Latham Poaches Top Partners from Elite Rival Wachtell

Latham & Watkins has strategically expanded its New York office by attracting two partners from Wachtell Lipton, a move that highlights a significant trend in the M&A legal sector. Mark Stagliano and Emily Johnson are the latest high-profile additions to Latham's growing corporate and finance practice. Johnson will focus on banking, private credit, and capital markets, while Stagliano joins the mergers and acquisitions and private equity group.

This recruitment effort by Latham comes amidst a fierce talent war among prestigious Wall Street law firms. Historically, partners rarely moved from top-tier firms like Wachtell and Cravath, Swaine & Moore. However, a shift in attorney compensation, away from traditional seniority-based pay towards performance metrics, has facilitated such departures. Latham has previously recruited from Wachtell, including an M&A partner last year and another partner to lead its Liability Management practice.

Latham's New York managing partner, Marc Jaffe, noted the firm's momentum, stating that top talent seeks larger platforms. The firm reported a record year in 2025, advising on over 760 M&A transactions globally. Alex Kelly, global co-chair of Latham's M&A and PE practice, emphasized the firm's focus on recruiting ambitious partners committed to excellence and teamwork, rather than just acquiring business. Recent deals where Latham advised include Silver Lake's $55 billion buyout of Electronic Arts and CyberArk's $25 billion sale to Palo Alto Networks.