Weil bolsters its banking practice in London by hiring two high-yield partners

Weil bolsters its banking practice in London by hiring two high-yield partners

Weil Gotshal & Manges has hired two high-yield partners, Andy Hagan and Gilles Teerlinck, to its banking practice in London, from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and White & Case respectively. This follows the recent hiring of M&A partner Sarah Flaherty to the firm's corporate practice in London from Linklaters.

Hagan and Teerlinck are known for advising clients on complex cross-border leveraged finance transactions and have a specific focus on public and private high-yield bond financings, acquisition finance, private placements, restructuring and liability management transactions. This expertise aligns with the banking and corporate practice of Weil Gotshal & Manges.

"Andy and Gilles are two outstanding capital markets lawyers with extensive experience advising clients across industries, and we are excited that they are joining us to lead the continued build-out of the European high-yield practice," Barry Wolf, Weil executive partner, said.

Andy Hagan has joined Weil Gotshal & Manges after spending almost seven years as a partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Before that, he was at Kirkland & Ellis in London. He has experience working with clients in various sectors including telecommunications, retail, and agribusiness.

Gilles Teerlinck, on the other hand, has moved to Weil Gotshal & Manges from White & Case. He joined White & Case as a partner in 2018, prior to that he was at Kirkland & Ellis. At White & Case, he was based in the firm's London and Paris offices and led the firm's high-yield practice in France. He has experience advising clients such as BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, and JP Morgan on high-yield debt and other related matters.

According to Weil London managing partner Mike Francies, a top-tier high-yield practice was an essential component of the firm's European platform and key to its sponsor and underwriter relationships as well as the restructuring practice.

"In Andy and Gilles, we are delighted to have recruited two high-yield lawyers of their calibre to join our banking team," Francies said.

Weil Gotshal & Manges' banking and finance team is headed by Andrew Colao, based in New York, and Courtney Marcus, based in the firm's Dallas office. In London, the team is noted by the legal directory Chambers and Partners for its active sponsor-side practice and cross-border capabilities.

With the arrival of Hagan and Teerlinck, the team will have 14 partners. The addition of Hagan and Teerlinck will strengthen the firm's capabilities in high-yield transactions, and further bolster the firm's banking and finance practice in London.