September 16, 2025
Private Equity Practice leader to become joint Chairman alongside current leader Matthew Feldman; Thomas Cerabino to step down at the end of 2026
New York, NY (September 16, 2025) --- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced today that partner Jeffrey Poss will assume the role of joint Chairman of the Firm on January 1, 2027, alongside current leader Matthew Feldman. Mr. Poss, who has led Willkie’s Private Equity Practice Group for nearly a decade, will succeed Thomas Cerabino, who has served as Chairman since 2010. Mr. Cerabino will step down as Chairman at the end of 2026 and will continue to practice law as a partner at the Firm.
“When Tom announced at our spring 2024 partner retreat his intention to step down as Chairman at the end of 2026, the Executive Committee focused on identifying a successor who could build on his legacy of driving growth at the Firm, determining that Jeff is the best person to fill that role,” Mr. Feldman said. “Jeff has been a member of our senior leadership team for 15 years, as a Co-Chair of the global Private Equity Practice Group and in instrumental roles on numerous Firm committees, including the Executive Committee. He is passionate about Willkie’s long-term success and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration in propelling the Firm forward. I congratulate him on his new role and am excited to start this transition.”
A partner since 2000, Mr. Poss has spent his nearly 35-year career at Willkie. He is regularly recognized as one of the leading private equity and M&A practitioners in the United States, and is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Private Equity Practice Group. Early in his career, he practiced in Willkie’s London office. As a member of the senior leadership team, he has been instrumental in helping to lead and implement Willkie’s growth strategy, serving on and leading numerous Firm committees during his tenure.
“I am honored to have been selected by the Executive Committee to assume the role of joint Chairman when Tom steps down. Matt and I have a terrific, well-established relationship as a result of our collaboration on various Firm initiatives over the years. We see tremendous opportunity to continue to accelerate our position among the top firms in Big Law and I look forward to continuing to support the great work he and Tom have been doing to propel Willkie,” Mr. Poss said. “Tom has been and remains an incredible steward for our Firm. His leadership, wisdom and dedication have transformed Willkie into a global powerhouse and positioned us for success today and in the years to come. Personally, he has also been a mentor to me.”
The succession announcement comes as Willkie continues to successfully execute a growth strategy. Focused on the Firm’s core offerings of M&A, private equity, litigation, asset management, insurance, bankruptcy and restructuring, and private wealth, the strategic approach yielded record results in 2024, including gross revenue of $1.78 billion, up more than 18% from the previous year. The Firm has been consistently growing headcount and has opened five new offices in the past five years, while continuing to strategically invest in existing offices and practices.
“Tom is a visionary leader who has brought to reality a stronger Willkie, built on a larger and more diversified platform for success now and in the future. It is an honor to manage the Firm alongside him and we thank him for his continued guidance,” Mr. Feldman said.
Since he first assumed a Chairman role in 2010, Mr. Cerabino has been key to Willkie’s transformation from a $530 million firm with eight offices to the $1.8 billion, 16-office global leader it is today. During this period, Willkie has established a coast-to-coast presence in the United States, opening offices in Houston, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas, while also continually expanding in New York, Washington, DC, and across Europe.
“Serving as Chairman at Willkie for the past 15 years has been and remains a privilege. When I shared with the partnership in mid-2024 my intention to step down at the end of next year, I knew it was time to start the process of passing the reins to our next future Chairman as part of the natural order of succession. Willkie has been my professional home for more than 40 years and I am confident the Firm is positioned for long-term success,” Mr. Cerabino said. “In addition to the many leadership roles Jeff has held over the years, he has been instrumental in leading Willkie’s global Private Equity Practice Group. We already work closely together on Firm management, through his service on the Executive Committee and many other senior management committees of the Firm, and I look forward to continuing this collaboration in the coming months.”
Mr. Cerabino continued: “Matt and Jeff will continue the trajectory of the Firm that Matt and I have been leading, and we have every confidence that Jeff will continue to lead us forward with the strategic vision set by the Executive Committee over the past decade.”
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,300 attorneys across 16 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
