Weil Names Peter Feist U.S. Co-Head Of Private Equity

Weil, Gotshal & Manges elevated Peter Feist to partner and U.S. Co-Head of Private Equity, capitalizing on his deep expertise in complex sponsor transactions and his established relationships within the firm. Feist brings more than 25 years of transactional experience spanning leveraged buyouts, public and private acquisitions, take-private transactions, minority and structured investments, recapitalizations, and exits. His return from Cravath, Swaine & Moore—where he served as Head of Private Equity—reflects a deliberate strategy by Weil to deepen its presence in one of law's most lucrative practice areas.

The appointment positions Feist alongside existing co-heads Kyle Krpata and Ramona Nee and underscores Weil's broader platform-building ambitions. The firm recently bolstered its San Francisco presence with lateral additions of private equity partners Jonathan Stott and Michael Hanna, while simultaneously promoting Krpata and Michael Lubowitz to Co-Chairs of the Corporate Department. Feist's hiring represents the eighth boomerang partner to rejoin the firm during 2026, a metric that suggests Weil maintains strong alumni networks and institutional reputation among senior practitioners.

Weil's private equity expansion reflects competitive dynamics in elite M&A markets, where law firms compete aggressively for lateral talent to maintain integrated capabilities. The firm has attracted over 50 lateral partners since the beginning of 2025, with leadership indicating additional hires are in pipeline. Feist's experience leading a full-service private equity practice and his existing relationships across Weil's platform position him to accelerate client development and leverage the firm's multidisciplinary offerings in M&A, finance, capital markets, tax, executive compensation, antitrust, restructuring, and disputes.