Key facts
- Eleven law firms have accepted trainees from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, according to the report.
- Weil Gotshal's management committee recommended an orderly wind-down of the firm's global operations.
- Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison spoke with Weil associates and trainees, Law.com reported.
- DLA Piper, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Latham & Watkins had varying degrees of interest, per Law.com.
- Weil Gotshal's private funds team in London has found a new home, the report said.
- A partnership vote on the wind-down was expected in the week of the October 30, 2026 report.
Eleven law firms have accepted trainees from Weil, Gotshal & Manges after its management committee recommended an orderly wind-down of the firm's global operations, according to an ABA Journal report dated October 30, 2026. The wind-down still requires formal approval, with a partnership vote expected in the week of the report.
Law.com reported that Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison were speaking with Weil Gotshal's associates and trainees, while DLA Piper, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Latham & Watkins had varying degrees of interest and engagement. According to Law.com, Weil Gotshal is working to find employment for as many people as possible.
Priorities differ among the suitors, per Law.com: one source said Sullivan & Cromwell was favoring associates over partners, while another said Paul Weiss had already brought on several Weil Gotshal partners and was still courting junior lawyers. Another source told Law.com that some firms were offering places to prospective trainees who were due to join Weil Gotshal in September. Weil Gotshal's leaders said the recommendation followed a thorough review of alternatives, and sources said partners had begun telling clients that the firm cannot continue. The firms named were approached for comment, according to Law.com. The report also said Weil Gotshal's private funds team in London has found a new home.