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We have some sad news to report out of the New York legal community, where one of the founding partners of a high-powered Biglaw firm recently passed away. Donald Flexner, 81, made his mark upon the world of antitrust law through his litigation and counseling efforts at Crowell & Moring and Boies Schiller Flexner.
A graduate of NYU Law, Flexner spent some time working at the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, where he eventually became section chief and deputy assistant attorney general. He later joined Crowell & Moring, where he spent 19 years in charge of the firm’s antitrust group. He then took his extensive antitrust chops to Boies Schiller Flexner, where he spent the rest of his career, helping build up the once small firm to become an Am Law 200 litigation powerhouse. Flexner stepped down as the firm’s co-managing partner in 2017 but decided to stay on as a partner.
From breaking up the Bell System monopoly to helping to create the world’s largest airline through his work overseeing Delta’s acquisition of Northwest Airlines, Flexner is easily recognized as a true titan of the antitrust bar. David Boies shared kind words about his longtime partner with the American Lawyer back in 2017, when Flexner won the magazine’s Lifetime Achiever award. “Lawyers are not always the most liked people in the room,” he said, “but I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like and admire Don Flexner.”
We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences to Donald Flexner’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
Donald Flexner, Antitrust Titan of Boies Schiller Flexner, Dies at 81 [American Lawyer]
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.
