Paul Weiss Shakes Up Partnership with Massive Promotion RoundPaul Weiss has elevated 34 lawyers to partner, nearly tripling last year’s cohort of 12, which is the firm’s first promotion round since introducing a non-equity partnership tier, though the exact number of non-equity partners remains undisclosed by the firm.
The promotions heavily favor New York, with 26 new partners joining the ranks at the firm’s headquarters where 80 percent of the firm’s lawyers are based.
The remaining promotions are spread across:
- Washington DC: 3
- Wilmington: 2
- Los Angeles: 1
- San Francisco: 1
- London: 1
London’s Strategic Growth
The sole London promotion, Toby Karenowski in investment funds, brings the office’s partner count to 35. London has been the center of major, aggressive growth by the firm with lateral hires from other big law firms, principally Kirkland & Ellis. This comes after a summer slump that left the London office with just three partners, followed by an aggressive recruitment drive targeting rivals, particularly Kirkland & Ellis.
Specialist Breakdown
The corporate department leads with 16 promotions, including:
- M&A: 9
- Finance: 4
- Investment Funds, Capital Markets, IP and Tech Transactions: 1 each
The litigation department follows with 12 promotions, while the remaining are distributed across real estate, executive compensation, professional responsibility, tax, and personal representation.
Diversity Push
The firm is planning greater diversity with 15 of the new partners (44 percent) are women in moves to achieve a more inclusive partnership.
The introduction of the non-equity tier earlier this year, a trend followed a trend by several big law firms, was a strategic move to retain talent, preventing associates from jumping ship to competitors offering earlier partner titles.
This large promotion round demonstrates Paul Weiss’ determination to stay competitive in the legal talent market while strategically expanding its partnership across key practice areas and locations.
The media statement from Paul Weiss is below –
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is pleased to announce that 34 attorneys have been named to the firm’s partnership.
“We are delighted to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers to our partnership,” said Brad S. Karp, chairman of the firm. “These promotions are a testament to their hard work, expertise, and the high standards they uphold, and we look forward to their continued contributions to our firm’s success.”
The following attorneys have been elevated to partner, effective January 1, 2025:
- Usman Arain, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (San Francisco);
- Alison R. Benedon, Litigation Department (New York);
- Kristina A. Bunting, Litigation Department (New York);
- Hilary Christian, Finance Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Matthew J. Dulak, Real Estate Department (New York);
- Sean Fitzpatrick, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Daniel D. Fuschillo, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Christopher Gonnella, Executive Compensation Group (New York);
- Anna R. Gressel, Litigation Department (New York);
- David S. Hong, Finance Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Toby M. Karenowski, Investment Funds Group of the Corporate Department (London);
- David K. Kessler, Litigation Department (New York);
- Daniel H. Levi, Litigation Department (New York);
- Adam J. Longenbach, Finance Group and Hybrid Capital & Special Situations Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- William T. Marks, Litigation Department (Washington);
- David A.P. Marshall, Capital Markets Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Amy Mauser, Litigation Department (Washington);
- Elizabeth G. McCabe, Professional Responsibility Department (New York);
- Frances F. Mi, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Shane Milam, Tax Department (New York);
- Ida Nowaid, Real Estate Department (Los Angeles);
- Dotun Obadina, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Stan Richards, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Ariane Rockoff-Kirk, Litigation Department (New York);
- Mikhel Schecter, Finance Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Yuni Yan Sobel, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Michael Spirtos, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Matthew D. Stachel, Litigation Department (Wilmington);
- Renee Stern-Kaplan, Personal Representation Department (New York);
- Jason S. Tyler, M&A Group of the Corporate Department (Wilmington);
- Emily A. Vance, Litigation Department (New York);
- Brianna van Kan, IP & Technology Transactions Group of the Corporate Department (New York);
- Tiana Voegelin, Litigation Department (New York); and
- Mitchell D. Webber, Litigation Department (Washington).
