Hotshot Wall Street lawyers are now so in demand that bidding wars between firms for their services can resemble the frenzy among teams to sign star athletes.
In recent years, highly profitable private equity giants like Apollo, Blackstone and KKR have moved beyond company buyouts into real estate, private lending, insurance and other businesses, amassing trillions of dollars in assets.
As their demand for legal services has skyrocketed, they have become big revenue drivers for law firms.
This is pushing up lawyers’ pay across the industry, including at some of Wall Street’s most prestigious firms, such as Kirkland & Ellis; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Davis Polk; Latham & Watkins; and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Lawyers with close ties to private equity increasingly enjoy pay and prestige similar to those of star lawyers who represent America’s blue-chip companies and advise them on high-profile mergers, takeover battles and litigation.
Persons:
Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk, Paul, Weiss
Organizations:
Blackstone, KKR, Kirkland, Ellis, Bartlett, Latham, Watkins, Garrison, Lawyers
Locations:
Rifkind, Wharton