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Rob Kindler Discusses Lawyers’ Pivotal Role in Deals and Move to Paul, Weiss in Bloomberg Law Profile
September 22, 2023
Corporate partner Rob Kindler discussed his return to private practice and the central role lawyers now play in orchestrating M&A deals in a profile in Bloomberg Law. In “Ex-Morgan Stanley M&A Head Sees ‘First Call’ on Deals in Law Job,” published on September 22, Rob notes that his return to practicing law is timely.
“When I was a lawyer 23 years ago, it was usually the bankers that got the first call on deals,” Rob says. “Now it’s entirely different—it’s the lawyers.”
Amid new regulatory hurdles and an increased focus on ESG issues, lawyers are the best placed to guide corporate clients in dealmaking, he adds.
In his new role as Global Chair of the M&A Group at Paul, Weiss, Rob plans to build on the group’s major-deals work, which has recently included World Wrestling Entertainment’s $21.4 billion merger with Ultimate Fighting Championship, Apollo funds’ $8.1 billion acquisition of Univar Solutions, and Merck's $10.8 billion acquisition of Prometheus Biosciences.
Rob, who has worked on many of the largest deals for over 40 years, will also advise clients on activist attacks. “I’ve done more activism than any other professional on Wall Street, since the early ‘80s, and so I think I do have a reputation for that,” Rob says. “Paul, Weiss also already has a reputation because they’ve had huge successes,” including successfully defending clients in proxy fights with activist investor Carl Icahn.
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