Forum Contributors among the American Lawyer’s Dealmakers of the Year

American Lawyer Magazine recently released its list of the 25 Dealmakers of the Year. Available here, the list identifies individual lawyers who played leading roles in seminal transactions in 2008 that have helped shape the financial regulatory landscape. The list includes four individuals who are contributors to our Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. The list also includes an additional four individuals who are graduates of Harvard Law School.

The transactions include many headline-grabbing deals, most of which occurred during the height of the financial crisis. The transactions include the the restructurings and federal interventions in AIG and Citi, the JP Morgan / Bear Stearns and Bank of America / Merill Lynch business combinations, and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.

The selected transaction attorneys worked across multiple practice areas, including M&A, capital markets and bankruptcy. According to the American Lawyer, “[t]ogether these dealmakers are an interesting mix. Some were busy getting deals that faced financing, regulatory, or litigation hurdles to the finish line. Others were even busier laying the foundation for the unprecedented run of bailouts, workouts, and rescue deals that have dominated the post-Lehman financial landscape.”

The list includes Harvard Law School graduate H. Rodgin Cohen, who was ranked first among the 25 dealmakers for his roles in multiple transactions. In addition, the list recognizes three graduates of the class of ’78: George Bason Jr., Michael Wiseman, and Jeffrey Rosen.

The four Forum contributors on the list are:

• George Bason Jr., Davis Polk & Wardwell, HLS ’78 and Forum guest contributor, for his work on multiple Citi restructuring transactions

• John Finley, Simpson Thacher & Barlett LLP, HLS ’81. Forum contributor and member of the Program on Corporate Governance Advisory Board, for his work on Mars’s acquisition of Wrigley

• Edward Herlihy, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Forum guest contributor, for his work on Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch

• Marshall Huebner, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Forum guest contributor, for his work on the AIG rescue deals

The additional representation of HLS on the list comes from the following four graduates:

• H. Rodgin Cohen, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, HLS ’68, for his work on bank rescues

• Robert Joffe, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, HLS ’67, for his various independent director representations

• Jeffrey Rosen, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, HLS ’78, for his work on Verizon Wireless’s acquisition of Alltel

• Michael Wiseman, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, HLS ’78, for his work on the AIG rescue deals