This past weekend brought some incredibly unfortunate news to the Biglaw community after the former leader of one of the most prominent firms in the nation was identified as a victim in a deadly blaze at his Manhattan apartment.
John Merow, 89, who led Sullivan & Cromwell in the 80s and 90s, was found alongside his wife, Mary, 85, after a fire broke out in their apartment at about 5 a.m. on January 12. According to police, Mary was pronounced dead at the scene with severe burns, while John later died at a hospital.
Merow, a graduate of Havard Law School, worked for Sullivan & Cromwell for 60 years. He first joined the firm in 1958, became a partner in 1964, became the firm’s vice chairman in 1986, and continued his leadership ascent to become the firm’s chairman and senior partner in 1987. Merow served as chair until 1994, but retained the senior partner title for more than two decades before his death.
Merow had a bigger impact on the firm than just his oversight of international expansion (Sullivan & Cromwell opened offices in Australia and Japan under his watch. From the New York Law Journal:
“John is probably the last of a generation of extraordinarily skillful lawyers and individuals who thought about the law as a noble calling, and not just as a business or a profession,” said former Sullivan & Cromwell chairman and now senior chairman H. Rodgin Cohen. …
“He had a clear grasp of the growing internationalization of the legal practice and I think was more responsible than any individual at the firm in catching that wave and understanding the ramifications,” Cohen said.
John Merow (Photo via Sullivan & Cromwell)
Cohen was reminded of a story about Merow’s admirable belief in judging people on their merits, as opposed to on their backgrounds. For example, in 1993, a professor from Merow’s alma mater alleged that firms like Sullivan & Cromwell “were closed to Jews,” so Merow wrote to the New York Times with his comment: “This firm has never been ‘closed to Jews’ or, for that matter, to any religious or ethnic group. Quite to the contrary. Hiring and advancement always have been based on merit, nothing else.”
We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences to John and Mary Merow’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
Former Sullivan & Cromwell Chairman and Wife Killed in Apartment Fire [New York Law Journal]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Former Biglaw Chairman Dies In Fiery Blaze curated from Above the Law
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