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Summary: A Cravath, Swaine & Moore partner exited recently to head the M&A department of a rival firm.
In a bold move, one of Wall Street’s largest dealmakers is losing a powerhouse attorney for its rival. Marketwatch reports that Scott Barshay is leaving Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP to oversee mergers and acquisitions at Paul, Weiss Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, also known as Paul, Weiss. Barshay had been a partner at Cravath since 1998.
“We are delighted to welcome Scott to our firm,” Paul, Weiss Chair Brad S. Karp said.
Marketwatch stated that it is rare for a high profile deal lawyer like Barclay to switch firms.
Barshay, 50, spent his entire career at Cravath, and he had an impressive book of corporate clients. Last year, he worked on nearly $300 billion in transactions. According to the Paul, Weiss press release, deals included advising 3G Capital and H.J. Heinz in the $60 billion Kraft-Heinz merger and advising Anheuser-Busch InBev in its acquisition of SABMiller.
Barshay’s clients have included Barnes & Noble, Honeywell, IBM, and Starwood Hotels. According to his Paul, Weiss profile, “His practice principally focuses on advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, activist defense and other significant corporate matters. Scott also regularly counsels corporations and their directors on securities law, corporate governance and crisis management issues.”
Barshay earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1991. He has been recognized as being one of the country’s leading M&A lawyers. For instance, in 2016, The Wall Street Journal named him one of the seven top dealmakers from 2015 due to his work on major M&A transactions.
A spokeswoman for Cravath said, “We wish him the best in his endeavors.”
Source: Marketwatch