Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘Simon Lyell is a cut above the rest. Clever, rigorous, creative and commercial. I really value his judgement when negotiating a deal.’

‘Very strong bench of heavy-hitting private equity lawyers. But also people who are really nice and care, as well as being effective and tough. Life is too short to work with unpleasant people, and Weil are a great bunch who are fun to work with.’

‘Marco Compagnoni is the lawyer who makes the impossible happen. Not just a very solid technician and a great client lawyer, he has the energy, gravitas, personality and experience to resolve the most intractable of problems and get the toughest of deals done. Marco really is a fantastic operator – worth every penny.’

‘Lewis Blakey is an excellent private equity/M&A lawyer. Very bright, extremely tenacious and hard-working. You want him on your side and he is a valued member of our deal teams. A can-do attitude and great problem solver. Kirstin Fyffe is also very good.’

‘The Weil team and Jonathan Wood have acted for us on many of our large M&A transactions. The team is immensely capable and always willing to work with us on UK and cross border deals. They are the best firm that I have come across and are my “go to” firm.’

‘Jonathan Wood – hugely practical and works with us as an embedded member of our team. Ellie Fialho – huge attention to detail and boundless energy and spirit. A real joy to work with.’

‘Michael Francies, exceptional lawyer with huge experience, calm approach in difficult situations and wins confidence of business people very well. Max Oppenheimer, very strong lawyer with great experience and good industry knowledge.’

‘Ed Freeman – deep knowledge and experience, hands on, responsive, pragmatic.’

‘The team operates at an extremely and intensively high level. They are incredibly comprehensive, professional and proactive. In addition to providing the highest level of legal advice, the team also acts and advises as a true business partner.’ 

‘In terms of technical know-how/expertise it is without doubt one of the top teams in London.’

‘I have long been impressed with the practice’s attention to detail; their work is extremely thorough and they dive into even arcane aspects of the law, history and contracts with alacrity.’

‘Andrew Wilkinson is a great tactician and someone you want on your side.’

‘Neil Devaney is very impressive.’

‘Mark Lawford: a first class intellect, who rolls up his sleeves and gets deep into the legal analysis, while keeping a very clear strategic view of the client’s objective and how to achieve it. He combines incredible insolvency knowledge with solutions oriented advice, as well as an incredible work ethic.’

‘Mark Lawford is calm and unflappable in a crisis.’

‘Weil combines deep market and practice expertise with a very collaborative approach.’

‘Their ability to distil complex needs and requirements in a way that allows management to make the right judgement is first class, grounded in their knowledge of our business and what we are trying to achieve.’

‘Their appreciation of the different stakeholders involved and the appetite for risk is very good and allows them to provide constructive counsel to the organisation.’

‘They are able to respond very flexibly to unexpected demands.’

‘They have been a great partner this year.’

‘Alex Horstmann-Caines has been the partner we have had most interaction with. Alex really knows our business, what we are trying to achieve and he brings to his counsel a very grounded perspective of what will work for us. He is able to combine real legal authority with a very approachable manner which has facilitated the completion of major projects this year.’

‘Brian Maher (partner) and Taymour Keen (counsel) are excellent lawyers to have on your team. Both very responsive, have a great breadth of experience and are commercially pragmatic.’

‘We find Weil Gotshal highly responsive, good knowledge of market practice and a strong understanding of our business requirements and our financial services products.’

‘We have a consistent team who have worked on our securitisation programme for many years.’

‘We have worked with Jacky Kelly for many years and she has excellent experience and knowledge of the market. Additionally she is very responsive in support to our programme. Jacky is supported by Luke Stowe who provides good and reliable back up.’

‘A nice balance of expertise with approachability and commerciality.’

‘They never forget you’re the client.’

‘A good blend across styles and strengths which complement well – from the technical through approachable to organised and clear.’

‘Weil convinced us they’d be the best advisors as we spun off from our prior firm to set up our own firm, a once in a lifetime move which we entrusted Weil to lead. They are delivering on the promise by delivering sound advice, great market knowledge, helping us at every stage to save time and cut through the best answer, ranging from decisions on structure, terms and service suppliers.’

