TheCorporateCounsel.net

Our friends at Weil let us know the sad news that corporate governance legend Ira Millstein passed away on Wednesday.  Here’s an excerpt from the firm’s announcement of his passing:

International law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges, LLP is saddened to announce today that our partner Ira M. Millstein died yesterday evening. He was 97 years old.

Mr. Millstein joined Weil in 1951, after spending two years at the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. He was the Firm’s 11th partner. He played a key role in developing Weil into the full-service international corporate law firm it is today, and we credit him with helping to instill Weil with its unique culture of entrepreneurship, teamwork, camaraderie and the commitment to the greater community that remains today.

“The legal community has lost a true visionary,” said Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf. “We mourn the loss of our partner and friend, and celebrate his achievements and his role in shaping Weil into the Firm it is today.”

If you take a moment to click on the link to the bio included in Weil’s announcement, you’ll begin to get a sense of just how towering a figure Ira Millstein was. In addition to his many accomplishments as a practitioner, Mr. Millstein was noted for his philanthropy and community service. He was also a formidable intellect who authored numerous books and articles on corporate governance topics, and he founded the Ira Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School. Here’s a video in which he reflects on his life, career, and the Millstein Center.

All of us here at TheCorporateCounsel.net extend our sincere condolences to Ira Millstein’s friends and family, as well as to all of his colleagues at Weil. He will most assuredly be missed by everyone in the legal and corporate governance community.

– John Jenkins