January 26, 2026

New York, NY (January 26, 2026) - Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that Payom M. Pirahesh has joined the Firm as a partner in the Private Equity Practice Group, based in the Los Angeles office. Payom brings significant experience advising private equity funds, asset managers, and other stakeholders on complex corporate transactions.

"Payom is an accomplished dealmaker with an exceptional track record leading sophisticated transactions, and his substantial experience will be a valuable asset to our client base. His arrival underscores our continued commitment to invest in our private equity capabilities across the Firm," said Jeffrey Poss, Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice Group, and incoming joint Chairman of the Firm.

Payom's practice focuses on representing private equity funds, their portfolio companies and other sophisticated market participants in a wide range of transactions, including acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, sales, carve-outs, joint ventures, co-investments, minority investments, dividend recapitalizations and corporate governance matters. He has led high-profile deals across the technology; media, entertainment and live events; consumer and retail; financial services; construction services; and professional services sectors. He also regularly guides private equity funds and c-suites through private equity-style employment arrangements, management incentive plans and sale bonus plans. Payom was previously a partner at Sidley.

Alex Weingarten, Managing Partner of Willkie's Los Angeles office, commented: "Payom is an exceptional private equity practitioner. His rich background and skillset will further support our growing Los Angeles team, and we are excited to welcome him to Willkie."

Payom commented: "Willkie's unparalleled and diversified private equity and transactional platform is an ideal match for my practice. I look forward to working alongside this outstanding group of practitioners to continue building on the Firm's success and serve the evolving needs of clients around the world."

Willkie is one of the industry's preeminent advisors to private equity funds. We provide a full-service, 360° platform advising on everything from fund structuring and formation, platform and add-on investments and acquisitions, tuck-in acquisitions, co-invest structures and joint ventures, to bank credit, direct lending and other debt financings and offerings, IPOs, follow-on offerings, SPACs, PIPEs, other "bet-the-company" and lifecycle events, and ultimate exits.

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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 https://www.willkie.com.