Evan Robert Chesler is an American lawyer and retired partner at
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (known as Cravath; ) is an American white-shoe law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm has additional offices in London and Washington, D.C.
History
In 1854, former college classmates William H. Seward (la ...
. He was the first person in the history of the firm to hold the title of Chairman.
Education and career
Chesler received an A.B. degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
with highest honors in History, in 1970, then, in 1973, received an M.A. from
Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
in Russian Area Studies. In 1975, he earned a J.D. ''cum laude'' from
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City.
Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...
, where he was elected to the
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...
. He was Topics editor of the ''
New York University Law Review
The ''New York University Law Review'' is a bimonthly general law review covering legal scholarship in all areas, including legal theory and policy, environmental law, legal history, and international law. The journal was established in 1924 as a ...
''; a junior fellow at the Center for International Studies, where he co-authored two published articles on aspects of international law, and was twice a recipient of the John Norton Pomeroy Prize for academic excellence, as well as the Benjamin Butler Prize. Following graduation, he became a law clerk to Inzer B. Wyatt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York."Evan Chesler Elected Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore", Summer 2006, page 6. Retrieved September 6, 2020. /ref>
He joined Cravath in 1976 as a litigation associate, was elected partner in 1982, then became head of the litigation department in 1996. In November 2005, he was elected as deputy presiding partner, and on January 1, 2007, became the firm's 14th presiding partner, holding that position through 2012. On January 1, 2013, he became the firm's inaugural chairman, a position he held through 2021.
In February 2018, Chesler argued for the first time before the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
on behalf of
American Express
American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
in '' Ohio v. American Express Co.'', a case with “high stakes for AmEx’s business model” and “broader ramifications for other companies that have multisided business platforms, especially in the tech sector”, according to ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
''. On June 25, the court ruled in favor of
American Express
American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
.
Chesler is a fellow of the
American College of Trial Lawyers
The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) is a professional association of trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, especially tri ...
, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the
American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is a nonprofit research institute established in 1952 and located in Chicago, United States. The American Bar Foundation is located in the same building as Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in do ...
, and the New York Bar Foundation. He is the president of the Institute of Judicial Administration, and chairman of the board of trustees of the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
The American Lawyer
''The American Lawyer'' is a monthly legal magazine and website published by ALM Media. The periodical and its parent company, ALM (then American Lawyer Media), were founded in 1979 by Steven Brill.New York Law Journal
The ''New York Law Journal'', founded in 1888, is a legal periodical covering the legal profession in New York, United States.
Background
The newspaper, published Monday through Friday, provides daily coverage of civil and criminal cases from ...