Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor-in-chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Ramona Nee, the lawyer who was poised to lead Weil Gotshal before the legal powerhouse’s collapse, is in talks to join Kirkland & Ellis alongside a team of associates.
Weil’s rapid demise, following a series of high-profile departures, left more than 1,000 lawyers looking for a landing spot with rivals. The management committee of the 95-year-old company informed partners on Wednesday of its intention to dissolve the company.
Nee, the former successor to longtime Weil chairman Barry Wolf, plans to join Kirkland alongside six other Weil staff, including specialists in mergers and acquisitions, debt financing and executive compensation, according to people familiar with the matter.
Dozens of other, younger attorneys could follow Nee to Kirkland in the coming weeks, some people said.
Nee, whose clients include private equity group Advent International, is among the most sought-after deal lawyers at Weil as it begins to close its doors and has been approached by several rival firms in recent days, some of the people said.
It comes as rivals Paul Weiss, Gibson Dunn and Simpson Thacher all hired more lawyers from Weil in the past 24 hours, as the firm’s practitioners were rushed to find new jobs.
Nee was due to become executive chairman of Weil from early next year, but told company executives in August that she would no longer accept the top job, the FT previously reported.
Weil was famous for his work on the bankruptcies of Enron, Lehman Brothers and General Motors. A succession of high-profile departures plunged the company into crisis, and the decision to close its doors stunned Wall Street.
Chris Machera, a leading private equity dealmaker, joined Paul Weiss in August. Michael Aiello, Weil’s chief mergers and acquisitions rainmaker, left a month later for rival firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore with five partners.
Kirkland & Ellis has solidified its position as a legal industry giant in recent years, generating more than $10 billion in annual revenue.
Nee had privately expressed that she favored a move to Kirkland, according to sources. She may agree to join us in the coming days, but plans could still change, they added.
Nee has spent her entire 24-year career at Weil, becoming co-head of the firm’s Boston office in 2022 and becoming co-managing partner last year. In March, it was announced that she would succeed Wolf as executive partner starting in early 2027.
The potential hire of Nee and his team would strengthen Kirkland’s Boston office, where the firm is trying to expand its list of private equity and corporate clients. Last year, Kirkland hired Graham Robinson, a leading biotech transaction advisor, from Skadden.
Kirkland, Weil and Nee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gn bussni
