Paul Weiss Continues Raid on Kirkland & Ellis in London and US

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is picking up more partners from Kirkland & Ellis and Linklaters as it expands its private equity practice in London, New York and its new office in Los Angeles.

The moves cap off a major hiring raid by the New York-founded firm of its rival. Paul Weiss picked up star debt finance lawyer Neel Sachdev and partners Kanesh Balasubramaniam, Matthew Merkle and Deirdre Jones in London as well as Eric Wedel in New York last month.

Kirkland private equity partners Roger Johnson and Andreas Philipson, tax partners Timothy Lowe and Cian O’Connor and Linklaters’ corporate partner William Aitken-Davies are joining Sachdev in London, who will co-lead the office for Paul Weiss and will serve as co-head of its global finance and capital markets practice.

Johnson is also joining as co-leader of the London office and will co-chair the firm’s global M&A practice, while Merkle will head its European capital markets group and Aitken-Davies will serve as head of the London M&A group. Lowe will be global co-head of tax and head of European tax.

Stateside, Wedel is being joined by Kirkland partners Ben Steadman, Matthew Leist and Caroline Epstein who join the firm’s corporate department in New York and its new office in Los Angeles. Wedel, whose clients have included Warburg Pincus, KKR, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, will lead the new office and will also serve as co-chair of the firm’s global finance and capital markets practice.

“These are the premier private equity teams in their respective markets, covering finance, M&A and tax, and we are thrilled that they have chosen Paul, Weiss as their new professional home,” Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp said in a statement.

“Their arrival will significantly expand our private equity and M&A capabilities globally and provide enormous value for our existing and new clients,” he added.

The hires from Kirkland have shocked the London legal community and left questions as to what this means for Kirkland’s UK presence. For its part, Kirkland picked up Alvaro Membrillera from Paul Weiss.

The Financial Times reported that Sachdev’s exit from Kirkland came amid a power struggle between law firm management and the private equity star, whose clients have included Apollo, Bain Capital, Carlyle Group, Centerbridge, Oakley Capital, Searchlight Capital, and Warburg Pincus.

“These 13 partners share a commitment to excellence and work ethic that has made them key advisors to many of the world’s most significant private equity firms,” Scott Barshay, chair of the Paul Weiss corporate department said in a statement.

“The addition of these talented lawyers will enable us to better serve our clients and positions us well for future growth in important markets,” he said.