Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP

Weil’s ‘strong market presence’, particularly in private equity, restructuring and banking, sets it apart. A small trainee intake makes for an environment where ‘everyone knows who you are’, and where colleagues of all seniority are ‘committed to your development’. Training at the US firm is ‘very hands-on – we’re able to get more stuck into deals’ and ‘allows for better opportunities to build skills and prepare for being an associate’.  Indeed, juniority definitely won’t hold you back at Weil; ‘they appreciate ideas and suggestions from everyone, no matter your level’. In a similar vein, trainees relish ‘being able to run with work streams independently’. The downside of such high levels of responsibility is that ‘there is an expectation to always be available’. A good work/life balance is certainly not a given at Weil, as evidenced by instances of ‘working for 21 hours without a break’. On a more positive note, plentiful opportunities for ‘direct contact with clients’ and ‘closing deals’ help to sweeten the blow.  ‘Pro bono is taken very seriously’ at Weil and ‘offers a great opportunity to work on matters you would never come across in your practice area’. But that’s if you can fit it into your busy Weil trainee schedule of course! For a firm which is a leader in its field, where standards are high but so is quality of work and where there is an ‘extremely friendly culture’ to boot, consider Weil.

A day in the life of... Mahereen Nawaz, trainee, Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP

Departments to date: Banking and finance; Private equity infrastructure

University: London School of Economics

Degree: Law

Morning: I arrive at the office around 8.30am and first sort any emails that have come through overnight as well as check my calendar for the day. I then review my to-do list, ensuring it is updated with any additional tasks.

Once I have prepared a cup of coffee, I attend the internal private equity infrastructure team meeting, which takes place every Tuesday morning at 9.00 am – the team meeting is a great way to learn about the current matters the team is working on and also any deals in the pipeline. It also provides the opportunity to have an informal catch-up with colleagues, which is always enjoyable.

I return to my office and begin the first task of my day, drafting some corporate authorisations for a Tier 2 Management Incentive Plan. This is in relation to a motorway services group, which our client acquired earlier in March. Sharing an office with my supervisor, who is also working on the matter, means that I can often turn to him with any questions I have.

Once I have finished drafting the authorisations, I accordingly update the deal documents list to include the status of the relevant documents, which I have now drafted, as well as updating the list with any additional changes. It is a key trainee role to be able to stay on top of the progress of different work streams within a deal and to keep an updated documents list at all times.

Afternoon: At 1.00pm, I head to Café 110, our office cafeteria and join fellow trainees for lunch. This is a great time to catch up and also learn about what the other departments within the firm are working on.

Following lunch, I am briefed on a new matter relating to the refinancing of a group of entities, for which we are undertaking a red flags only due diligence exercise. This is an interesting task as I am responsible for completing the corporate due diligence and flagging any issues in the constitutional documents and statutory registers from a lender perspective. Once I have discussed my findings with the associate on the matter, I draft the relevant section within the due diligence report to set out my findings.

I temporarily pause my work to attend a training session on equity term sheets. Training is a key part of trainee life at Weil, and each practice area has their own schedule for training, both specifically for trainees and also practice area-wide, which trainees are expected to attend. I also try to attend training targeted at associates to enhance my understanding of the practice area and the key work streams involved.

Evening: I have signed up to attend an event internally, hosted by the partners within the Women@Weil committee. The aim of the event is to discuss career development and also to discuss key topics, including current and planned Weil initiatives and practical business development tips. I find events hosted internally are a great way to discuss fundamental topics with colleagues and also to meet different people around the firm.

I return to my office and check through my emails to see if any tasks have come through while I have been away from my desk. One of the deals that I am working on involves liaising with our Jersey counsel for matters in respect of the Jersey-incorporated Topco entity in the acquisition stack. I need to get a copy of the updated Topco statutory registers following completion of the acquisition to ensure the relevant updates have been made – I send an email reminder to them of this. It is a key trainee task to keep track of any post-completion work to be actioned, and to liaise accordingly with different parties and counsel to ensure that matters are progressed.

I then update my daily to-do list accordingly and head home for the evening.

About the firm

Managing partner: Michael Francies

UK offices: London

Other offices: Boston, Dalles, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris.

Who we are: With approximately 1,100 lawyers across the US, Europe and Asia, Weil operates according to the ‘one firm’ principle, allowing it to bring the right mix of firm-wide skill and local market presence to deliver co-ordinated legal advice to help its clients achieve their sophisticated goals and objectives.

Established in 1996, Weil’s London office is the largest of its European offices and the hub of its European practice. The office is a leading player in the UK legal market and is consistently regarded as one of the most successful London offices of a US-based law firm. The firm supports a varied client base of European, US and global private equity houses, corporates and financial institutions on domestic and cross-border matters.

Weil’s strategy is focused on long-term investment in recruiting and retaining exceptional talent at all levels. The firm’s people celebrate diversity and inclusion, and its award-winning pro bono programme is deeply ingrained in the firm’s culture.

What we do: Weil provides clients with legal expertise at the highest level across its key practices of private equity and M&A, funds, finance, structured finance, restructuring, and disputes and investigations, and has been involved in some of the most significant, high-profile and prestigious mandates across all its legal specialisms. The majority of the firm’s work involves multidisciplinary teams across the specialist fields of competition, corporate governance and compliance, employment, intellectual property, management incentives, pensions, real estate, tax and technology, leveraging the expertise of its full-service capabilities for its clients.

What we’re looking for: A career at Weil is challenging, technical and requires trainees to work under pressure. We are looking for bright candidates who can use their initiative and who thrive when challenged and when out of their comfort zone. Successful candidates will need to be commercially minded with plenty of entrepreneurial flair, as well as the ability to work effectively in a team. We are looking to recruit candidates from all universities and degree disciplines. Our academic requirements are a minimum AAB at A-Level or equivalent and a 2(1) degree (obtained or predicted). We review all application forms holistically, which means if you fall slightly short of our academic requirements but demonstrate great potential, you will still be considered.

What you’ll do: Our training contract is the longest running of any US law firm in London. To excel in your training contract, you’ll need to be hungry for success and determined to take on challenges no matter how big and complex.

Over the two-year course you will complete four six-month seats, developing expertise and building skills in each area. Being prepared to take on feedback is a must and how you will become an exceptional lawyer.

While you need to tackle one corporate and one finance seat as key practice areas, the remaining seats depend on your own preferences and development needs. This is your career, don’t be afraid to seize the opportunities you want.

Perks: In addition to a £500 wellbeing allowance, the firm offers a flexible benefits package which you can tailor to your individual needs. Trainees are also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus.

Sponsorship

We offer full sponsorship of the PGDL and SQE 1 and 2 in addition to an annual maintenance grant of £20,000 per year of study.

Seat options

Antitrust, finance, disputes and investigations, funds, funds regulatory, private equity and M&A, private equity infrastructure, private equity infrastructure finance, restructuring, structured finance and tax.

Diversity, equity and inclusion