers all aspects of the full life cycle of investments. About Weil. Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 90 years. With approximately 1,200 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in the marketplace and a first-mover in the establishment of many significant practice areas. The Firm's four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields. Media Inquiries Weil Public Relations Christopher rieck. Director, Communications * +1 (212) 310-6710 Peter ottaviano. Senior Manager, Communications * +1 (212) 310-6719