Senior departures, new lateral hires and a planned leadership transition are unfolding at the same time. This sourced report separates announced moves from reported strategic possibilities.
Dates below identify when a report appeared or when a transition is scheduled, not an assumed move date. Where the source material does not establish an exact date, entries are marked “Reported by September 24, 2026.” This page is a fixed editorial snapshot, not an automatically updating feed.
Departures
03Reported September 17, 2026
London M&A leaders to Sullivan & Cromwell
David Avery-Gee, who led Weil's London M&A practice and co-managed its London office, and Sarah Flaherty moved to Sullivan & Cromwell.
Reported September 11, 2026
Aiello and five M&A partners to Cravath
Michael Aiello, former chair of Weil's Corporate Department, is departing with Matthew Gilroy, Eoghan Keenan, Amanda Fenster, Michelle Sargent and Megan Pendleton.
Reported by September 24, 2026
Moves across private capital and disputes
Chris Machera, co-head of Private Equity, moved to Paul Weiss; Stephanie Srulowitz, co-head of U.S. Private Funds, moved to Simpson Thacher; and Daniel Stein, global co-head of White Collar Defense, moved to Freshfields.
Incoming talent
04Reported by September 24, 2026
Ridealgh returns to banking and finance
Damian Ridealgh returned from Freshfields to Weil's Banking & Finance practice; he had been Freshfields' global co-head of Private Credit and Capital Solutions.
Reported by September 24, 2026
Stott and Hanna join San Francisco private equity
Jonathan Stott and Michael Hanna joined Weil's San Francisco Private Equity group. Weil says its California PE bench now numbers 20 partners.
Reported by September 24, 2026
Sinclair returns to restructuring
Weil announced Debra Sinclair's return to its Restructuring practice and described her as the seventh former Weil lawyer to return in 2026.
Reported by September 24, 2026
Weil points to lateral hiring
Weil says it has hired 51 lateral partners since the start of 2025. This is the firm's reported figure, not an independently maintained live count.
Leadership
02Effective January 1, 2027
Nee and Soler take on new roles
Ramona Nee is set to become Executive Partner, while Jonathon Soler becomes the firm's sole Managing Partner.
Scheduled for end of 2027
Wolf's planned retirement
Barry Wolf is scheduled to retire from the partnership at the end of 2027.
Reported strategic options
01Reported September 18, 2026
Merger possibilities reported; no current discussions, Weil says
Bloomberg Law reported that Weil's leadership had become more open to a potential combination and that informal conversations had gauged interest. Weil says it is not currently engaged in merger discussions. No merger is confirmed.
Our perspective · Recruiting interpretation
Watch the next hires, not just the exits
The concentration of senior moves in M&A and private capital is notable, but Weil is also adding partners across finance, private equity and restructuring. The question for recruiters is how incoming partners build capacity and client continuity alongside a leadership transition. These developments do not establish a merger or a decline of the firm's broader platform.