Kirkland takes a 40-lawyer Weil private equity and debt finance team

01

lateral hireNov 6 · Kirkland & Ellis, Weil

Kirkland takes a 40-lawyer Weil private equity and debt finance team

On Nov 6 Kirkland announced that 40 lawyers from Weil, Gotshal & Manges will join it in January 2027. The named partners are Ramona Nee, Jakub Wronski, Emily Willey and Michael Messina in private equity/M&A, and Benton Lewis and Paul Overmyer in debt finance. Jon Ballis, chairman of Kirkland's executive committee, said each has built deep relationships with leading private equity sponsors.

why it matters

A team moving as a unit carries its sponsor relationships with it; any firm hoping to pick up Weil's sponsor clients now has until January to make its case before Kirkland's pitch is in place.

sources Kirkland Adds 40 Lawyers in Private Equity/M&A and Debt Finance Kirkland hires 40-strong Weil team led by Ramona Nee

02

lateral hireNov 2 · Latham & Watkins, Baker Botts, Sidley Austin, Orrick

Latham adds five energy and infrastructure partners with a Texas focus

On Nov 2 Latham announced five partners in its Project Development & Finance Practice: Jason Bennett, Matthew Fusina and Thomas Holmberg from Baker Botts, Jessica Adkins from Sidley Austin and Chase Armbrust from Orrick. Houston managing partner Nick Dhesi said the move expands its energy and infrastructure capabilities in Texas. The firm cites work across LNG, power, renewables and data centers; Adkins' practice includes data center power supply.

why it matters

Data center power is now a named selling point in a lateral release; energy groups competing for hyperscaler and developer work should expect Latham to lead with it in Texas.

source Five Leading Energy & Infrastructure Partners Join Latham & Watkins, Further Strengthening Market-Leading Global Platform

03

lateral hireNov 9 · Kirkland & Ellis, Gibson Dunn, Latham & Watkins

Kirkland adds Gibson Dunn's Russ Falconer in Dallas and Latham's Matthew Conway in Washington

On Nov 9 Kirkland announced two partner hires: commercial litigator Russ Falconer from Gibson Dunn in Dallas, and executive compensation lawyer Matthew Conway from Latham in Washington, D.C. Kirkland said Falconer follows its recent Texas additions of Andrew LeGrand, Prerak Shah and Alex Kaplan.

why it matters

Four named Texas litigation hires is a campaign, not a coincidence; Texas trial groups should assume Kirkland is still recruiting from their benches.

sources Kirkland Continues Texas Litigation Expansion with Addition of Russ Falconer Matthew Conway Joins Kirkland's Executive Compensation Practice

04

dealNov 5 · Wachtell Lipton, Sullivan & Cromwell, Covington & Burling, Fenwick & West

Wachtell and Sullivan & Cromwell act on Shield AI's US$5.3 billion Echodyne deal

On Nov 5 defense technology company Shield AI announced it will buy radar maker Echodyne for up to US$5.3 billion: US$4.8 billion at closing and up to US$500 million more if Echodyne meets financial performance targets. Wachtell Lipton is Shield AI's legal adviser, with Sullivan & Cromwell advising on the financing and Covington on regulatory and business diligence; Fenwick advises Echodyne. Closing is expected in early 2027.

why it matters

Defense tech is now producing multibillion-dollar strategic deals; firms building defense and national security practices have a fresh benchmark to cite.

sources Shield AI to acquire radar maker Echodyne in $5.3 billion deal Covington Advises Shield on $5.3B Echodyne Acquisition

05

tech & aiNov 4 · Sullivan & Cromwell, Ropes & Gray

Sullivan & Cromwell and Ropes & Gray build AI tools with OpenAI

The ABA Journal reported on Nov 4 that Sullivan & Cromwell built an Agreement Analyzer with OpenAI that checks agreements against selected precedents and negotiating playbooks; a trial group is testing it ahead of a firmwide rollout. Ropes & Gray is testing an AI diligence tool built with OpenAI that produces a diligence report in hours, and has deployed Draftwise in its private funds practice.

why it matters

Custom tools co-built with a model lab are becoming a talking point; firms relying on off-the-shelf products will need a sharper story when clients ask what their AI actually does.

source BigLaw partners with Big Tech to design and deploy custom AI tools

06

lateral hireNov 6 · White & Case, Goodwin

White & Case adds Goodwin private equity partner Simone Greenspan in New York

On Nov 6 White & Case announced that Simone Greenspan joins as a partner in New York in its Global M&A practice and Global Private Capital Industry Group, from Goodwin. She advises private equity and growth equity sponsors and multinational companies on leveraged buyouts and growth investments.

why it matters

White & Case keeps adding sponsor-side partners in New York; mid-market PE teams should watch for client overlap.

source Simone Greenspan joins White & Case as a partner in New York

07

ranking / awardNov 3 · Gibson Dunn, Latham & Watkins

Law360 MVPs: Gibson Dunn claims 13, Latham nine

Gibson Dunn announced on Nov 2 that 13 of its lawyers were named Law360 2026 MVPs, including Jeff Wall for appellate and Ted Boutrous for media and entertainment. Latham announced nine partners on Nov 3, across private equity, telecommunications, technology, capital markets, M&A, environmental and real estate.

why it matters

Gibson Dunn put "industry-leading" in its headline; firms with smaller tallies may want to lead on practice spread instead of the count.

sources Industry-Leading 13 Gibson Dunn Lawyers Named Law360 2026 MVPs Nine Latham Partners Named 2026 MVPs

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