Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz > New York, United States > Firm Profile

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense Tier 1

New York-based M&A and disputes powerhouse Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is widely regarded as one of the leading firms for deal-related litigation at all stages, including trials in the Delaware Court of Chancery and appeals, and it frequently acts in some of the largest and most high-profile matters. The practice is led by standout M&A litigation partner William Savitt (who is ‘the dean of this work‘) and litigation co-chair Jonathan Moses, who handles complex commercial, securities and antitrust litigation. Key partner Ryan McLeod is ‘one of the very best‘, according to peers. Savitt, who recently led one of the most significant matters in recent history on behalf of Twitter when Elon Musk announced his intention to walk away from his agreement to buy the company for $44bn, also acted for electric vehicle company Volta Inc., formed by a SPAC merger, in shareholder litigation in California. McLeod’s record includes high-profile matters in the activist shareholder market.

Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional Tier 1

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz advises boards of directors and senior executives on executive compensation issues within the context of M&A, divestitures, and complex corporate transactions. The firm handles a wide range of corporate governance challenges, including those posed by shareholder activists, proxy battles, and executive succession planning. Leading the New York-based team, Jeannemarie O’Brien is acclaimed for her executive compensation and benefits expertise in transactions involving financial services firms. Adam Shapiro and David Kahan focus on M&A, corporate governance, and executive employment agreements. Michael Schobel has a broad industry reach, with significant experience in banking, finance, technology, and pharmaceuticals, including his notable role in Pfizer’s $43 billion acquisition of Seagen; he shares this broad industry expertise with Amanda Toy. Erica Bonnett offers guidance on securities law compliance, compensation disclosures, and the structuring of executive employment contracts.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+) Tier 1

Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense Tier 2

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York has a strong client roster that includes some of the largest US and international corporations, with a key example being the firm’s work for Amazon in a derivative suit alleging fiduciary breaches in connection with alleged antitrust violations. William Savitt, who is co-chair of the litigation practice and is focused predominantly on M&A and corporate governance disputes, as well as securities cases, led that case along with key partner Anitha Reddy. Savitt co-leads the practice with Jonathan Moses, who is known for his expertise in complex commercial, securities and antitrust litigation. Notably, the scope of the practice’s work is international, as shown by the work of Carrie Reilly and Cynthia Fernandez-Lumermann for Arcnonic Group in a case relating to the fire at Grenfell Tower in London.

Finance > Commercial lending Tier 2

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz’s pre-eminence in borrower-side financing transactions sees it advise an impressive roster of corporate clients across the full range of industries, including investment-grade, high-yield and distressed borrowers. Working in tandem with the firm’s M&A and restructuring practices, the New York-based financing team advises on acquisition and working capital financings, distressed M&A and restructurings across the investment grade and leveraged markets. The team remains at the forefront of the market, also advising on transactions within the liability management space. Gregory Pessin is a prominent figure in the debt and financing space, and heads the practice. With a clientele of borrowers, creditors and distressed investors, Michael Benn advises on financings for M&A, spin-offs and other deals. John Sobolewski’s broad finance and restructuring practice covers syndicated and direct loans, management company financings and liability management. Focusing particularly on complex corporate transactions, Emily Johnson advises on M&A, divestiture and spin-off financings. Stephanie Marshak and Rod Ghods are other names to note.

Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate Tier 2

Led by Richard Mason , Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz handles a range of areas within bankruptcy and restructuring, including liability management for leveraged businesses, Chapter 11 proceedings, alongside integrating its corporate, real estate, REIT, tax and benefits practices into its restructuring and finance department to provide a full service for clients. Joshua Feltman  provides a cross-disciplinary practice, focused on acquisitions of leveraged entities in connection with in-court and out-of-court workouts as well as the financing aspects of leveraged acquisitions. Emil Kleinhaus advises on litigation related to bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, while Michael Benn represents borrowers, creditors and distressed investors in all types of financing transactions. Michael Cassel is a name to watch for his work on litigation and advisory services related to bankruptcy, liability management and disputes under credit agreements and indentures. Unless otherwise stated, all lawyers are based in New York.

Tax > International tax Tier 2

Based in New York, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is known for advising high profile clients on the tax aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs and other divestitures, joint ventures, financings and financial instruments, and restructurings. Jodi Schwartz focuses on the tax aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and financial instruments. Deborah Paul routinely advises on tax aspects of domestic and cross-border transactions, including strategic acquisitions and private equity buyouts. Eiko Stange has advises on transactions in a wide spectrum of industries including TMT, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, retail, and real estate. Joshua Holmes concentrates his practice on the tax aspects of M&A, joint ventures, spin-offs and financial instruments. Tijana Dvornic and Rachel Reisberg focus on the tax aspects of M&A and other dispositions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures and financing transactions.

Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 2

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz‘s transactional tax team in New York ably services the firm’s M&A practice, advising on the tax aspects of M&A, spin-offs, joint ventures, financings, and restructurings. The group has considerable experience handling major mandates, recently assisting Adobe with its $20bn acquisition of venture-backed product design company Figma as well as Michael Jordan in relation to the sale of his majority stake in NBA team the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by private equity executives. Jodi Schwartz’s broad expertise covers M&A transactions, joint ventures, spin-offs, and financial instruments. Deborah Paul has notable experience in strategic acquisitions and private equity buyouts, while T Eiko Stange advises clients in the telecoms, tech, pharma, banking and financial services, media, real estate, and retail sectors, among others. Joshua Holmes, Tijana Dvornic, and Rachel Reisberg also play key roles in the team.

Antitrust > Merger control Tier 3

M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism Tier 3

Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense