Weil's Black Partners
Leaders and Changemakers
Weil is proudly the professional home of an accomplished, dynamic community of Black partners who are all go-to advisors in their fields and mentors to future generations of leaders. We remain steadfast and passionate in our commitment to attracting, retaining and developing the most talented and diverse practitioners in our profession.
Latest News
Weil’s Black partners span four of our global offices and eight practice areas.
Three of our Black partners hold Firm leadership positions: Chantale Fiebig is Co-Managing Partner of our Washington, D.C. office and Adé Heyliger and Adam Banks are Co-Chairs of our global Diversity Committee.
Ade Heyliger
“As Diversity Committee Co-Chair and one of Weil’s proud Black partners, I am gratified that our Firm stands out for nurturing a culture of equity and inclusion. We work closely with our colleagues every day to strengthen an environment where all feel comfortable and encouraged to excel.
The success stories and insights highlighted on this site are just a few examples of what can result from shared values and ongoing collaboration, but we never lose focus on making further progress. I encourage you to learn more about Weil’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”
Latest News
In Honor of Black History Month, Chantale Fiebig – Co-Managing Partner of our Washington, D.C. office and partner in our Complex Commercial Litigation practice – welcomed Laurie Robinson Haden to discuss practical tools and strategies for conquering limiting beliefs, unlocking individual potential and thriving in the world of work.
Laurie is an award-winning attorney who has dedicated her career to helping lawyers and professionals overcome obstacles and live a life of purpose and fulfillment through her work as Founder and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color Entrepreneurs.
Latest News
Our global Black partners launched a dinner series for distinguished Black business leaders. The inaugural dinner featured professionals from Blackstone, Carlyle, Evercore, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Paramount and Warburg Pincus, among others.
Our speaker this evening was Dasha Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, NFL. Our dinner series will take place quarterly and will focus on the evolution of particular industries and sectors.
Weil partners featured in this photo are: Adam Banks, Chantale Fiebig, Adé Heyliger, Trey Muldrow, Bambo Obaro and Jannelle Seales.
The event was held in conjunction with our BLAST (Black Lawyers Achieving Success Together) initiative, which provides leadership and business development opportunities for partners, counsel and senior associates.
Latest News
Adam Banks was recently featured in a Q&A with the New York Law Journal after being named a finalist in the Diversity Initiative category as part of the publication’s 2024 New York Legal Awards. Adam was recognized for his work as Co-Chair of Weil’s Diversity Committee. In the profile, he explained that his proudest accomplishments in diversity include helping lead the Firm’s response to unrest in summer 2020, which featured numerous initiatives, like adding more Firm programming on diversity and inclusion and pioneering the Firm’s racial justice fellowship. He also emphasized that while progress has been made, the work of promoting diversity is not over.
Chantale
Chantale Fiebig, Co-Managing Partner of Weil’s Washington, D.C. office, was recently featured in a Q&A with Corporate Counsel after being named a Managing Partner of the Year at the 2023 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards. Chantale recalled the best leadership advice she has received in her career: to invest deeply in teams, value colleagues and to “listen more than you talk.” She explained that these guidelines make it easier to manage a busy life and have provided her with meaningful insight into the issues important to attorneys, staff and clients. Reflecting on her early career, Chantale added that she was grateful for her time as an assistant federal prosecutor, where she learned to be an effective trial lawyer.
Marsha and Jannelle
Marsha Simms: The Iconic Career of a Weil Legend
In 1987, Marsha Simms became the first Black partner at Weil. She helped develop our Banking practice, representing some of the Firm’s biggest clients at the time. She was also a member of the Hiring Committee for more than a decade, paying particular focus to the recruitment of lawyers of color.
In this video interview, Jannelle Marie Seales – our most recent Black partner – speaks with Marsha about her profound impact on Weil and the law.
Latest News
Weil’s Black partners are frequent contributors of legal insights and are regularly featured on our blogs and in industry publications. Additionally, Bambo Obaro serves as a member of Law360’s 2024 Trials Editorial Advisory Board.
