Key Takeaways
- • Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP expanded its private funds platform with three partner-level hires: Sara Allawi (from Kirkland & Ellis), Alec Campbell (from DLA Piper), and Charles Cooper-Isow, strengthening capabilities across primary fundraising and secondaries transactions.
- • Sara Allawi joins Weil's private funds practice with six years of experience at Kirkland & Ellis, advising global private equity sponsors and asset managers on fund formation, structuring, and negotiation across credit, buyout, venture, real estate, infrastructure, and secondaries strategies.
- • Alec Campbell, hired as a tax partner in Weil's New York office, brings expertise in advising fund managers on tax aspects of fundraising, secondaries transactions, GP-stake deals, continuation funds, and liquidity solutions for alternative asset managers; he previously practiced at Kirkland & Ellis (2018–2025) before a nine-month stint at DLA Piper.
- • Weil identified private funds as a "key group" and strategic growth area, with co-managing partner Jonathon Soler signaling the firm's intent to scale the practice and capture increased deal flow in the expanding secondaries market.
- • The hires reflect broader momentum in Weil's private funds capabilities, particularly in secondaries transactions and sponsor-led liquidity strategies, positioning the firm to serve institutional investors and alternative asset managers navigating increasingly complex fund structures.
Summary
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced a significant expansion of its private funds platform on April 13–14, 2026, with the addition of three partners sourced from leading competitors. The strategic hires—Sara Allawi from Kirkland & Ellis, Alec Campbell from DLA Piper, and Charles Cooper-Isow—mark an acceleration in the firm's efforts to build scale and breadth in primary fund formation and secondaries advisory services, a critical practice area for institutional investors and alternative asset managers.
Sara Allawi arrives as a partner in Weil's private funds practice following six years at Kirkland & Ellis. Her practice centers on advising global private equity sponsors and asset managers on the formation, structuring, and negotiation of investment funds across multiple strategies, including credit, buyout, venture, real estate, infrastructure, and secondaries. Allawi brings prior in-house experience as associate corporate counsel at Franklin Templeton and in the legal department of Sands Capital Management. Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf described her as a "rising star" and emphasized that her addition will drive continued growth of the firm's private funds group.
Alec Campbell joins Weil's Tax Department in New York as a partner, bringing specialized expertise in tax structuring for fund managers navigating complex liquidity and fundraising transactions. His practice focuses on advising U.S. and international investment fund managers on tax aspects of private fund formation, secondaries transactions, GP-stake and upper-tier arrangements, continuation funds, and sponsor-led liquidity solutions. Campbell previously practiced at Kirkland & Ellis from 2018 to 2025 (crossing paths with Allawi) and earlier held roles at Proskauer Rose and Cahill Gordon & Reindel, before a nine-month tenure at DLA Piper. Paul Wessel, Chairman of Weil's Tax Department, noted that Campbell's arrival strengthens the firm's ability to advise on secondaries transactions and sponsor-led strategies, integrating with broader private funds capabilities.
The firm's co-managing partner Jonathon Soler characterized private funds as a "key group" within Weil's practice and signaled the firm's strategic focus on scaling that capability. The additions underscore a market-wide trend of intensifying competition for secondaries and continuation fund expertise as alternative asset managers increasingly pursue sponsor-led liquidity solutions and upper-tier structures. Weil's three-partner hire positions the firm to capture growing demand from institutional investors and fund sponsors seeking integrated counsel on formation, tax structuring, and exit planning across the alternative investment landscape.
Sara Allawi arrives as a partner in Weil's private funds practice following six years at Kirkland & Ellis. Her practice centers on advising global private equity sponsors and asset managers on the formation, structuring, and negotiation of investment funds across multiple strategies, including credit, buyout, venture, real estate, infrastructure, and secondaries. Allawi brings prior in-house experience as associate corporate counsel at Franklin Templeton and in the legal department of Sands Capital Management. Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf described her as a "rising star" and emphasized that her addition will drive continued growth of the firm's private funds group.
Alec Campbell joins Weil's Tax Department in New York as a partner, bringing specialized expertise in tax structuring for fund managers navigating complex liquidity and fundraising transactions. His practice focuses on advising U.S. and international investment fund managers on tax aspects of private fund formation, secondaries transactions, GP-stake and upper-tier arrangements, continuation funds, and sponsor-led liquidity solutions. Campbell previously practiced at Kirkland & Ellis from 2018 to 2025 (crossing paths with Allawi) and earlier held roles at Proskauer Rose and Cahill Gordon & Reindel, before a nine-month tenure at DLA Piper. Paul Wessel, Chairman of Weil's Tax Department, noted that Campbell's arrival strengthens the firm's ability to advise on secondaries transactions and sponsor-led strategies, integrating with broader private funds capabilities.
The firm's co-managing partner Jonathon Soler characterized private funds as a "key group" within Weil's practice and signaled the firm's strategic focus on scaling that capability. The additions underscore a market-wide trend of intensifying competition for secondaries and continuation fund expertise as alternative asset managers increasingly pursue sponsor-led liquidity solutions and upper-tier structures. Weil's three-partner hire positions the firm to capture growing demand from institutional investors and fund sponsors seeking integrated counsel on formation, tax structuring, and exit planning across the alternative investment landscape.
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