Wachtell Lipton
A prominent American law firm known for handling complex corporate mergers and acquisitions.
First Mentioned
4/26/2026, 2:06:09 AM
Last Updated
4/26/2026, 2:09:46 AM
Research Retrieved
4/26/2026, 2:09:46 AM
Summary
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, commonly known as Wachtell Lipton, is an elite American "white-shoe" law firm headquartered in a single Manhattan office in New York City. Founded in 1965, the firm is renowned for its expertise in high-stakes mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and litigation, notably through founding partner Martin Lipton's invention of the "poison pill" defense. Despite its relatively small headcount compared to other AmLaw 100 firms, Wachtell Lipton handles some of the world's largest transactions, including potential mega-mergers like SpaceX and Tesla. The firm is currently positioned as a key advisor for a significant wave of technology IPOs anticipated in 2026, involving companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Founded
1965-01-01
Full Name
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Company Type
General partnership
Headquarters
CBS Building, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019, USA
Partner Count
86 partners (2025 estimate)
Annual Revenue
1.20 billion USD (2024)
Attorney Count
267 attorneys (2025 estimate)
Total Employees
501-1,000 employees
Profit per Equity Partner
9.04 million USD (2024)
Timeline
- The firm is founded in New York City by Herbert Wachtell and Jerry Kern, later joined by Martin Lipton, Leonard Rosen, and George Katz. (Source: undefined)
1965-01-01
- Founding partner Martin Lipton invents the "poison pill" (shareholder rights plan) to defend against hostile takeovers. (Source: undefined)
1982-01-01
- The firm takes a lead role in structuring the 200 billion USD settlement between major tobacco companies and 52 U.S. states and territories. (Source: undefined)
1998-01-01
- Wachtell Lipton is called to represent the leaseholder of the World Trade Center in litigation with property insurers following the 9/11 attacks. (Source: undefined)
2001-09-11
- The firm reports record financial metrics, including 1.20 billion USD in revenue and over 9 million USD in profit per equity partner. (Source: undefined)
2024-01-01
- Anticipated date for a wave of major technology IPOs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) for which the firm is providing advisory services. (Source: undefined)
2026-01-01
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (known as Wachtell; WOK-TEL) is an American white-shoe law firm in New York City. Wachtell operates from a single Manhattan office and is one of the smallest firms in the AmLaw 100.
Web Search Results
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz - Wikipedia
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | | | --- | | | | | Headquarters | CBS Building New York City, New York, U.S. | | No. of offices | 1 | | No. of attorneys | 267-1) | | Major practice areas | General practice | | Revenue | US$1.20 billion (2024)-1) | | Profit per equity partner | US$9.04 million (2024)-1) | | Date founded | 1965; 61 years ago (1965) | | Founders | Herbert Wachtell Jerry Kern | | Company type | General partnership | | Website | www.wlrk.com | Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (known as Wachtell; WOK-TEL) is an American white-shoe law firm in New York City. Wachtell operates from a single Manhattan office and is one of the smallest firms in the AmLaw 100. ## History [...] Martin Lipton, a founding partner in the firm, invented the so-called "poison pill defense" during the 1980s, a shareholders' rights plan designed to foil hostile takeovers. Acting for both sides of mergers and acquisitions, Wachtell Lipton has represented public companies, including AT&T, Pfizer, and JP Morgan Chase. [...] ## History The firm was founded in 1965 by Herbert Wachtell and Jerry Kern, who were joined shortly after by Martin Lipton, Leonard Rosen, and George Katz. The four named partners met at New York University School of Law where they were editors on the New York University Law Review. The firm rose to prominence on Wall Street during an era when brokers and investment bankers frequently launched small firms, but received little attention from established white-shoe law firms.
