Key Takeaways
- • Weil, Gotshal & Manges recruited Jonathan Stott (former Managing Partner of Dechert's San Francisco office and West Coast PE practice leader) and Michael Hanna (former Kirkland & Ellis partner) as partners in its U.S. Private Equity Group, expanding the firm's Bay Area platform to approximately 20 PE-focused partners.
- • Stott brings expertise across technology, healthcare, industrials, aerospace, and financial services, advising on M&A, carve-outs, growth investments, and strategic transactions; Hanna specializes in leveraged acquisitions, divestitures, corporate governance, and sponsor-side transactions.
- • The hires represent a continuation of Weil's strategic California expansion following 2024 openings in San Francisco and Los Angeles, positioning the firm to compete more aggressively in the Bay Area's concentrated private equity sponsor market.
- • Weil's U.S. Private Equity Group has doubled in size during Michael J. Aiello's tenure as Chairman of the Corporate Department, reflecting the firm's broader growth strategy in the PE sector.
- • The firm's global PE practice currently advises more than 300 private equity clients and works with major investment firms across the full investment lifecycle, with these lateral hires strengthening transaction capabilities and sponsor relationships.
Summary
Weil, Gotshal & Manges has bolstered its private equity platform in San Francisco through the recruitment of two senior partners from competing elite firms. Jonathan Stott joins from Dechert, where he held the dual role of Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office and head of its West Coast Private Equity practice. Michael Hanna transitions from Kirkland & Ellis, where he was a partner in the Private Equity group. Both appointments are effective immediately in Weil's U.S. Private Equity Group.
The lateral moves signal Weil's deepening commitment to the Bay Area market, a region the firm identifies as strategically critical given the concentration of financial sponsors, investment managers, and technology-driven companies across Northern California. These hires expand Weil's San Francisco PE team to approximately 20 partners, reinforcing the firm's ability to service large-scale sponsor transactions and complex corporate restructurings. Stott's background encompasses M&A advisory, leveraged carve-outs, growth equity investments, and joint ventures across diversified sectors including technology, healthcare, industrials, aerospace, and financial services. Hanna's practice focuses on sponsor-side advisory for leveraged acquisitions, portfolio company divestitures, M&A transactions, and corporate governance matters.
The additions reflect Weil's broader expansion strategy in California, following the firm's establishment of San Francisco and Los Angeles offices in 2024. Under the leadership of Michael J. Aiello, Chairman of the Corporate Department, Weil's U.S. Private Equity Group has doubled in size, underscoring the firm's institutional commitment to competing in high-value sponsor markets. Globally, Weil's PE practice maintains relationships with more than 300 private equity clients, spanning the full investment lifecycle from sourcing through exit advisory. The Bay Area recruitment strengthens both the firm's transactional bench strength and its competitive positioning within a market dominated by sophisticated financial sponsors and alternative asset managers.
The lateral moves signal Weil's deepening commitment to the Bay Area market, a region the firm identifies as strategically critical given the concentration of financial sponsors, investment managers, and technology-driven companies across Northern California. These hires expand Weil's San Francisco PE team to approximately 20 partners, reinforcing the firm's ability to service large-scale sponsor transactions and complex corporate restructurings. Stott's background encompasses M&A advisory, leveraged carve-outs, growth equity investments, and joint ventures across diversified sectors including technology, healthcare, industrials, aerospace, and financial services. Hanna's practice focuses on sponsor-side advisory for leveraged acquisitions, portfolio company divestitures, M&A transactions, and corporate governance matters.
The additions reflect Weil's broader expansion strategy in California, following the firm's establishment of San Francisco and Los Angeles offices in 2024. Under the leadership of Michael J. Aiello, Chairman of the Corporate Department, Weil's U.S. Private Equity Group has doubled in size, underscoring the firm's institutional commitment to competing in high-value sponsor markets. Globally, Weil's PE practice maintains relationships with more than 300 private equity clients, spanning the full investment lifecycle from sourcing through exit advisory. The Bay Area recruitment strengthens both the firm's transactional bench strength and its competitive positioning within a market dominated by sophisticated financial sponsors and alternative asset managers.
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