Obituaries

Wachtell Lipton co-founder Leonard Rosen dies at 83

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Leonard Rosen, the co-founder of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, has died at the age of 83.

Rosen created Wachtell Lipton’s bankruptcy practice and was a partner at the firm from 1965 until 1997, when he took on an of counsel role, according to the law firm. He died on Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog and Bloomberg News have stories.

When New York City was near bankruptcy in 1975, Rosen and other lawyers at the firm prepared the agreements, legislation and tax rulings needed for the city to obtain financing. He represented bank lenders to Chrysler in the early 1980s and helped produce an agreement that allowed the automaker to survive.

He also helped draft the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and was an adjunct law professor at New York University.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges bankruptcy partner Harvey Miller called Rosen “a solution man” in an interview with the Law Blog. Wachtell Lipton partner Daniel Neff called Rosen “a great lawyer and even better as a person.”

Bloomberg spoke with Gregory Milmoe, a partner in the restructuring practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom who worked with Rosen. “To say that he was universally admired would be an understatement,” Milmoe said.

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