Andrew Freedman named Co-Head of Olshan’s Shareholder Activism Practice

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP today announced that Partner Andrew Freedman has been named Co-Head of Olshan’s Shareholder Activism Practice effective January 1, 2016.

Steve Wolosky, Head of Olshan’s Shareholder Activism Practice and Co-Head of the Corporate/Securities Law practice, commented, “I’m delighted that Andy will be serving as Co-Head of the firm’s Shareholder Activism Practice, as he’s one of a handful of leading attorneys in the nation practicing in this area, advising some of the nation’s most prolific activist investors.” Mr. Wolosky continued, “Andy has been instrumental not only in assuming a leadership role within the firm to continue to expand Olshan’s practice, but has taken on a larger role in the activist community to communicate to the media and the business community the mission of shareholder activism, leading to significantly increased mainstream acceptance.”

Olshan’s Shareholder Activism Practice once again dominated the activism space with another record-breaking year having worked on 90 activist campaigns to date. The practice has been consistently acknowledged by media and industry leaders, including a recent profile in Business Insider stating that, Olshan “crushed it in 2015” as the “…go-to legal adviser for many of Wall Street's biggest and most successful activists” and comments in the December 2015 edition of Activist Insight’s Activism Monthly that, “Special credit must go to Olshan Frome Wolosky which this year advised on more than three-times as many campaigns as the next busiest law firm.” In the same issue, Olshan was listed as the #1 law firm advising shareholder activists in 2015, noting, “As in previous years, the sheer number of activist campaigns overseen by Steve Wolosky's activist practice put other firms in the shade.”  

Andrew Freedman commented, “It’s already apparent that 2016 is shaping up to be another extremely busy and eventful year for shareholder activism.”  Mr. Freedman continued, “It’s truly the golden age of shareholder activism, and it’s exciting to be at the epicenter of this rising tide. I’m looking forward to leading the firm and its activist clients towards continued success as Co-Head of the practice.”

The Shareholder Activism Practice has consistently received top rankings across the board in every league table and publication that covers shareholder activism, and once again dominated the WSJ-Fact Set League Tables for 2015 with its #1 ranking.  IR Magazine ranked Olshan’s Activist Shareholder Practice in December 2015 as “the top of the list of law firms engaged to assist shareholders in activist campaigns this year, with almost four times as many campaigns as the next-most active law firm.” The practice has also been acknowledged by Reuters and Activist Insight as a leading activist practice nationwide.

Olshan has received numerous peer and industry honors and recognitions, most recently a “Tier 1” National Ranking for Securities and Capital Markets, “Tier 2” National Ranking for Real Estate Law, and “Tier 1” ranking in the New York City Metropolitan area for both Securities and Capital Markets and Real Estate Law by U.S. News-Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” 2016; acknowledgement of two partners by Chambers USA 2015 as “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business”; selection of thirty-nine attorneys for Super Lawyers® 2015 New York Metro and the selection of five partners for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2016.

About Shareholder Activism Practice

Olshan's Shareholder Activism Practice is widely recognized as the nation's premier practice in representing activist investors in contested director elections, and counsels investors on a wide variety of activist strategies, from proxy contests, consent solicitations and hostile takeovers to letter-writing campaigns and behind-the-scenes discussions with management and boards of directors. The Shareholder Activism Practice has been involved in seeking Board representation at over 400 public companies, including many high-profile activist situations over the past several years such as Starboard Value at Darden Restaurants and H Partners at Tempur Sealy International.

 About Olshan

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP, a law firm based in New York, represents major businesses and entrepreneurs in their most significant transactions, problems and opportunities. Olshan’s clients range from public companies, hedge, venture capital, private equity and other investment funds to entrepreneurs and private companies worldwide. Clients choose Olshan for innovative strategies and sophisticated, game-changing advice in corporate, securities law, equity investment and shareholder activism, complex commercial, corporate and securities litigation, real estate, intellectual property, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, and advertising. Since its founding, Olshan has offered an alternative to the AmLaw 50 law firm business model with responsive, independent and client-focused legal counsel provided by the firm’s senior lawyers.