Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Michael Cassel

Michael H. Cassel joined Wachtell Lipton in 2018 and became a partner in 2026. He focuses on litigation and advisory work related to bankruptcy, insolvency, and liability management.

Adam Emmerich

Adam Emmerich is Chair of Wachtell Lipton’s Corporate Department. Adam’s practice has included a broad and varied representation of public and private companies in a wide range of industries throughout the United States and around the world, in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, financing transactions and securities law matters. Adam also has extensive experience and expertise in corporate governance, shareholder activism, and takeover defense and contested acquisition matters.

Ilene Gotts

Edward Herlihy

Edward D. Herlihy served for 20 years (through October 2023) as the co-chairman of the Executive Committee at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and continues to serve as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has been a partner since 1984, focusing on some of the largest and most complex bank and financial institution mergers and acquisitions and recapitalizations throughout the United States. He is often called upon to represent companies involved in takeover battles and proxy contests, including investment banking firms in connection with a wide variety of financial institution matters.

Jarrett Hoffman

David Katz

David A. Katz is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City, an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law, and chair of the Board of Advisors of the NYU Law Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance. Mr. Katz is a corporate attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, shareholder activism and complex securities transactions, has been involved in many major domestic and international merger, acquisition and buyout transactions, strategic defense assignments and proxy contests, and has been involved in a number of complex public and private offerings and corporate restructurings. He frequently counsels boards of directors and board committees on corporate governance matters and crisis management.

Daniel Neff

Daniel A. Neff served for 20 years (through October 2023) as the co-chairman of the Executive Committee in the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He continues to serve as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a corporate and securities lawyer, and has focused on mergers and acquisitions and advice to boards of directors and board committees.

Jeannemarie O’Brien

Jeannemarie O’Brien is a partner in the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she is active in the firm’s merger and acquisition practice, focusing on the executive compensation and employee benefits aspects of transactions, with a particular emphasis on transactions involving financial services institutions. She has been involved in many major domestic and international merger, acquisition and buyout transactions, strategic defense assignments and proxy contests. Ms. O’Brien also advises companies and their boards on governance issues and assists companies and senior executives on executive compensation matters in both the public and private sectors.

Robin Panovka

Robin Panovka co-chairs Wachtell Lipton’s Real Estate and REIT M&A practices, which are consistently at the forefront of M&A and other major transactions in the REIT, private equity, real estate, hospitality and gaming industries. He also advises on activism defense, strategy, cross-border transactions, and large scale development projects, including the redevelopment of the World Trade Center and Little Island in Manhattan.

Deborah Paul

Deborah L. Paul is a partner in the Tax Department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz where she specializes in the tax aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spinoffs and financial instruments. Debbie has been the principal tax lawyer on numerous domestic and cross-border transactions, including strategic acquisitions and private equity buyouts, in a wide array of industries.

Steven Rosenblum

Steven A. Rosenblum is continuing an active practice as Of Counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, after serving as a Partner of the firm from 1989 through 2025 and as Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department from 2010 through 2025. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, takeover defense, corporate governance, shareholder and hedge fund activism, proxy fights, joint ventures and securities law.

Michael Schobel

Jodi Schwartz

Jodi J. Schwartz focuses on the tax aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and financial instruments. Ms. Schwartz has been the principal tax lawyer on numerous domestic and cross-border transactions in a wide range of industries. She was elected partner in 1990.

Elina Tetelbaum

Elina (Lina) Tetelbaum is a Corporate Partner and Head of Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Ms. Tetelbaum regularly counsels on proxy fights, takeover defense, corporate governance, crisis management and mergers and acquisitions.