Exclusive | Rainmakers in Talks to Leave Weil Gotshal Amid Poaching Frenzy

Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a Wall Street law firm known for shepherding companies through bankruptcies and advising top private-equity firms, is facing a wave of partner defections.

Two groups that include star lawyers are in discussions to leave for rivals, according to people familiar with the matter, including some of the firm’s highest revenue producers.

One group, which includes Christopher Machera, co-head of Weil’s private-equity group and a member of its management committee, is headed to Paul Weiss, they said.

Other lawyers, including Brian Parness, a partner in Weil’s private-equity practice whose clients have included Brookfield and TPG, are exploring a move to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, the people said, with some cautioning the plan isn’t final.

It is the latest tremor in the world of Big Law, which is being disrupted by aggressive poaching of rainmakers, the pressure of artificial intelligence and less-loyal clients. Earlier this summer, a team of six litigation partners, including a firm leader, left Wachtell in an almost-unheard-of defection from the marquee firm.

Hundreds of partners have made lateral moves this year across the industry. Rivals are luring top talent with pay packages that can stretch to $20 million a year or more.

Weil, which has 1,200 lawyers, has also hired partners away from its competitors. The firm said it has added more than 50 lateral partners since the start of 2025.

“Weil is on track to achieve both record revenue and profitability in 2026 that will result in a very significant increase in profits per equity partner,” the firm said in a statement. “This is a direct result of the firm’s deliberate growth strategy focused on the practices and markets where it has long been a leader.”

Founded in 1931 as a Jewish law firm outside the white-shoe elite, Weil built its reputation handling bankruptcies for Lehman Brothers, General Motors and Enron. The New York-based firm also has a significant corporate practice with more than 600 lawyers that advises big clients on M&A and other matters and is chaired by longtime dealmaker Michael Aiello.

The departures come at a sensitive moment, as Weil prepares to navigate a leadership transition. After a more than 16-year run, executive partner Barry Wolf will retire next year and Boston partner Ramona Nee will succeed him as the firm’s leader. Nee, who currently serves as co-managing partner, will become the first woman to lead the firm.

The firm has hovered in the top 20 by gross revenue, with over $2 billion last year, but has slipped in the rankings as it lost ground to larger rivals such as Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis. Its profit per equity partner was about $5.4 million last year, compared with more than $12 million at the most profitable.