Recent highlights include:
International Data Transfers: Back in the Spotlight – Barry Fishley (September 2024)
Consent or Pay: One Rule for Some (Large Online Platforms), Another Rule for Everyone Else? – Barry Fishley (August 2024)
Data Protection and Cyber Security Round-Up Note – Barry Fishley (August 2024)
EU AI Act: Overview and FAQs – Barry Fishley (June 2024)
SEC Division Director Provides Guidance on Form 8-K Cyber Incident Disclosure – Adé Heyliger (May 2024)
Quarterly Review of Corporate Governance and Public Company Disclosure Developments – Adé Heyliger (April 2024)
Navigating Cybersecurity Reporting Obligations in the E.U. and the U.K. – Barry Fishley (April 2024)
Weil Private Equity Sponsor Sync: The Rise of the Continuation Fund – Trey Muldrow (April 2024)
Risks of Nonmutual Offensive Collateral Estoppel in MDLs – Chantale Fiebig (March 2024)
Data Privacy–U.K. Enforcement Approach: An Update for PE Firms – Barry Fishley (March 2024)
Weil’s 2023 PIPE Survey – Adé Heyliger (March 2024)
SEC Finalizes Tougher Rules for SPACs – Adé Heyliger (February 2024)
Heads Up for the 2024 Proxy Season: Key Corporate Governance, Disclosure and Engagement Topics – Adé Heyliger (January 2024)
U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division Finalize Joint Merger Guidelines – Kristin Sanford (January 2024)
New Guidance For U.K. Organizations That Monitor Their Workers – Barry Fishley (December 2023)
Security Incident Response: Back To Basics For General Counsel – Barry Fishley (November 2023)
SEC Adopts Amendments to Rules Governing Beneficial Ownership Reporting – Adé Heyliger (October 2023)
Data and Digital: Regulation Round-up in the U.K. and E.U. – Barry Fishley (September 2023)
A New Home Court for the FTC in Pre-merger Challenges? – Bambo Obaro (August 2023)
E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework: Key Takeaways – Barry Fishley (August 2023)
Quarterly Review of Corporate Governance and Public Company Disclosure Developments – Adé Heyliger (July 2023)
ICO's Regulatory Approach – Barry Fishley (April 2023)
Heads Up for the 2023 Proxy Season: Key Disclosure and Engagement Topics – Adé Heyliger (January 2023)
Latest News
Weil’s Black partners are recognized as leaders in their respective fields by the business and legal press. Our partners have recently earned the following distinctions:
Adam Banks was recognized as a 2024 Notable Black Leader by Crain’s New York Business. He was previously named a finalist for the “Diversity Initiative” award at the New York Law Journal’s 2024 Legal Awards, and was shortlisted for the “Diversity & Inclusion: Outstanding Contribution” award at the 2023 Chambers USA Awards.
Chantale Fiebig was named a finalist for “D.C. Managing Partner of the Year” at the National Law Journal’s 2024 Legal Awards, and was recognized as a “Winning Litigator” at the National Law Journal’s 2023 Legal Awards. She was also recognized as “Managing Partner of the Year” at Corporate Counsel’s 2023 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards, and was shortlisted for “Litigator of the Year” by Euromoney Legal Media Group in its 2023 Women in Business Law Americas Awards. Additionally, Chantale was named among Lawdragon's 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2023-2024).
Barry Fishley was ranked among the “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers in EMEA” in MergerLinks 2021 League Tables.
Adé Heyliger was named among the NACD Directorship 100 honorees for 2023 and 2024, an annual list recognizing the most influential people in the boardroom. He was also named among Savoy magazine’s “2022 Most Influential Black Lawyers,” and to the 2022 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll in recognition of his significant contribution of pro bono legal services.
Trey Muldrow was named among the “Most Influential Lawyers” by Savoy Magazine (2024), and a “Notable Diverse Leader in Law” by Crain’s New York Business (2022).
Bambo Obaro was named to the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 lawyers” list and recognized in Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 X – The Next Generation list in 2024. He was previously recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List” (2021 and 2022).
Kristin Sanford was named to Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 X – The Next Generation list (2024).
Jannelle Seales was the recipient of the Jonathan Weiss and László Nagy Mentoring Award during Weil’s 2024 Mentoring Week, in recognition of her dedicated contributions to mentoring and the development of Weil’s global lawyers. She was also named to Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers list in 2024, and shortlisted for “Real Estate Lawyer of the Year” by Euromoney Legal Media Group in its Women in Business Law Americas Awards for 2023 and 2024.
Martin Weatherston-Wilson was recognized as a 2024 Private Equity Rising Star by Law.com International.
Latest News
Laura Wilkinson is Senior Director, Associate General Counsel - Global Antitrust at PayPal and has nearly 40 years of experience in antitrust law focusing on mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Laura was a partner in our Antitrust group in Washington, D.C., where she was lead antitrust counsel for numerous multibillion-dollar transactions, successfully obtaining merger clearance from the FTC and Justice Department.
In this edition of the Weil Alumni Interview Series, Kristin Sanford, a partner in Weil’s global Antitrust group and based in our Washington, D.C. office, spoke with Laura about her distinguished career in antitrust law. They discussed her success in both public and private sectors, her role at PayPal, and her work in diversity and inclusion.
Latest News
Weil welcomed acclaimed Wall Street executive Duane Hughes for a fireside chat centered around optimizing DEI principles to bring in business and enable strong commercial growth. Duane is the Managing Director and Chair of the Americas Advisory Council at UBS. He is pictured above with partners Trey Muldrow, Jannelle Seales and Adam Banks.
On Mentorship
Weil values feedback and mentorship to enhance the professional growth of our diverse practitioners. Given their collective level of achievement, our Black partners offer guidance for Black associates and law students who want to follow in their footsteps.
Practice Area QAs
Weil partners across our U.S. offices shared valuable insights with Vault in a series of Practice Area Q&As, providing firsthand insight into their chosen area of law, the clients they represent, and the various career opportunities for associates on their teams. Learn about working on prominent corporate, litigation and restructuring matters at Weil.
Adam B. Banks
Appeals and Strategic Counseling
New York
Co-Chair, Weil’s Global Diversity Committee
Chantale Fiebig
Co-Managing Partner,
Weil’s Washington, D.C. Office
Barry Fishley
Technology & IP Transactions
London
Adé Heyliger
Public Company Advisory Group
Washington, D.C.
Co-Chair, Weil’s Global Diversity Committee
Trey Muldrow
Private Equity
New York
Bambo Obaro
Complex Commercial Litigation
Silicon Valley
Kristin Sanford
Antitrust
Washington, D.C.
Jannelle Marie Seales
Real Estate
New York
Martin Weatherston-Wilson
Private Equity/M&A
London