Weil’s London co-managing partner David Avery-Gee is set to join Sullivan & Cromwell alongside fellow ex-Linklaters M&A partner Sarah Flaherty, as exits from Weil continue to mount.
Avery-Gee, who joined Weil in 2020 from Linklaters, is set to take up a new role at S&C as co-head of European M&A, alongside Olivier de Vilmorin in Paris. Flaherty, who moved to Weil as a partner in March 2023, will join as a partner.
Recognised as a leading partner in Legal 500’s M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £750m+ rankings, Avery-Gee took on Weil’s London co-managing partner role in 2024 alongside private equity partner Jonathan Wood.
The pair replaced long-serving London leader Mike Francies in the role, with Francies going on to join Sullivan & Cromwell last year.
Flaherty, who joined Weil in 2023, is ranked as a next generation partner in Legal 500’s premium M&A rankings.
Earlier this year, Avery-Gee and Flaherty advised Glencore on failed merger discussions with Rio Tinto. Had it gone ahead, the deal would have been one of the largest mergers on record between companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, with a combined enterprise value of $260bn.
The mandate was one of a number of high profile wins for Weil’s London M&A team this year. Most recently, Avery-Gee also advised on the sale of Saputo’s UK dairy division to Lactalis, for just under £1bn, alongside corporate partners Jack Gray, in London, and Yannick Piette, in Paris.
Flaherty also advised facilities company OCS on its acquisition of UK professional services provider Mitie for £3.1bn, one of the largest announced deals this year involving a UK-listed company, working alongside Wood on the deal.
S&C co-chairs Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller said: ‘David and Sarah are outstanding M&A lawyers with a strong track record of advising multinational clients on complex international transactions. David brings extensive experience in public and private M&A and strong relationships across natural resources, energy and financial services. Sarah is a highly accomplished adviser across public and private M&A and one of London’s leading Takeover Code lawyers.’
London co-managing partners Kon Asimacopoulos and John Horsfield-Bradbury added: ‘Their capabilities complement our US securities and regulatory expertise and our continental European M&A practices in Paris, Frankfurt and Brussels, adding further depth to the coordinated advice we provide to clients on significant transactions in the UK, across Europe and beyond. Their arrivals also mark another important step in the continued growth of the London office.’
The move reunites the pair not only with M&A veteran Francies, but also with a number of other former Weil colleagues who have joined S&C as part of its ambitious London build out.
In January, S&C hired finance partners Chris McLaughlin and Alastair McVeigh from Weil, continuing to grow the practice further in March with the addition of Jenny Choi.
Rumours of Avery-Gee’s departure have been circling in recent weeks, following a series of high-profile exits from Weil.
Fellow London M&A partner Murray Cox and secondaries partner Simon Saitowitz both left for Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett in London earlier this month, with Simpson also picking up a number of partners in the US.
Some thirty partners have left Weil since the start of the year, with corporate and global strategy committee chair Michael Aiello quitting for Cravath alongside a five-partner M&A team in New York office last week.
Weil has been contacted for comment.
