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It's hard to believe a corporate giant like Weil, Gotshal & Manges — a top 20 U.S. law firm that reportedly had over $2 billion in revenue in 2025 — could move toward ceasing operations just like that. But occasionally a Weil-like wind-down — or even a collapse like Lehman Brothers, Silicon Valley Bank or FTX — is bound to occur. And here we are, seeing a major law firm move toward shutting down in real time. The firm's management committee recommended that its partners prepare to close its doors after more than 90 years in business, Weil, Gotshal & Manges said on Wednesday. "Following a careful review of strategic alternatives, the Firm's Management Committee has recommended to the partnership that the Firm pursue an orderly wind-down," the firm said in a statement to CNBC on Wednesday. "The partners are expected to vote in the coming days." As a legal recruiter and former big law associate, I'm here to provide practical insights to the employees, lawyers and non-lawyers alike, who've just learned they're about to be out of a job — and those who are scared their company might be next. First, let's be clear: From where I stand, Weil is an anomaly. But when a company does make headlines for winding down, or failing and shutting down, it's rarely the employees whose plight is highlighted: the people whose careers have been destabilized, whose anxiety shoots through the roof and who become the collateral damage of business decisions they had no idea were being made until far too late. Here are my top tips, for both lawyers and non-lawyers, for when your company announces or is headed toward dissolution. In the case of Weil, it's advice I hope the firm's roughly 1,200 lawyers plus staff take to heart in the next 90 days. 1. Don't wait for the dust to settle Yes, you can worry. Yes, you can grieve. But you should also mobilize quickly. A lot of Weil associates are in a holding pattern right now: either waiting to see where their favorite partners are going and hoping they offer to bring them along, or thinking 90 days of pay, as reported by Reuters, means they have 90 days in which to start looking. While many associates will eventually follow their partners, I suggest looking for a new job on your own while you wait. The market is absolutely inundated with Weil associates right now, on top of everyone else whose firm isn't dissolving but was already looking to make a lateral move. You don't want to be late to the party and find all your peers are ahead of you in line. Partners are also under no obligation to bring you with them, and you have no say in where they choose to go. There's no guarantee it would be a good fit for you. It's best to have options and it's comforting to feel like you have some control over those options, especially in such uncertain times. I'd give similar advice to non-lawyers. Don't wait too long. Options are always good. Be proactive. The people who tend to come out of these situations the least scathed are the ones who start looking before any announcement is made, in cases where the writing's on the wall and everyone else is still hoping for a last-minute save. 2. Don't act from a place of fear Even as you move fast, try to be cautious. You don't want to be taken advantage of. Just this week, I've counseled about a dozen Weil associates to do their homework, however quickly, before blasting their resume to every firm and recruiter on the block. Some recruiters — especially in the legal industry — will take you sending your resume as blanket consent to submit you anywhere they like. But from what I've seen working in legal recruiting, if more than one recruiter sends your materials to the same firm, you're very unlikely to ever hear from that firm again. They see it as sloppy, bad form and too much of a headache to manage the inevitable fight over who's entitled to the hypothetical fee for your placement. So keep a firm grasp on where your resume is at all times. You should know exactly which companies have it and who they got it from. If you plan to use a recruiter, pick a reputable and trusted one. Don't race to the first recruiter who cold calls you or the last recruiter in your inbox. Instead, get referrals from friends, set up intro calls with multiple recruiters to get a vibe check, pick one and only send that one your resume. For non-legal folks, recruiting may not be so cutthroat. But I still recommend caution regarding how and where you share your information. Focus on trusted connections, including verifiable HR professionals at your target companies, friend and colleague referrals, your college career services office and known job boards. Be wary of answering outreach from questionable sources. 3. Don't worry so much about resume gaps or job hops right now A short unemployment stint won't kill your career, and neither will multiple moves in quick succession. When the unexpected occurs and the resulting job market frenzy ensues, sometimes, even when you mobilize early and wisely, you won't land a new job right away. Perhaps the only upside to the mass publicity of these surprise dissolutions is that every prospective employer is going to take one look at your resume and understand why you're out of work. They won't wonder what you did wrong, whether you got fired or if you're qualified. But those favorable assumptions don't last forever. I'd give it one to six months. That's another plug for not waiting until a dissolution date to start your search, especially in the current job market, where as of September 27.1% of those who are unemployed have been searching for over six months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Keep in mind too that job decisions made in haste or with your back against a wall are much more likely to end in a mismatch. Most people will take the first offer they get. Some will accept an unsustainable commute or a tyrant of a boss for short-term job security. And if it's your only option, that might be the right decision for you — we all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. If that's the case, know it's also okay to move on quickly. I don't begrudge anyone who makes a job decision out of necessity and then course corrects when they're out of survival mode. And from my experience as a recruiter, neither will most future employers. 4. Be kind to yourself and others None of this is your fault and all of it is horribly unfair. It's okay if you're feeling angry, terrified, overwhelmed, frozen, devastated or even a little relieved. Whatever you're feeling, both in the immediate aftermath and in the weeks and months after, is completely valid. Give yourself ample space and grace for whatever comes up and seek help and support. On the flip side, lend a helping hand wherever you can, especially once you find a job, which I believe you will. Pay it forward by helping others who are still looking or looking again. Share a good resource, refer them to a trusted recruiter and connect them to any job opportunities you've passed up or heard about. Corporations don't have feelings or loyalty to any given employee. But people do. We are nothing without our empathy and our communities. Hard times are when we need both the most. Danielle Thompson is a legal recruiter and former big law employment lawyer based in the Bay Area. A managing director at Damato Search Group, she holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A., magna cum laude, from UC Santa Barbara.
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