Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Designation: New York
- Head Count: 1,201
- Gross Revenues: $1,228,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $1,025,000
- Profits Per Partner: $2,230,000
- Year Over Year Change: 2
One of the New York megafirms, Weil doesn’t rank high just by revenue, but also by important noneconomic metrics. Indeed, the firm’s far–above–average scores on diversity, pro bono work, and midlevel associate satisfaction have helped to make it a fixture on The American Lawyer’s “A–List,” which homes in on the nation’s 20 most eminent law firms.
While Weil, like most 1,000–plus lawyer firms, has a far–ranging practice, it is particularly well–known for its bankruptcy and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and litigation groups. That last practice area has been a regular on the pages of The American Lawyer as well, earning a finalist berth on our Litigation Department of the Year competition in 2010 and 2004, and honorable mentions in 2006, 2008, and 2012 (the contest is held every two years). Ironically, the financial crisis that dealt a blow to Weil’s deal flow?and saw the firm’s revenues drop 4 percent in 2010 before recovering the following year—kept its business finance and restructuring group busy, representing the likes of now–defunct Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and Washington Mutual, Inc. The firm’s bankruptcy work contributed substantially to Weil’s bottom line: The Lehman work generated $383 million in fees, and the WaMu work brought in another $71 million.
Weil’s IP group, which has handled work for Microsoft Corporation, eBay Inc., and Genentech, Inc., among others, is also well respected. It was a finalist in The American Lawyer’s IP Litigation Department of the Year contest in 2006 and 2010.
Weil’s practice is far–reaching, too. The firm’s 21 offices cover the traditional megafirm standards like London and Hong Kong, as well as newer hot spots like Beijing and Dubai. But Weil also has a footprint in some markets less frequented by American firms, such as Budapest and Warsaw.
Weil’s profits per partner also place it within the upper ranks of U.S. firms. In fact, one of the few areas in which Weil does not rank near the top is age: Founded in 1931, it’s virtually a kid among the big New York firms. But a precocious, ambitious, and high–achieving one, to be sure.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 13 | 2 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 13 | 2 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 17 | 2 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | 9 | 3 | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 33 | 12 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 18 | no change | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 45 | 2 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 59 | 23 | Summer programs |
In the News
Testing Their Armor
Mike Scarcella : Corporate Counsel : May 1, 2013
The Justice Department is set to battle a company that makes fiber for bulletproof vests.
Securities Claims Narrowed in Lawsuit Against AIG
Jan Wolfe : The Litigation Daily : April 30, 2013
Southern District Judge Laura Taylor Swain has dismissed claims that AIG's offering materials for sales of common stock from 2006 to 2008 misstated its credit risk.
Torres Confirmed to Bench in Southern District
Mark Hamblett : New York Law Journal : April 29, 2013
Analisa Torres, a 1984 graduate of Columbia Law School, was nominated by President Barack Obama to Southern District bench just days after winning election to the Supreme Court on Nov. 6, 2012.
Justice Watch: Bankruptcy Judges Sour On Golden Parachutes
John Pacenti : Daily Business Review : April 29, 2013
Thomas Horton, outgoing chairman, president and CEO of American Airlines' parent, AMR Corp., had his $20 million severance package at least temporarily rejected by a U.S. bankruptcy judge.
Newsmakers
: Texas Lawyer : April 29, 2013
Suits to Watch
Tom Coster, Julie Triedman : The American Lawyer : April 25, 2013
Starr International Company v. The United States; Cablevision Systems v. Viacom International; Dahl v. Bain Capital Partners et al.
'Comcast v. Behrend': Bigger Than We Thought at First Blush?
Allan Dinkoff : New York Law Journal : April 25, 2013
Allan Dinkoff, counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, writes that the Supreme Court's decision to grant/vacate/remand 'RBS Citizens v. Ross' in light of its recent 'Comcast' decision sheds some interesting light on the court's thinking and suggests that 'Comcast' may have a lot more to tell us on class certification than was immediately apparent.
Big Deals
David Marcus : The American Lawyer : April 25, 2013
American/US Airways; Linn/Berry Petroleum
Covington, S&C, Brazilian Firms Advise on Big Latin American Deals
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 24, 2013
Top Brazilian firms Barbara, Mussnich & Aragao and Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga are working on a $2.5 billion all-stock merger that will create the world's largest for-profit education company, while Covington & Burling, Sullivan & Cromwell, and several South American firms have grabbed roles on the $516 million sale of a 50 percent stake in a Peruvian pension fund.
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