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Robert Joffe, presiding partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore from 1999 to 2006, died Thursday of cancer at age 66.
Joffe spent 42 years at Cravath where he developed a special practice, advising independent directors on corporate boards. Among other notables, he advised the directors of Fannie Mae during its accounting scandal in 2004 and again during the government buyout in 2008. He recently assisted Citigroup as the bank accepted billions in government bailout funds. As a corporate lawyer, he represented Time Inc. in its mergers with Warner Brothers and again with AOL.
With the exception of a two year fellowship in Malawi where he worked on law reform projects, Joffe spent his entire career with Cravath. He passed up many other attractive offers to remain with the firm he loved, including the position of general counsel for Time Warner. Joffe was committed to pro bono work and encouraged colleagues to do the same. In 1989 he took Martin v Wilks, a pro bono civil rights case in which he represented black firefighters in Alabama to the US Supreme Court.
In a fitting display of compassion for the man who loved his firm and loved his work, Cravath’s home page is black tonight with a simple memorial for Robert Joffe.
