Sullivan & Cromwell hires two Weil partners to deepen leveraged finance and private credit in London
Sullivan & Cromwell has continued its rapid expansion in London with the hire of two senior finance partners from Weil Gotshal & Manges, strengthening its leveraged finance and private credit capabilities in the City.
The New York-headquartered firm announced on 21 January 2026 that Christopher McLaughlin and Alastair McVeigh will join its London office as partners. The dual hire forms part of Sullivan & Cromwell’s broader strategy to build a leading private capital and finance platform in Europe.
Under the new structure, McLaughlin will lead the firm’s London private equity and borrower-side acquisition and leveraged finance practices. McVeigh will head the firm’s European private credit offering, an area of increasing importance as alternative lenders continue to gain market share across the UK and continental Europe.
McLaughlin brings more than a decade of experience advising private equity sponsors and private credit lenders on acquisitions and leveraged finance transactions. He joins after 12 years at Weil, where he was a partner. McVeigh, who joined Weil eight years ago and made partner in 2021, advises on leveraged finance matters with a particular focus on direct and specialty lending, as well as complex, large-scale restructurings. Before joining Weil, he practised at Slaughter and May and legacy Allen & Overy.
In a joint statement, Sullivan & Cromwell co-chairs Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller said the appointments marked a significant step in the firm’s London growth strategy. They said the hires would enhance the firm’s ability to advise private equity sponsors, lenders and private credit providers across the UK and Europe.
London co-managing partners Kon Asimacopoulos and John Horsfield-Bradbury described the arrivals as a major milestone in executing the firm’s private capital strategy in London, highlighting the pair’s experience across leveraged finance, private credit, direct lending and specialty finance.
The appointments follow a series of recent hires by Sullivan & Cromwell as it builds scale in London. Earlier this month, senior finance lawyer Patrick Clancy joined from A&O Shearman as counsel to bolster derivatives and structured finance. In December, the firm recruited private equity and M&A partner Aprajita Dhundia and transactional tax partner Ian Ferreira from Kirkland & Ellis. It also added former Weil London office head Mike Francies in September.