Jeffrey Rosen, Senior Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department, is one of the leading M&A lawyers in New York. Mr. Rosen is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets Groups. In addition to mergers and acquisitions, his practice has focused on complex joint ventures, restructurings and securities offerings, and corporate governance matters. He also counsels boards and senior management on critical governance issues, including risk management, activist challenges and restructurings.

Mr. Rosen is ranked in Band 1 for corporate M&A by Chambers Global (2017–2024), which has described him as a “major force in the market,” “one of the finest lawyers in town,” “excellent at deal strategy and execution” and “extraordinarily experienced, intelligent and creative.” He is also recommended as a Band 1 lawyer for M&A by Chambers USA (2024), where clients say he is “a superb negotiator” who is “incredibly bright and always sees a step ahead of everyone.” He receives further praise for his “ability to synthesize and explain very complex factual and legal matters,” with clients noting that “he’s incredible; he is a great team player and he commands the room.” Clients also value his “phenomenal mind,” with one client adding that he is “at the top of the game,” a “superstar” and “one of the smartest guys that I have met in my whole life,” while another has said that his “main strength is that he can anticipate the questions I don't ask,” elaborating that “he's one of the most intelligent people I've dealt with,” and that “he has a complete grasp of business, structure and tax issues.” He is recognized as a leading M&A lawyer by IFLR1000 (2022) and in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for large ($1bn+) deals. The Hall of Fame highlights individuals who have received constant praise by their clients and who at the pinnacle of their profession have been recognized by The Legal 500 as one of the elite leading lawyers for six consecutive years. In The Legal 500 US (2012-2024), Mr. Rosen is lauded as “vastly experienced,” “a big name in high-value M&A,” and praised by clients for his “M&A strategy and execution” and “board interface.” Clients also say he is “among the consummate M&A/corporate lawyers in the country” and “one of the strongest lawyers I have worked with.” He “has a grasp of every facet of a deal,” “understands the pulse of the negotiations” and is “unfazed by deal complexity.”

In 2010, Mr. Rosen was one of three corporate lawyers recognized by The National Law Journal on its list of “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers” – the 40 lawyers whose work the publication said “was so consequential that it helped to push the profession, an industry or a practice area substantially forward.” He was named Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer in 2009 for his representation of Verizon Wireless in its $28.1 billion acquisition of Alltel Corporation, in 2007, for his representation of International Paper in its $6.1 billion divestiture of timberlands, and in 2004, for his representation of General Electric and NBC in their $14 billion acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Rosen served as Executive Assistant to Treasury Secretary G. William Miller and was a law clerk to the Hon. William J. Brennan, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court and the Hon. J. Skelly Wright, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Mr. Rosen received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1978, where he was Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review and a recipient of the Sears Prize and the Fay Diploma. He received his B.A. magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard University in 1971.