Weil, Gotshal and Manges has lost its corporate chair, Michael Aiello, widely regarded inside the firm as its single most powerful partner and standout rainmaker.
Despite Aiello’s status as the firm’s biggest business generator, the dominant mood among Weil partners following his departure appears to be one of relief rather than regret.
Aiello announced he is leaving Weil to join Cravath, a move Weil’s own statement notably described as a jump to “a smaller platform.”
Since that announcement, partners at Weil have lined up to speak with reporters, signalling that many inside the firm believe it is better positioned without him.
The candour from partners about a departing colleague is unusual, particularly when that colleague is considered the firm’s most prolific dealmaker and a figure who stands out across the wider industry.
Aiello was, by all accounts, a deeply polarising figure within the firm, and nobody at Weil appears to be disputing that characterisation following his exit.
Insiders describe a leader who was territorial over his practice, resistant to growth strategies, and a consistent obstacle when it came to lateral recruiting efforts at the firm.
He reportedly labelled a longtime deputy “disloyal” for expressing a desire to build out a West Coast practice, an episode that appears to have hardened sentiment against him internally.
The prevailing view among Weil partners, as relayed to reporters, is that removing the internal friction Aiello generated matters more than the revenue gap his departure creates.
Despite Weil’s other notable recent departures, the firm’s partners seem confident that shedding a divisive internal force outweighs the commercial cost of losing its most powerful rainmaker.
Cravath, meanwhile, has been characterised as thrilled to be acquiring Aiello, with the firm reportedly enthusiastic about what his arrival means for its values and dealmaking capabilities going forward.
The move places Aiello at a firm with a distinctly different culture and scale, making the transition one of the more closely watched lateral moves across the legal industry so far in 2026.