DLA Piper Hired Three Senior Private Credit Lawyers
The firm expanded its capital solutions business by recruiting a trio of senior attorneys from competitor Latham & Watkins.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Corporate Finance
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DLA Piper has recruited three senior lawyers from Latham & Watkins to bolster its capital solutions business. The move is intended to support the firm's expanding private credit market operations.
Why it matters
The hiring signals an aggressive push by major law firms to capture more market share in the private credit sector. As firms scale these specialized capabilities, they are increasingly competing for top talent to lead complex debt financing deals for their clients.
DLA Piper added 3 senior attorneys to its capital solutions business, including a leader with 16 years of tenure at Latham & Watkins. The expansion aims to increase the firm's capacity in the private credit market.
The players
DLA Piper
A global law firm providing corporate legal services with a focus on cross-border transactions and private credit.
Latham & Watkins
A major international law firm known for its large-scale corporate, litigation, and finance practices.
Jesse Sheff
A senior legal professional who transitioned to DLA Piper after a 16-year tenure at Latham & Watkins.
The details
DLA Piper is scaling its capital solutions business by directly acquiring experienced legal talent from competitors. Jesse Sheff, who spent 16 years at Latham & Watkins, will lead the new group as it navigates private credit transactions. This strategy allows the firm to integrate specialized expertise to manage complex debt structures and capital deployment for its client base.
Timeline
October 12, 2026: DLA Piper announced the hiring of three lawyers.
Market Landscape
This move follows a broader industry trend where law firms are pivoting resources to support the growth of private credit as a primary non-bank lending alternative. It signals a move to compete directly for the specialized expertise needed to manage increasingly complex private debt deals.
Operators should monitor whether their own legal counsel is scaling similar specialized debt expertise to stay competitive. As these firms build out credit teams, expect more institutionalized support for private debt financing in upcoming deal structures.
The takeaway
The competitive landscape for private credit is currently defined by talent acquisition wars between top-tier law firms. Business owners should watch these talent shifts as a leading indicator of which firms will dominate the closing of complex private credit and debt refinancing deals.
Further reading
For broader trends in firm talent acquisition, visit Corporate Finance.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bloomberg Business.
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