New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
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. 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. It also adm ...
in Russian Area Studies. In 1975, he earned a J.D. ''cum laude'' from
New York University School of Law
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 is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in Ne ...
, where he was elected to the
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap ...
. He was Topics editor of the '' New York University Law Review''; 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
Inzer Bass Wyatt (March 29, 1907 – January 17, 1990) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Education and career
Born in Huntsville, Alabama, ...
of the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York State. Two of these are in New York City: New Y ...
."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 chairman of the firm, the first person to hold that title in its history, remaining as chair 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 U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
, on behalf of American Express, 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'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''. On June 25, the court ruled in favor of
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...
.
Chesler is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation, 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) ...
Federal Bar Council
The Federal Bar Council is a not-for-profit specialty bar association whose membership consists of lawyers and judges who practice primarily in federal courts within the Second Circuit. The Second Circuit covers the following districts:
Distric ...
’s Whitney North Seymour Award, and a “Litigator of the Year” award from The American Lawyer, in 2019. He has also received a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the ''
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 fr ...
The Legal 500 Top-Tier Firm Rankings, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP">The Legal 500">The Legal 500 Top-Tier Firm Rankings, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Best Lawyers, Evan R. Chesler
Benchmark Litigation, Evan Chesler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesler, Evan R.
New York University School of Law alumni
Hunter College alumni
Living people
1949 births
20th-century American businesspeople
Cravath, Swaine & Moore partners
American law firm executives