Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was founded in 1965 and focuses on major business transactions and sensitive corporate situations. Its services include mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, takeovers and takeover defense, shareholder activism, securities law, and corporate governance. It advises both acquirers and targets, as well as boards and senior management.

The practice also includes investigations, litigation, and corporate restructurings. The firm describes limiting the number and types of matters it takes and organizing teams across practices around the demands of a particular engagement. Its published model emphasizes substantial partner involvement and a comparatively low ratio of associates to partners.

For students, the firm's structure is as distinctive as its practice list. Transactional, governance, and disputes skills can be assembled around a critical client problem rather than treated as separate services. Its materials explain how selective matter intake and cross-practice teams shape that approach to complex corporate work.