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... Priya Tulsiani, trainee, Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP

Departments to date: Private equity; M&A

University: Durham University

Degree: Law with Year Abroad

Morning: I arrive at the office at around 9am and look through the emails that have come in overnight to identify any immediate tasks that I need to tackle. I then update my task list accordingly and ensure that the people that I am working with are kept updated with what I am working on, and if I have capacity to help with anything else.

Once I have dealt with the tasks that require my immediate attention, I attend the monthly M&A meeting where the team discusses key developments on current and future potential matters over some coffee and pastries. This meeting also provides a great opportunity to informally catch up with the wider team.

Upon returning to the office, my supervisor and I discuss the latest updates on a matter we are working on. After explaining both the legal and commercial context behind those developments, my supervisor tasks me with drafting three clauses in the shareholders’ agreement in line with the agreed term sheet.

Throughout the day, emails for the various matters I am working on will come into my inbox. Given that I share an office with my supervisor, we can easily discuss any developments that have taken place and reprioritise tasks if required. It is important that I keep track of the different work streams on all the matters that I am working on, which also helps me identify any tasks that could be within my remit that I can take on.

Afternoon: At 1.30pm, I head to Café 110, our office cafeteria, and join fellow trainees for lunch. It’s great to chat about how others have been doing and check in on other teams within the firm.

After lunch, I am briefed on a new task by an associate on a separate matter. I’m asked to conduct corporate due diligence on a target group that our client, a private equity firm, is seeking to acquire. This task requires that I look through the shareholder registers of roughly 50 entities in the virtual data room to verify the ownership structure of the target group. In parallel, I update the information request list that will be sent to the target group with any shareholder registers that have not yet been provided. It is a key trainee task to highlight to the deal team any information that is missing in the virtual data room and flag when new documents come in. Once I have discussed my initial findings with the associate on the matter, I begin drafting the relevant section within the due diligence report.

I then head over to a training session on joint ventures at 4.00pm. Formal training sessions are a key part of being a trainee at Weil. The opportunity to understand the theory behind the corporate structures that we deal with on a daily basis allows us to better place the matters we are working on within their specific commercial context.

Evening: I am invited to an event hosted for the women in the London private equity and M&A team. The event is an opportunity for the women in the team, from trainees to partners, to learn a little more about each other in an informal setting. Events such as this allow me to interact with people I otherwise may not have had a chance to. I find these informal events also offer a great chance to form more organic mentorship.

After the event, I return to my desk to go through any further emails that may have come in. I am working on a pro-bono matter for a FinTech company and the founder is seeking to incorporate her new company, which requires us to draft articles of association. We have received some amendments from the client, which I review and proofread by myself first, before sending the revised draft to the associate on the matter to review.

I finally update and prioritise my task list for the following day 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