Weil Gotshal & Manges has bolstered its private funds practice in New York with the hire of a partner from Goodwin Procter. 

Karen Chao has joined the 1,100-lawyer firm's private funds group after three years at Goodwin, which she joined as a partner from Sidley Austin. 

Michael Aiello, chairman of Weil’s global corporate department, said Chao's practice "fits extremely well" into the firm's private funds group and its broader private equity platform.

“She has a track record of success advising some of the world’s largest firms across the spectrum of fund formation matters, and will be a fantastic addition to our team,” he added. 

Chao's practice focuses on representing alternative asset managers in the formation and structuring of private equity and other private investment fund vehicles. She also advises sponsors on operational, regulatory, governance and other ongoing life of fund and sponsor matters, and has represented sovereign wealth funds and state pension funds in connection with their investments in private investment vehicles. 

Weil's private funds group boasts more than 95 lawyers globally and works with clients including PAI Partners, BlackRock and Apax Partners. Chao is the fourth partner to join the practice since last November, when Christopher Scully defected from Kirkland & Ellis as the firm's first private funds partner in Washington DC. In March he was joined in DC by Christopher Mulligan, who before that had a role as a private funds senior advisor at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, while in July Kristine Koren joined in New York from Mayer Brown. 

A spokesperson for Goodwin commented: “We wish Karen the best.”

Chao's move follows a quartet of investment funds lawyers led by partner James Donohue exiting Goodwin for Kirkland & Ellis across the US in April, a few months after five funds partners had left the firm for Kirkland in Washington DC. 

Last year Goodwin also saw New York partner Tim Clark defect to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to lead its global funds practice, as part of efforts by the UK firm to build a top-tier private capital practice in the US.