Ex-Morgan Stanley M&A Head Sees ‘First Call’ on Deals in Law Job

Morgan Stanley‘s former top M&A banker Robert Kindler said his return to practicing law this month for the first time since 2000 is timely because lawyers stand at the pinnacle of consummating deals.

“When I was a lawyer 23 years ago, it was usually the bankers that got the first call on deals,” Kindler, global chair of mergers and acquisitions at Paul Weiss, said in an interview. “Now it’s entirely different—it’s the lawyers.”

Lawyers are navigating environmental, social and governance issues and tough regulatory hurdles under President Joe Biden’s administration, Kindler said. “There are many deals that are just ...