• Dr. Andreas Holzgreve will join Weil as a partner with Dr. Julia Schöfer, one of Germany’s most promising private equity talents, joining as Counsel. Associates Dr. Manuel Schmutzler and Dr. Maximilian Kuchernig will also form part of the team.
• The announcement follows the news that private equity dealmaker Dr. Sebastian Pauls – one of private capital’s most dynamic high-fliers – is joining Weil with partner Susanne Decker. Ms. Decker is widely regarded as one of Germany’s most respected private equity lawyers. Dr. Pauls will take over as Co-Managing Partner in Germany working alongside partner Britta Grauke at the end of 2025.
• The team of six significantly strengthens Weil’s private equity presence in Germany and substantially deepens its European private equity platform – a cooperation of some of Europe’s brightest private equity minds working collectively to advise on cross-border legal and commercial issues for the world’s biggest and most admired global private funds.

FRANKFURT AND MUNICH, 7 OCTOBER 2025: In a further announcement on the growth of its European and global private equity offering, international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced additional news today of the expansion of its European private equity group with the arrival of four more private equity lawyers in Germany. The moves significantly boost Weil’s operations in Germany and across Europe in the private capital market.

Dr. Andreas Holzgreve, a prolific deal adviser, will join Weil as a partner. Recently recognised in the ‘40 Under 40’ – a list of leading lawyers and future leaders published by Juve, Dr. Holzgreve advises financial investors and corporations on private equity and M&A. Dr. Julia Schöfer, an immense rising star in private equity in Germany will join as Counsel. Led by Sebastian and Susanne, the team advises some of the most important, high-profile German and international financial and strategic private equity investors, navigating particularly nuanced and complex deal structures. All six lawyers join from Latham & Watkins.

“We are delighted to welcome this exceptionally talented team of six, each of whom has demonstrated outstanding performance in the field of private equity,” said Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf.

Weil’s Co-Head of Private Equity, Marco Compagnoni said, “The European private equity market is transforming rapidly where real value creation is the priority above all else. Weil’s ambition is to be the foremost pan-European private equity team in this new era, supporting global funds with the brightest minds. The most innovative advice can only come from extremely high levels of skill, experience, agility and integration – attributes this team has in abundance, and where Weil has always excelled beyond others.”

“The energy of this brilliant and progressive team is just fantastic and the strategic significance of the hires in the longer-term development of Weil’s German operation cannot be overstated as we help clients face up to a new world of opportunity and challenge. This is just the start as we look to further grow private equity along with other key practices most notably restructuring where Weil is a global leader,” added Britta Grauke, Co-Managing Partner of Weil’s German offices.

Other recent hires include Simon Saitowitz who joined Weil’s European private equity team in London. He has deep experience in complex GP-led transactions. Simon Caridia who focuses on debt financings for infrastructure M&A and private equity transactions also joined Weil this year.

The new team in Germany increases the total number of lawyers in Weil's German offices, including 11 partners and 10 counsel.

About Weil’s Private Equity Practice

Weil's Private Equity practice is a global market leader formed of some the most influential and industry-defining practitioners who work across every area of the private equity spectrum including buyouts, growth, technology and credit. Our clients are the largest, most high-profile private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, as well as family offices and other financial investors. Weil advises more than 300 private equity clients worldwide, including the 10 largest global private equity funds and over 80% of the top 25 largest global private equity funds (PEI 300 2024).

About Weil’s German Offices

Weil’s Frankfurt and Munich are part of Weil’s European offering providing seamless support to domestic and international clients, handling both sophisticated cross-border transactions and multi-jurisdictional disputes. Our remarkably diverse client base is engaged in various industries and includes some of the world's leading financial institutions as well as many major international corporations. Weil’s German offices have positioned themselves as one of the premier practices in the country, in particular for Private Equity and M&A transactions as well as for Restructuring. The German practice also focuses on Dispute Resolution, Finance, Tax, Antitrust and Employment.

About Weil

Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 90 years. With approximately 1,200 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in the marketplace and a first mover in the establishment of many significant practice areas. The Firm’s four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields.