Glenn West and Benton Lewis, Dallas-based partners at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, have been named winners of this year’s Texas Lawyer Professional Excellence Awards. West was selected as a winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Lewis was honored with an On the Rise Award.
According to the publication, the awards program recognizes lawyers who have had and continue to have a significant impact in the Texas legal community. The Lifetime Achievement Award honors attorneys who have left a lasting imprint on the Texas legal environment, and the On the Rise Award recognizes lawyers under the age of 40 who have wielded influence in their practice areas in Texas and beyond. West, Lewis and the other honorees will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on Sept. 19 and will be profiled in the September edition of Texas Lawyer.
One of the region’s most highly regarded M&A and private equity attorneys, West has advised on many large and complex transactions at the regional, national and international level. He co-founded Weil’s Dallas office in 1987 and served as the office’s managing partner for two decades, helping to establish Weil’s reputation across the Southwest for handling sophisticated clients’ most critical legal matters.
Reflecting his impressive track record of success, West has been featured in D CEO’s Dallas 500 for the last three years. He is also consistently recognized by Best Lawyers in America, including being named its 2018 and 2013 Dallas/Fort Worth Mergers & Acquisitions “Lawyer of the Year,” the 2017 Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity “Lawyer of the Year,” and the 2010 Corporate “Lawyer of the Year.” He is ranked in the #1 band for Corporate/M&A in Texas by Chambers USA and has also been repeatedly ranked by Chambers as a leading lawyer for private equity nationwide.
Lewis, an accomplished member of Weil’s Banking & Finance practice, focuses on financing transactions of all types, including acquisition financings, asset-based working capital financings, debtor in possession financings, exit financings, and workouts and debt restructurings. He has advised many high-profile and recognizable brands and been involved in several prominent and complex financing transactions as well as major deals with a national or global scope.
Lewis was promoted to partner within the Firm this year. In recognition of his many accomplishments, he was selected as a Texas “Rising Star” in Banking by Super Lawyers in 2016 and 2017.
Weil’s Dallas office, which recently celebrated its 30th year in Texas, brings the best of Wall Street-quality legal services to Dallas and the Southwest. The office is known for its sophisticated transactional, complex commercial litigation, and bankruptcy and restructuring practices, and is also widely recognized for its civic involvement and its extensive pro bono service to the Dallas community.
About Weil
Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 80 years. With approximately 1,100 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in establishing a geographic footprint that has allowed the Firm to partner with clients wherever they do business. The Firm’s four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Business Finance & Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields.
