Herbert M. Wachtell | |
---|---|
Born | May 24, 1932 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | New York University New York University School of Law Harvard Law School |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Herbert Maurice Wachtell (born May 24, 1932) is an American lawyer. He is the co-founder of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Herbert Maurice Wachtell was born on May 24, 1932 in New York City. His parents were the children of Jewish immigrants from present-day Poland and Hungary.
Wachtell attended public schools in New York City, including The High School of Music & Art, (now part of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School), followed by New York University in Manhattan. He graduated from New York University (B.S. 1952), New York University School of Law (LLB 1954, Order of the Coif), and Harvard Law School (LLM 1955). [1]
From 1955 to 1957 he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York prosecuting federal crimes including racketeering. [2] In 1957–1958, he served as deputy chief counsel to the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight, investigating corrupt activities at certain of the government administrative agencies. [3] Upon leaving public service, he founded a small law firm specializing in litigation and lectured as an adjunct professor at NYU School of Law and authored a single-volume text, New York Practice under the CPLR, which then went through six editions. [4]
In 1965, he and NYU Law alumni Martin Lipton, Leonard Rosen, and George Katz joined to found Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The firm is known for big risk and complex transactions and litigation. [5]
Wachtell has handled a wide range of litigation including, notably, landmark takeover fights in the Delaware courts involving Time-Warner and Paramount. [6] His international profile was enhanced by his role representing Silverstein Properties in litigation to secure rebuilding insurance proceeds following the World Trade Center attacks. [7]
Wachtell is a recipient of the Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award in Litigation in 2006. [8] He and his wife are active in a variety of the philanthropic and cultural areas. He is a former co-chair of the board of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, former chairman of the board of Phoenix House Foundation and member of the boards of NYU School of Law and the former New York City Opera. [9] [10] [11] [12]
Wachtell is discussed in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers . [13] He is married to Svetlana Stone Wachtell and has five children from previous marriages, as well as nine grandchildren. [14] His daughter Diane Wachtell is the executive director of The New Press, which she co-founded in 1992 with Andre Schiffrin.
New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New York State. Located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, NYU Law offers J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is an American law firm in New York City. The firm is known for corporate law, regularly handling large and complex transactions. On both a profit per lawyer, and profit per equity partner basis, it is the most profitable law firm in the world.
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Martin Lipton is an American lawyer, a founding partner of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz specializing in advising on mergers and acquisitions and matters affecting corporate policy and strategy. From 1958–1978 he taught courses on Federal Regulation of Securities and Corporation Law as a lecturer and adjunct professor of law at New York University School of Law.
Bernard William Nussbaum was an American attorney, best known for having served as White House Counsel under President Bill Clinton.
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The New York University Law Review is a bimonthly general law review covering legal scholarship in all areas, including legal theory and policy, environmental law, legal history, and international law. The journal was established in 1924 as a collaborative effort between law students and members of the local bar. Its first editor-in-chief was Paul D. Kaufman. Between 1924 and 1950, it was variously known as the Annual Review of the Law School of New York University, the New York University Law Quarterly Review, and the New York University Law Review, before obtaining its current name in 1950.
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William T. Allen was a professor of corporate law at New York University law school, and the Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery from 1985 to 1997. He also worked for the bank and business law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Leonard M. Rosen was an American bankruptcy lawyer, and a co-founder of the prominent New York firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
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James Cole Jr. is an American attorney who served as the acting Deputy Secretary of Education from 2016 to 2017, serving under the Obama administration.
Maura Robin Grossman is a research professor and former director of Women in Computer Science in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. She also is principal of Maura Grossman Law. Previously, she was Of Counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she pioneered the use of technology-assisted review (TAR) for electronic discovery.
George Thomas Conway III is an American lawyer and activist. Conway was considered by President Donald Trump for the position of Solicitor General of the United States, and a post as an assistant attorney general heading the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice, but withdrew himself from consideration.
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Jerome H. Kern is an American lawyer, investment banker, consultant, and philanthropist. Kern was one of the founding members of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. After a career in investment banking, he served as a senior partner of Shea & Gould, then at Baker Botts, while holding senior leadership positions at Tele-Communications Inc. In the early 2000s, he was CEO of Linkshare, On Command, and Playboy. He was also chairman and CEO of Colorado Symphony and is currently a senior advisor to Moelis & Company.