Prior to joining Salomon Inc. as its Executive Vice President and General Counsel in September 1992, Robert was Co-Chairman of the New York law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and University Professor of Law and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he had taught since 1965. He served as Dean of that institution for seven and a half years (1982-1989).
Robert advises on corporate governance issues and has counseled special committees in the buy-outs of HCA, Aramark and Bright Horizons. He also chaired the Special Committee in the buy-out of Quadra Realty Trust. He advised the Review Committee of the JPMorgan Chase Board of Directors in connection with its review of the issues arising out of the London Whale matter.
Among his other professional activities, Robert has been General Counsel to the U.S. Treasury Department (1977-1980); Special Counsel to the Securities and Exchange Commission (1962-1963); and Vice Chairman, Governor-at-Large and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Securities Dealers (1988-1991). He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Quadra Realty Trust, a director of eCollege, Benjamin Moore, Commerce Clearing House, Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Holdings, Inc. and First Pennsylvania Bank. He is a director of Gogo LLC. Robert is a member of the Board of Trustees of New School University and of the Curtis Institute of Music. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Salzburg Global Seminar. He is an emeritus member of the Council of the American Law Institute. He chaired the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (2006-2011). He served as a member of the ABA Task Force on Corporate Responsibility and has been a faculty member of the Vanderbilt Directors’ College, the Duke Directors’ Education Institute and the Stanford Directors’ College. He was the President of the American Academy in Berlin and received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Qualifications
Admissions
Attorney-at-Law, Pennsylvania, 1979
Avocat, France, 1979
Attorney-at-Law, New York, 1958
Courts
US Supreme Court, D.C., Federal, 1958
Academic
B.A., Harvard University, 1954
L.L. B., Bachelor of Laws, Harvard University, 1957
M.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1971
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.