Christopher Boehning and Daniel Levi, both senior litigators, have departed Paul Weiss to join the New York office of Linklaters.
Boehning, who served as FIFA’s lead counsel, will chair a newly created global sports practice as well as the US strategic disputes group.
Levi, who also represents the soccer governing body, joins with 25 years of experience in “complex litigation in a variety of substantive areas including product liability, insurance litigation, M&A litigation, and general commercial disputes decades.”
The move represents a significant win for Linklaters as it continues to strengthen its US presence with an international dimension anchored in high-profile sports work.
For Paul Weiss, however, the departures add to a growing list of senior litigation talent that has walked out the door since early 2025.
The exodus began after Paul Weiss became the first major law firm to reach an accommodation with Donald Trump, trading $40 million in pro bono work and its DEI programmes to have an executive order against the firm withdrawn.
Since that decision, the firm’s litigation department has suffered a series of high-profile departures that have reshaped its senior ranks considerably.
Litigation co-chair Karen Dunn departed alongside Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee, and Jessica Phillips to launch their own firm, while Damian Williams moved to Jenner and Block.
Kannon Shanmugam, widely regarded as the standout name in the firm’s appellate practice, took the Supreme Court group to Davis Polk, with Andrew Ehrlich and Roberto Gonzalez following him out.
Jeh Johnson retired from the firm, and now the partners who led FIFA’s legal work have left to develop the disputes capability of a global rival.