Scott Barshay Joins Paul, Weiss as Global Head of M&A

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Scott A. Barshay is joining the firm as Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, where he will focus on advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, activist defense, corporate governance and other significant corporate matters.

"Scott is widely recognized as one of the country's leading M&A lawyers, advising the world's largest companies on their most complex corporate transactions and governance issues," said Paul, Weiss Chair Brad S. Karp. "We are delighted to welcome Scott to our firm."

"While I've very much enjoyed practicing law at Cravath, I am thrilled to join Paul, Weiss, a firm I've long admired," said Mr. Barshay. "Paul Weiss's wide range of highest quality practices and extraordinary lawyers will be invaluable in serving the needs of our clients."

"The breadth and depth of Scott's practice perfectly complement our firm," said Robert B. Schumer, chair of Paul, Weiss's Corporate Department. "Our clients worldwide will benefit from Scott's unparalleled expertise in public M&A representation and board-level strategic counsel."

Paul, Weiss is a leader in M&A, and its public M&A practice regularly advises blue-chip companies on major strategic transactions. The firm's 2016 deals include advising Time Warner Cable in its pending approximately $79 billion proposed merger with Charter Communications; EXOR, an investment company headquartered in Italy, in its recently completed approximately $7 billion unsolicited cash bid for PartnerRe; and funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management in the pending approximately $15 billion acquisition of ADT Corporation. Paul, Weiss has advised on more than 65 deals each valued in the billion or multibillion dollar range during the past two years.

Mr. Barshay has represented clients in many of the biggest and highest-profile M&A transactions and activist defense matters in recent years. In 2015, Mr. Barshay worked on transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $250 billion. His significant M&A representations over the past year include advising 3G Capital and H.J. Heinz in the $60 billion Kraft-Heinz merger; Anheuser-Busch InBev in its $107 billion acquisition of SABMiller; Cameron International in its $15 billion sale to Schlumberger; Honeywell in its $90 billion proposal to acquire United Technologies; and Starwood Hotels in its contested pending $13.6 billion sale to Marriott International.

Mr. Barshay's significant recent activist defense representations include advising Avon in its settlement agreement with Barington Capital; Cheniere Energy in an accumulation of over 12% of Cheniere's stock by Carl Icahn; Qualcomm in the accumulation of more than $2.5 billion of Qualcomm's stock by JANA Partners; and Xerox in the accumulation of more than 7% of Xerox's stock by Carl Icahn and subsequent separation into two public companies.

News organizations and legal publications consistently recognize Mr. Barshay as one of the country's leading M&A lawyers. In December, The Wall Street Journal featured Mr. Barshay as one of seven leading deal makers (and the only lawyer) in the United States. Last year, Mr. Barshay was named to the National Law Journal's list of M&A Trailblazers; in 2011, the Financial Times named him one of its ten most innovative lawyers in North America for his role in defending Barnes & Noble from activist attacks.

Mr. Barshay received a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Colgate University in 1988, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in 1991, where he was a Stone Scholar. He joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1991 and was named a partner in 1998.