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
# Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz N/A Law Practice • New York, NY • 37,955 followers • 501-1,000 employees ## Overview Wachtell Lipton was founded on a handshake in 1965 as a small group of lawyers dedicated to providing advice and expertise at the highest levels. We have achieved extraordinary results following the distinctive vision of our founders -- a cohesive team of lawyers intensely focused on solving our clients' most important problems. ### Website ### Crunchbase N/A ### LinkedIn ### Industry Law Practice ### Company Size 501-1,000 employees 622 associated members (LinkedIn members who've listed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as their current workplace on their profile) ### Founded 1965 [...] Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (6d): Wachtell Lipton represents Warburg Pincus LLC in its acquisition of TheGuarantors Click here to read more: [Likes: 90, Comments: 0]; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (1w): Wachtell Lipton represents Public Storage in its $10.5 billion all-stock acquisition of NSA Storage , to create a $77 billion combined company, and in the related formation of a joint venture with an estimated value of approximately $3.3 billion, to be managed by Public Storage Click here to read more: [Likes: 112, Comments: 1]; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (1w): Wachtell Lipton represents Salesforce on a series of landmark financing transactions, including: 🔷$25 billion senior unsecured notes offering — one of the largest bond offerings by an investment‑grade issuer in history 🔷$6 [...] bond offerings by an investment‑grade issuer in history 🔷$6 billion unsecured term loan facility 🔷$25 billion accelerated share repurchase (ASR) — the largest ASR ever executed Click here to read more: [Likes: 50, Comments: 0]; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (2w): Wachtell Lipton is proud to be recognized as one of Law360 ’s Sports & Betting Groups of the Year for 2025. We are grateful to the clients who trust us with their most complex and high‑stakes matters in a rapidly evolving industry. We look forward to what’s ahead. Click here to read more: (Note: Article may be behind a paywall.) [Likes: 51, Comments: 0]; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (2w): We’re proud to announce that Bill Savitt, co‑chair of Wachtell Lipton’s Litigation Department, has been recognized by The American Lawyer
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP - Above the Law
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is about as New York as they come -- since its founding in 1965, the firm has never expanded beyond a single Manhattan office, though today they employ nearly 300 lawyers. Wachtell has always stood out from the crowd, largely because it avoids handling routine legal matters and instead focuses on the risky, complex, bet-the-company matters that scare many other firm's off, and even its competitors admire it for it. Unquestionably one of the world's elite firms, Wachtell dominates the corporate finance sphere, with equally strong showings in M&A, restructuring, shareholder activism, and corporate governance. The firm's corporate clients also benefit from its expertise in handling sensitive litigation, investigation, and corporate restructuring matters. [...] investigation, and corporate restructuring matters. Wachtell is also known for maintaining a low partner-to-associate ratio and tailoring its teams to the unique needs of each case. [...] ### Firm Stats Firm Name : Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP U.S. Lawyer Headcount : 302 Headcount Change Since 2016 : Overall +43 Partner +21 Salary Scale : Market + Hours Required : Unspecified Mandatory Arbitration? : No Average Lawyer Tenure at Firm (Years) : 7.3 Revenue Per Lawyer Change Over Five Years : 27% Women Partners (as Percentage of U.S. Lawyer Headcount) : 6% Women Partners (As a Percentage of U.S. Partnership) : 23% Promotion Rate : 2% Leopard Solutions is our primary data partner for the Law Firm Transparency Project. This data was compiled in the first quarter of 2022. For the most current data, visit Leopard Solutions. ### Firm Policies Benefits and Perks
- Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz - Firm Profile | Benchmark Litigation
Takeover and Merger Litigation: We are known for trendsetting takeover, transactional, and corporate governance litigation. We litigated the Revlon, Household, and other cases in the 1980s that set the doctrinal framework for all subsequent deal litigation. And the Firm continues to lead in the area — year after year, Wachtell Lipton handles the most important corporate governance and takeover cases in the nation, from the seminal case Corwin v. KKR Financial, which recognized the merger ratification defense to the successful Airgas trial (in which the court reaffirmed the “poison pill” takeover defense against a generation of attack) to the successful Vulcan trial (in which the Firm secured an unprecedented order enjoining a hostile takeover bid) to the successful Sotheby’s defense of [...] and 49 state attorneys general. Following the tragic events of 9/11, we were called upon to represent the leaseholder of the World Trade Center in two jury trials with its property insurers that ultimately helped it secure enough money to rebuild the site. And we continue to represent Philip Morris USA in arbitrations and litigation that have arisen under the landmark 1998 settlement between the major tobacco companies and 52 states and territories. Wachtell Lipton previously had the lead role structuring and negotiating this more than $200 billion settlement. [...] 1. Home 2. Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz # Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz ##### Global Print) Share × You can monitor any changes that take place at Law Firms you follow. To begin to track them click on Set up Alert. loading dialog... Wachtell1.png Profile Jurisdiction Analysis Practitioners Head Office Address: 51 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019 United States Telephone:+1 212 403 1000 Fax:+1 212 403 2000 Email: Contact us Web: Visit website #### Firm overview
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – Law Firm Profile | ILRG
About About Us Contact Us Testimonials Terms of Use Privacy Policy # Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Law Firm Profile Ranked #172 of America's 350 Largest Law Firms (2025) in the Northeast · New York, NY ▲ Up 2 from #174 in 2024 Attorneys 267 Partners 86 YoY Change +1.0% Att./Partner Ratio 3.1:1 | Firm Overview (2025) | | Firm: | Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | | Base City: | New York, NY | | Region: | Northeast | | Website: | | | 2025 Rank: | #172 | | 2024 Rank: | #174 | | Attorney Counts (2025) | | Total Attorneys: | 267 | | Total Partners: | 86 | | Change: | 1.0% | ### Historical Trajectory [...] ### Historical Trajectory | Year | Rank | Attorneys | Partners | --- --- | | 2025 | #172 | 267 | 86 | | 2024 | — | 264 | — | | 2022 | #152 | 288 | 91 | | 2021 | — | 277 | — | | 2018 | #160 | 267 | 80 | | 2017 | — | 243 | — | | 2015 | #165 | 261 | 84 | | 2014 | — | 267 | — | | 2013 | — | 260 | — | ### Detailed Breakdown (2022 Data) The most recent year with full reporting. Associates, salary, and equity breakdown are not available in 2025 data. | Partner Breakdown (2022) | | Total Partners: | 91 | | Equity Partners: | 91 (100.0%) | | Associates & Salary (2022) | | Associates: | 165 (57.3% of firm) | #### Related Rankings View all largest law firms Largest law firms in NY Largest law firms in the Northeast ← #171 Offit Kurman #173 Armstrong Teasdale → [...] Public Legal