‘Weil’s private funds team is top calibre across the board, from senior partner level all the way to more junior associates. Their experience and knowledge of the market clearly stands out compared to other firms, as does their ability to think outside the box and come up with practical solutions. I also found them very responsive and client-friendly.’

‘A great combination of technical expertise and commercial insights. I consider their pragmatic/commercial way of working a differentiator.’

‘A hugely experienced senior team with years of practical knowledge of the sector, which they are constantly refining.’

‘James Bromley was the one of the key people in our decision to partner with Weil. He has been invaluable on providing advice and we trust his judgement, experience and his advice. In addition, Jacquelyn Volpe has been working on our account with James and has played an important role in our relationship. Jacci is highly responsive and efficient.’

‘Ed Gander is exceptional, very experienced, commercial and a great sparring partner. I particularly value his ability to think creatively and remain level-headed and solution-driven. His legal drafting is also among the most articulate and clear I’ve seen from transactional lawyers. ‘

‘James Sargent is very pragmatic (also an excellent lawyer) and very commercially focused, with a clear understanding of our needs and current market practice. He’s also extremely reactive and proactive too when new subjects that could concern us as a client.’

‘We work with James Sargent, and have done so for several years, predominately on fund formation but also on other issues. He is responsive, thoughtful and very commercial and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘A high-quality team, with good market knowledge and commercial sense. They have been adept at managing a difficult project through many twists and turns that have kept us all on our toes.’

‘James Bromley is an exceptional lawyer with a true dedication to client service. He is committed to his clients’ success and will go above and beyond to find solutions to difficult issues. He’s smart and practical and a true partner of ours.’

‘An excellent team that are all very personable, always available and commercial with excellent knowledge in their area of expertise. The Weil team has given us fabulous support in our raising of a new open-ended real estate fund and also educated us in a new business area for CapMan. Weil were a key factor in us being able to deliver our new open-ended pan-Nordic rental residential fund to the market in 2021.’

‘James Sargent, Marloes Zaman and Jacqueline Volpe are always exceptional in their help, commitment and advice. All frequently demonstrate enormous energy, patience and a can-do attitude to getting the job done. They are always available to us and, even at very short notice, we feel like a very valued client. Each of the lawyers are all highly knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and give us, as a client, a lot of comfort in what we are doing.’

‘Many of the “real estate” funds practices are corporate real estate lawyers trying to do funds. And many of the best funds practices are best know for buyout funds and aren’t know for their real estate funds work. Weil is unique in that it has a top-notch fund formation practice across asset classes (buyout, real estate, credit etc.) with a deep understanding of real asset fund formation.’

‘James Sargent is exceptionally bright, hard working and devoted to his clients.’

‘Highly knowledgeable of market positions and key issues in respect of fundraising and acutely aware specific investor requirements across a wide-range of jurisdictions and sectors. Very responsive in light of often extremely tight timeframes.’

‘James Sargent is highly knowledgeable of market positions and key issues in respect of fund raising and acutely aware specific investor requirements across a wide range of jurisdictions and sectors. He is very responsive in light of often extremely tight timeframes and has a strong understanding of critical points for our business.’

‘The team is extremely hands-on and proactive, making inhouse counsel and commercial teams’ lives easier by boiling down complicated legal matters to relatively simple problems for further discussion and decision-making’

‘Edward Freeman simplifies complicated matters to straight forward commercial decisions and thinks along with the team to get to the most pragmatic solution’

‘International firm with relevant expertise and focus, very good European coverage, and client centric’

‘James McArthur is an exceptionally good partner, looking to find the best solutions for his clients, demonstrating very good commercial judgement, and finding practical solutions for us’

‘The practice provides excellent service and an ability to untangle and resolve complex situations. It provides high quality service.’

‘James MacArthur combines a strong knowledge of M&A, with strong technical ability, pragmatism and commercial acumen. He is the type of lawyer you want on your side in the most critical moments of a transaction. He is very much focused on the items that have actual value impact on a transaction.’

‘Hugely experienced team very well versed with dealing with infrastructure clients.’

‘Very much a partner led team but appropriately resources across the level. Immense bench strength and the ability to mobilise lawyers at a moment’s notice.’

‘London team are great to work with, Oliver Walker and Stuart Pibworth in particular.’

