The onslaught continues: Paul Weiss raids Kirkland again to hire City IP partner

Posted on | Blogs |
The onslaught continues: Paul Weiss raids Kirkland again to hire City IP partner

Just when the market thought Paul Weiss had eased up on its hiring spree in the run-up to Christmas, the firm has hired John Patten, a partner in the London technology and intellectual property (IP) transactions practice of Kirkland & Ellis. The move sees the Wall Street giant continue to pursue with gusto the build-out …

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Ireland focus: No line on the horizon

Posted on | International Ireland |
Ireland focus: No line on the horizon

‘What’s happening with Kirkland would make a great Netflix documentary, although maybe a bit niche,’ quips one managing partner of the recent saga of the Chicago-bred powerhouse and Paul Weiss’ London office. ‘Let’s hope they’ve had cameras dotted around the office!’ The amused detachment with which the remark is delivered could be said to sum …

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ChatGPT has drunk the Kool-Aid on A&O Shearman – let’s see what it makes of Paul Weiss

Posted on | Comment |
ChatGPT has drunk the Kool-Aid on A&O Shearman – let’s see what it makes of Paul Weiss

So much ink has been spilled over game-changing developments in recent weeks – namely the partnership vote in favour of the A&O Shearman deal, and Paul Weiss’ assault on the talent pools of the Square Mile – that it can be difficult to find an angle that isn’t hackneyed to within an inch of its …

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Silence is not golden as Legal Business 100 firms need a different tune

Posted on | Comment |
Silence is not golden as Legal Business 100 firms need a different tune

A glance at our Legal Business 100 table this year shows the post-Covid, frothy corporate market conditions have finally come to an end. The significant number of red, downward pointing arrows for profit metrics in particular means the leaders of the top 100 firms by revenue in the UK have reason to be nervous. The …

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The in-house debate: Time for a quick Chat(GPT)?

Posted on | In-House |
The in-house debate: Time for a quick Chat(GPT)?

Nathalie Tidman, Legal Business: How much access do you have to the board? How intrinsic are you to the decision-making processes of your business? Aurea Garrido, Warner Bros. Discovery News & Sports: My team sits with the business. For me, a decisive factor was being part of the executive committee, which I have been for …

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Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough

Posted on | Comment |
Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough

Chatting with a male managing partner recently about – what else – the hire of Kirkland’s debt superstar Neel Sachdev into Paul Weiss in London, talk eventually turned to the Barbie movie (obviously). With the managing partner intending to see the film soon, I ask him to report back on whether he thinks its messaging …

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Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed

Posted on | Comment |
Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed

‘Paul Weiss hasn’t got enough partners in London for doubles ping pong!’ scoffed a senior source at the beginning of August when it emerged that the Wall Street powerhouse had lost its City managing partner, Alvaro Membrillera, to Kirkland & Ellis. What a difference a few short weeks make. While the political skirmishes inside Kirkland …

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‘The raconteur’s raconteur par excellence’: Industry mourns loss of ESG luminary Paul Watchman

Posted on | News review |
‘The raconteur’s raconteur par excellence’: Industry mourns loss of ESG luminary Paul Watchman

‘Have I told you my friend’s story about being a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz in Aberdeen in the 1980s? Phone me when you are bored.’ Such messages – as apparently apropos of nothing as they were impossible to ignore – were not uncommon from Professor Paul Quayle Watchman, former Freshfields partner and ESG …

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One in, one out: Deal star Johnson to exit Kirkland as Membrillera joins from Paul Weiss

Posted on | Blogs |
One in, one out: Deal star Johnson to exit Kirkland as Membrillera joins from Paul Weiss

Roger Johnson, among the first wave private equity stars to defect to Kirkland & Ellis from the Magic Circle, has left the Chicago powerhouse’s London office. The move was quickly followed by news that Kirkland has hired the well-respected private equity partner Alvaro Membrillera from Paul Weiss in the City, where he was London managing …

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