Former Delaware Chancellor Andre Bouchard has joined the Wilmington office of the law firm of Paul, Weiss.
Bouchard joins the firm’s Litigation Department and becomes a partner in its Wilmington office, focusing on the special committee and investigative matters, corporate governance, and litigation strategy.
Bouchard served as Chancellor of the Court of Chancery from May 2014 until his retirement in May. He adjudicated cases such as the merger dispute between Viacom, Inc. and CBS and the recent restructuring battle involving share office space company WeWork.
Bouchard also presided over the controversial sale of New York translation services company TransPerfect when the 50-50 owners could no longer work together and could not agree on a buyout. The case is still producing litigation from the company and current owner Philip Shawe, mainly over fees paid to a court-appointed custodian.
Bouchard oversaw an expansion of the court from five constitutional judicial officers to seven and the court’s pivot to all-remote proceedings during the pandemic.
“We are thrilled that Andy, who has had a profound impact on Delaware jurisprudence, including as Chancellor the past seven years, is joining our partnership,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “Andy’s unique perspective on Delaware law, his powerful intellect, and his long and successful career as a litigator will offer extraordinary benefits to our clients.”
The Wilmington office of the law firm has six attorneys, including former Vice Chancellor Stephen Lamb.
“I am excited to join Paul, Weiss, which has one of the most successful and dynamic practices involving high stake issues of Delaware law,” Bouchard said. “I also greatly appreciate Paul, Weiss’s collegial, collaborative culture, and look forward to working closely with my new colleagues, many of whom I already know and admire professionally.”
Before his appointment, Bouchard spent almost three decades in private practice, including 17 years as the managing partner of a corporate and commercial litigation boutique he founded alongside former Vice Chancellor and current Paul, Weiss of counsel Lamb. The firm handled corporate law litigation, partnership and alternate entity disputes, and commercial litigation.
Bouchard represented The Walt Disney Company in one of the Chancery Court’s most famous cases, a shareholder lawsuit. The company successfully defended itself against claims by investors challenging a $140 million severance package paid to Michael Ovitz in 1997.
Bouchard earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Boston College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Bouchard is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the American College of Governance Counsel and a member of The American Law Institute. He was recently named chair of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance board of advisors at the University of Delaware.
New York City-based Paul, Weiss (www.paulweiss.com), formally known as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, has more than 1,000 lawyers.
