Kirkland & Ellis appoints Christina Weidner as a Partner to lead its Germany restructuring team

Kirkland & Ellis appoints Christina Weidner as a Partner to lead its Germany restructuring team

Christina Weidner has been appointed as a new partner in Munich by Kirkland & Ellis, an American multinational law firm. Weidner joins from her position as a partner from its UK rival Clifford Chance and will take on the role of leading Kirkland & Ellis' Germany restructuring team.

Weidner opted to join Kirkland & Ellis within a few months after having been named the head of Clifford Chance's restructuring and insolvency team in Germany.

She specialises in financial and cross-border restructurings, distressed mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions, creditor composition proceedings, contingency planning, as well as going concern insolvency scenarios.

"Cristina is one of the most well-known lawyers in her market, recognized for her leadership skills and pragmatic, commercial approach. We are all excited about her joining our global restructuring team," Jon Ballis, chairman of Kirkland's executive committee, said.

Before joining Kirkland & Ellis, Weidner had a tenure of almost 15 years at Clifford Chance, where she started in 2008 and was promoted to partner in 2021.

During her time there, she guided clients and represented them in various sectors such as private equity, real estate, industrial, and banking. Weidner also worked on restructuring matters for clients such as Weber Automotive, Scholz Group, and Rodenstock Group.

Weidner's distinguished legal career took a new turn when she took over as practice head of the London firm Clifford Chance in October 2022 following the promotion of Dr. Stefan Sax, who had led the restructuring team for over a decade as the managing partner for Germany.

At the Chicago giant Kirkland & Ellis, she will lead the firm's German team that includes veteran partners Leo Plank, Sacha Lürken, and Dr. Bernd Meyer-Löwy. The team also included the recently-promoted partner Dr. Marlene Ruf. Besides, the team also comprises five associates in the firm's Munich office which currently is the only Kirkland & Ellis office in Germany.

"We thank Cristina Weidner for her contribution to our restructuring and insolvency practice and wish her all the best for the future," a Clifford Chance spokesperson said about her decision to quit the firm.