Kirkland & Ellis has hired US rival Paul Weiss’s London head Alvaro Membrillera, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Membrillera is a highly rated private equity M&A partner whose clients include buyout firms KKR, BC Partners and General Atlantic.
He joined Paul Weiss in 2017 from Simpson Thacher as the US firm’s first-ever lateral hire in London and has led its City base since 2019.
READ MORE: M&A slowdown hits partner profits at UK law firms
Membrillera’s exit follows that of fellow Paul Weiss London private equity partners Ramy Wahbeh and Kaisa Kuusk who joined Sidley Austin in June.
Membrillera, who was listed as one of Financial News’ 50 Most Influential in legal services for 2023, is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and worked in Brazil and New York before moving to London.
When he joined Paul Weiss in 2017, the firm’s chair Brad Karp said the firm had spent five years looking for the right partner to hire in London.
“We were looking for someone spectacular – someone who ‘walked on water,’” he told Law.com.
Last year Kirkland made a series of major hires in London to build a private equity infrastructure team.
The US firm added Sara Pickersgill and Paul Sampson from Allen & Overy and hired James Boswell and Toby Parkinson from Clifford Chance to launch the new offering.
Bloomberg Law first reported Membrillera’s move.
Kirkland and Paul Weiss were contacted for comment.
From Financial News
https://www.penews.com/articles/paul-weiss-london-head-joins-kirkland-ellis-20230802
