DLA Piper is recruiting three senior Latham & Watkins lawyers to bolster its growing capital solutions unit while pressing forward with an aggressive private credit expansion. People familiar with the plans, who asked not to be named discussing private details, said all three will join DLA Piper as partners.
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Jesse Sheff will take charge of the group after 16 years at Latham, where he served as a partner. Those familiar with the matter said Sheff has represented major firms such as Apollo Global Management Inc. and BlackRock Inc. Joining Sheff are Seung-Ju Paik and Preeta Paragash, both previously counsels at Latham, who will also step in as partners at DLA Piper.
With these additions, DLA Piper widens its private-markets offering, providing advice spanning private credit, leveraged lending, and strategic capital efforts. For context, Bloomberg data show that in 2025 Latham & Watkins ranked first among law firms advising lenders on US leveraged loans by both number of deals and total value.
In March, DLA Piper introduced a capital solutions practice with Ranesh Ramanathan at the helm (he previously led the special situations and private credit group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld) and at the same time brought in Alex Cushman and Daniel Wayte from Akin Gump. According to people with knowledge, the firm plans to add several additional teams this year.
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