The Decade’s Most Influential Corporate Lawyers

The National Law Journal recently published a list of the most influential lawyers of the last decade in each area of practice. We at the Forum were pleased to see that, out of the three attorneys selected as most influential in the corporate area, two are guest contributors of the Forum. The three attorneys selected in the corporate area are as follows:

H. Rodgin Cohen of Sullivan & Cromwell, a guest contributor to the Forum. Among other things, the National Law Journal noted Mr. Cohen’s role in the deals that rescued AIG and Fannie Mae and the sales of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, as well as the help he provided policymakers in crafting the response to the financial crisis. Mr. Cohen’s most recent posts on the Forum are available here.

Edward Herlihy of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a guest contributor to the Forum. Among other things, the National Law Journal noted that Mr. Herlihy played a key role in the response to the financial crisis, including advising U.S. Treasury Department officials on their takeover of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. During the years preceding the crisis, he worked on some of the biggest mergers and acquisitions of the decade, including Bank of America’s acquisitions of Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch. Mr. Herlihy’s most recent posts on the Forum are available here.

Jeffrey Rosen of Debevoise & Plimpton. Among other things, the National Law Journal noted that Mr. Rosen was involved in two of the largest deals of the last decade – the merger that created NBC Universal, and the purchase by International Paper Co. of 5.7 million acres of timberland.

The National Law Journal’s complete list of influential lawyers is available here, and its discussion of the most influential lawyers in the corporate field is available here.