Farewell to Weil

Read the original at Reason ↗
Cite

Blackman, J. (2026, October 28). Farewell to Weil. Reason. https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/28/farewell-to-weil/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Reason · collected 2026-10-28 · by Josh Blackman

Quick Summary

The law firm of Weil Gotshal has announced it will wind down its operations. The article highlights a specific event involving former Texas Solicitor General Greg Coleman, who joined Weil Gotshal in 2001 but left in 2006 due to disagreements over representing a client challenging the Voting Rights Act. This case potentially had significant implications for voting rights and constitutional law.
Written by AI on 2026-10-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 28, 2026, Weil Gotshal & Manges, a storied Wall Street law firm with over 90 years of history, is poised to shut down after an exodus of top partners and failed merger negotiations. During a company-wide meeting on Wednesday, Barry Wolf, the firm’s longtime leader, recommended the drastic move following a strategic review. Partners are expected to vote on the matter in the coming days. Despite the impending closure, Weil Gotshal remains debt-free with 1,200 lawyers worldwide and relatively few liabilities, allowing it to wind down without entering bankruptcy. The firm's decision comes amid internal disagreements over future growth strategies between those advocating for expansion versus maintaining a smaller operation.

Written for “Weil Gotshal Law Firm Shutdown” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Centre (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: centre for article 113154 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-28

Story

📰 Weil Gotshal Law Firm Shutdown
Crime & Law · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads centre and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Storied Wall Street law firm Weil Gotshal moves to shut down after mass exodus of top partners Same event
New York Post
Hedges 8 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
11
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Centre
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
67/100
Reason's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-28 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Josh Blackman
82 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Today the law firm of Weil Gotshal announced that it would wind down.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Farewell to Weil
🔮 Longtime readers will recall that I took mileage runs to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney to make status at the end of the year.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · 1,000,000 Miles on United
🔮 Let's hope that people across the media industry will take Josh Blackman's criticism to heart.
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady
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2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Today in Supreme Court History: October 26, 1774
🔮 ] There have been many news reports suggesting that the United States Department of Justice may pursue denaturalization proceedings against Representative Ilhan Omar.
2026-10-22 · mixed framing · What Happens to Representative Ilhan Omar's Congressional Seat if the United States Files Suit to Denaturalize Her?
🔮 Nevertheless, the next two decades would vastly enlarge the president's powers as Congress' authority over the executive branch would be greatly diminished.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · New in SCOTUSBlog: "The separation and expansion of powers between Congress and the president"
🔮 Justice Sotomayor, Justice Gorsuch, Justice Barrett, and Justice Jackson took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition.
2026-10-19 · mixed framing · Four Justices Recuse From Petition By Publishing Companies And New Grant on Disparate Impact
🔮 The regulations for Freedmen schools in Texas provided that classes would begin at 9 A.M. and "[t]he morning Exercises will commence with either the singing of an appropriate hymn, or prayer, or the reading of the Scriptures."
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · New Essay: "The Establishment Clause At The Second Founding"
🔮 Kyle asks: Well, I don't know how much coverage of the court you read, but you may not be surprised to learn that one light motif is that you are brooding figure.
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🔮 Just as there are no doubt those on the bench who have strong ambitions for future office, there are others who are happy to be public servants, but who would be just as happy earning their living by some other means.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Lurching Through The Audition Trap
Also by Josh Blackman
1,000,000 Miles on United
2026-10-28 · Reason
Woodward: Justice Breyer Was "'Forced Out' To Make Way For Someone Younger" and Justice Kagan Was Not Happy
2026-10-27 · Reason
The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady
2026-10-27 · Reason
Today in Supreme Court History: October 26, 1774
2026-10-26 · Reason
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 82 articles by Josh Blackman →

Topics

Constitution Northwest Austin Supreme Court Texas Weil Gotshal

Subjects

Coleman PERSON · 5× Supreme Court ORG · 2× Weil Gotshal ORG · 2× Cruz PERSON · 1× Greg Coleman PERSON · 1× Northwest Austin GPE · 1× Texas GPE · 1× Weil ORG · 1× Yetter Coleman LLP ORG · 1×

Narrative

He represented a municipal utility district from Northwest Austin, which challenged the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, known as the "preclearance requirement."
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28
🔮 Today the law firm of Weil Gotshal announced that it would wind down.
2026-10-28 · Reason
Farewell to Weil · assertive framing

Claims (11 extracted, 0 hedged)

Today the law firm of Weil Gotshal announced that it would wind down. asserted
it → announce → Gotshal
I don't have any connections to the firm, though I did have one vignette to share that I wrote for another project. asserted
I → have → project
It concerns Greg Coleman, the first Texas Solicitor General. asserted
It → concern → Coleman
In 2001, Coleman returned to Weil Gotshal to head his firm's Supreme Court practice. asserted
Coleman → return → practice
In 2006, Coleman took on a case that would change the face of constitutional law. asserted
that → take → law
He represented a municipal utility district from Northwest Austin, which challenged the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, known as the "preclearance requirement." asserted
which → represent → requirement
This case had the potential to revolutionize voting rights, and bring our country closer to a colorblind Constitution. asserted
case → have → Constitution
Unfortunately, Coleman's firm did not see things that way. asserted
firm → see → things
As Senator Cruz recalled, "his partners at the firm lost their freaking minds." asserted
partners → recall → minds
Coleman, who was dedicated to his client and the Constitution, left that firm and joined what would become Yetter Coleman LLP. asserted
what → dedicate → firm
In 2009, Coleman would argue two landmark Supreme Court cases that would set the stage for future constitutional restorations. asserted
that → argue → restorations
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