International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced that private equity partner Frances Dales has joined the Firm as a partner in the U.S. Private Equity Group, based in the Los Angeles office.

Frances represents private equity funds, private companies and public companies in a variety of complex business transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, minority and joint venture investments, growth equity investments, carve-outs and divestitures. She has experience counseling clients in a number of industries, including software, asset management, consumer products and healthcare.

“We are thrilled to welcome Frances to the Firm as we continue our ongoing expansion in California,” said Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf. “Frances is a talented lawyer with impressive experience executing private equity transactions at the highest level. She will be an outstanding addition to our team.”

“At Weil, we are always focused on hiring top talent who share our collaborative, client-focused culture and can help us continue our upward trajectory,” said Michael J. Aiello, Chairman of Weil’s Corporate Department. “We are excited about adding Frances to the Private Equity team and confident that she will fit in seamlessly.”

“Many of us have known Frances for years and we have been consistently impressed by her deal-making skills and strong client advocacy,” said Tana Ryan, Managing Partner of Weil’s Los Angeles office. “She will be an invaluable addition to our group as we continue to establish a market-leading West Coast presence and strengthen our top-tier global Private Equity team.”

Frances arrives from Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner in the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions practices.

The announcement is part of an ongoing expansion of Weil’s Private Equity practice as well as the buildout of the Firm’s California presence. Weil recently announced the arrival in Los Angeles of private equity dealmaker Alice Yuan, who joined high-profile lateral partners Tana Ryan and Nav Rekhi – both of whom are dually resident in the Firm's Los Angeles and San Francisco offices.

“I am very excited to join the partnership at Weil as the Firm continues to expand its Private Equity Group in California,” said Frances Dales. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to advise our global corporate clients on their most sophisticated and complex transactions.”

This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.