Weil's Black Partners

Leaders & Changemakers

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.

Learn more about the work of our Black partners.

WBP animation

Latest News

Weil’s Black partners span four of our global offices and nine practice areas throughout our Corporate, Litigation and Restructuring Departments. 

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.

From Ade Heyliger

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.

Corporate Counsel Women of Color

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.

Image of attendees of Dinner Series for Distinguished Black Business Leaders

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: Candace Arthur, 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.

Candace Arthur

Candace Arthur

Candace Arthur recently spoke with the New York Law Journal following her recognition as a Rising Star as part of the publication’s 2024 New York Legal Awards. She was recognized for representing various parties in bankruptcy proceedings, as well as for her mentoring efforts across Weil’s affinity groups, including Black Lawyers Achieving Success Together and Women@Weil. When asked about advice for young attorneys, Candace emphasized the importance of being a “problem-solver.”

Read the full profile.

Candace was also featured in a Q&A with The Deal after being named among the Top Women in Dealmaking. She discussed her decision to become a restructuring attorney as well as the first “big deal” she worked on in her career – representing Lehman Brothers and its affiliated debtors in the largest chapter 11 case in U.S. history. The profile also highlighted her work advising Kabbage Inc., AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and J.Crew Group Inc.

Read the full profile.

Adam Banks

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.  

Read the full profile.

Headshot of Chantale Fiebig

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.

Read the full profile.

Insights

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 MDLsChantale 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 SPACsAdé Heyliger (February 2024)

Heads Up for the 2024 Proxy Season: Key Corporate Governance, Disclosure and Engagement TopicsAdé Heyliger (January 2024)

U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division Finalize Joint Merger GuidelinesKristin Sanford (January 2024)

New Guidance For U.K. Organizations That Monitor Their WorkersBarry Fishley (December 2023)

Security Incident Response: Back To Basics For General Counsel – Barry Fishley (November 2023)

SEC Adopts Amendments to Rules Governing Beneficial Ownership ReportingAdé 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 TakeawaysBarry 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)  

Recent Awards

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:

Candace Arthur was named a “Rising Star” at the New York Law Journal’s 2024 Legal Awards. She was also recognized in Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 X – The Next Generation list, and in the publication’s Leading Global Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers (2024) and Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers guides (2022-2023). Candace was previously named one of American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” (2023); among the “Notable Women in Law” by Crain’s New York Business; one of the "Top Women in Dealmaking" by The Deal (2023); a "Rising Star" by Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides; a "Rising Star" by Law360; an "Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer" by Turnarounds & Workouts; and an "Emerging Leader" by The M&A Advisor (2021).

Adam Banks was named a finalist for the “Diversity Initiative” award at the New York Law Journal’s 2024 Legal Awards, and was previously 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.

On Mentorship

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.

Read more.

 

Duane Hughes with partners Trey Muldrow, Jannelle Seales and Adam Banks

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.

Latest News

Leading in the C-Suite After Decades at Weil

Holly Loiseau is General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of KServicing, a prominent online loan servicer for the Paycheck Protection Program. Prior to this role, Holly was a Litigation partner in Weil’s Washington, D.C. office for almost three decades, where she represented companies and individuals in various investigations and received numerous accolades for her work.

In this edition of the Weil Alumni Interview Series, Candace Arthur, partner in our Restructuring Department, speaks with Holly about her career. Holly discusses working in-house, partnering with Weil on KServicing’s restructuring, taking a top-down approach to DEI, her role in hosting women’s executive leadership retreats, and her continued connection to the Weil family.

Marsha Simms Video

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 Seales – our most recent Black partner – speaks with Marsha about her profound impact on Weil and the law.

Candace Arthur

Candace M. Arthur
Restructuring
New York

Adam B. Banks

Adam B. Banks
Appeals and Strategic Counseling
New York
Co-Chair, Weil’s Global Diversity Committee

Chantale Fiebig

Chantale Fiebig
Co-Managing Partner,
Weil’s Washington, D.C. Office

Barry Fishley

Barry Fishley
Technology & IP Transactions
London

Adé Heyliger

Adé Heyliger
Public Company Advisory Group
Washington, D.C.
Co-Chair, Weil’s Global Diversity Committee

Trey Muldrow

Trey Muldrow
Private Equity
New York

Bambo Obaro

Bambo Obaro
Complex Commercial Litigation
Silicon Valley

Kristin Sanford

Kristin Sanford
Antitrust
Washington, D.C.

Jannelle Marie Seales

Jannelle Marie Seales
Real Estate
New York

Martin Weatherston-Wilson

Martin Weatherston-Wilson
Private Equity/M&A
London