Nationality American | Name Herbert Wachtell Role Lawyer | |
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Born May 24, 1932 (age 92) ( 1932-05-24 ) Alma mater New York UniversityNew York University School of Law Organizations founded Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | ||
Herbert Maurice Wachtell (born May 24, 1932) is an American lawyer. He is the co-founder of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
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Education and Early Career
Herbert Maurice Wachtell was born on May 24, 1932 in New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine).
Wachtell attended public schools in New York City, followed by City College of New York 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).
From 1955–1957 he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York prosecuting federal crimes including racketeering. 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. 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.
Later career
In 1965, he and NYU Law alumni Martin Lipton, Leonard Rosen, and George Katz joined together to found Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The firm is known for big risk and complex transactions and litigation.
Herbert Wachtell has handled a wide range of litigation including, notably, landmark takeover fights in the Delaware courts involving Time-Warner and Paramount. His international profile was enhanced by his role representing Silverstein Properties in litigation to secure rebuilding insurance proceeds following the World Trade Center attacks.
Boards and Awards
Wachtell is a recipient of the Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award in Litigation in 2006. 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.
Personal life
Wachtell is discussed in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. He is married to Svetlana Stone Wachtell and has five children from previous marriages, as well as eight grandchildren.