‘Responsive with excellent experience.’

‘Jenny Doak, Daniella Abel – both are able to explain complex matters in a concise and digestible format.’

‘Very good industry knowledge and good network of overseas local counsel.’

‘Very responsive, good industry knowledge ability to explain things to non tax experts.’

‘Approachable and solutions focused team, quick to get into the detail and to propose practical ways forward. Experience with other firms is that they may provide insight but they aren’t as good at presenting solutions or sticking up for the client’s position.’

‘The Weil tax team consistently display excellent client service, exemplified by an ability to explain complex contractual matters to non-lawyers in a clear, concise, and commercial manner. They are always accessible and very responsive, and work well in conjunction with their commercial colleagues.’

‘Technical excellence combined with thoroughness of approach!’

‘Led by very experienced partners who are closely involved in the deals with very good junior partners and associates to deliver full service on complex transactions.’

‘Michael Francies is an exceptional lawyer with huge experience, calm approach in difficult situations and wins confidence of business people very well.’

‘Max Oppenheimer is a very strong lawyer with great experience and good industry knowledge.’

‘The structuring of the deal and thought put into client engagement has been remarkable.’

‘They put a lot of care into client relationships.’

‘Working with this team, what marks them out is their clarity of instruction and commercial acumen.’

‘I found their instructions clear and well reasoned and the case was well prepared.’

‘The associate I have worked closely with is Stuart Pibworth, a very bright person with good judgment and a commercial manner.’

‘International approach to the business, very skilled individuals within the teams, capable of handling complex matters efficiently.’

‘London team are great to work with, very capable but easy to work with.’

‘Truly exceptional in terms of client care. Dedicated and know their stuff, inside out.’

‘Hayley Lund. The hardest working litigator I’ve ever met. She is an investigation specialist – and will almost certainly end up being the go to lawyer in that field. She knows a frightening amount about tax investigations, with an impressive practice in that field.’

‘The team at Weil is fantastic. They are thorough, efficient, organised and all-round great to work with.’

‘Timely, practical advice coupled with excellent product knowledge.’

‘Andrew Lauder – proactive, responsive and practical approach.’

‘Weil are building a top-tier practice in competition law in London.  Their recent recruitment of Jenine Hulsman and Chris Chapman from Clifford Chance is a real declaration of intent. They are involved in some of the major ongoing pieces of competition law work in London.’

‘Weil’s all-star European antitrust team provides highly relevant, commercial and strategic advice. The team at all times takes into account all aspects potentially influencing a situation thereby fully leveraging the wealth of experience and diverse backgrounds of its lawyer’s bench. Both global multinationals and financial investors regularly rely on Weil’s advice in highly complex international antitrust and litigation matters. The natural choice for many when risk management and transaction certainty are essential.’

‘Jenine Hulsmann is a star performer.  A lawyer of extraordinary versatility – equally at home in a complex Phase 2 merger case as she is in heavy competition litigation. She mixes deep technical expertise with wonderful strategic and tactical sense.’

‘Chris Chapman is a rising star in this area.  A wonderfully precise and concise lawyer – every word counts.  One to watch for sure.’

‘Super smart team – compact but with a real quality of work, and a pleasure to work with’

‘The team at Weil is fantastic. They are thorough, efficient, organised and all-round great to work with.’

‘Hayley Lund is a true star. Genuinely exceptional. She works harder and more tirelessly for her clients than any lawyer I know.’

‘Jamie Maples is pure class – he has a fine and careful mind, a beautiful writing style, an even temper and excellent manner with his team and his clients. It is difficult to imagine a situation Jamie could not handle with apparent ease.’

‘Christopher Marks has a very sharp mind and is hardworking and relentless. He always seems to be a few steps ahead of everyone else.’

‘Both Jamie Maples and Hayley Lund are excellent – it’s no surprise Hayley recently made partner.’

‘An excellent team – truly committed to their clients, for whom they work tirelessly. Standout client care; but all the skill of the most ferocious litigators.’

‘They understand the UK system but can communicate clearly and effectively with US clients who come from a different mindset. They understand our goals and motivations but are able to layer on the professionalism of working in the UK courts.’