Igor Kirman
Education
- Yale University, B.A. 1993, magna cum laude
- Columbia Law School, J.D. 1996, (Notes Editor, Columbia Law Review)
Igor Kirman
Igor Kirman is a partner in the Corporate Department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, activism and takeover defense, corporate governance and general corporate matters. He has advised public and private companies, as well as private equity funds, in connection with mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, cross-border deals, shareholder activism, takeover defenses and corporate governance matters.
Mr. Kirman is a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and has written articles in numerous professional publications on topics relating to mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. He has been frequently recognized for achievement by professional organizations such as Chambers and Partners, Lawdragon, New York Superlawyers, Who’s Who Legal and Best Lawyers in America. He was twice named as Dealmaker of the Year by American Lawyer (2006 and 2015).
Mr. Kirman is the author of the book, “M&A and Private Equity Confidentiality Agreements” (Thomson Reuters). He is the chair of the Practising Law Institute’s annual “Doing Deals” program and an advisory board member of the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School as well as The Practical Law Company (PLC). He also teaches a course on M&A as a clinical lecturer at Columbia Law School and Yale Law School.
Mr. Kirman received a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics magna cum laude from Yale University in 1993. He completed his J.D. at Columbia Law School in 1996, where he was notes editor of the Columbia Law Review. He is involved in a number of civic institutions, including as President of the Board of Trustees of Trinity School; a director of Renew Democracy Initiatives (RDI); President of the Board of The Bromley Condominium; and member of the advisory boards of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He was born in Ukraine and speaks Russian. A former rugby player, he is now an avid table tennis enthusiast.
Select Publications
- Current Developments in Takeover Law and Practice,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 20, 2026.
- The Re-Emergence of Contingent Value Rights,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, December 9, 2025
- Shareholder Activism: Ten Trends for 2026,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, October 16, 2025 and NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, October 23, 2025.
- Shareholder Activism - 2024 Review and 2025 Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, March 14, 2025.
- Private Equity—2024 Review and 2025 Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 24, 2025.
- Mergers and Acquisitions—What Awaits in 2025?,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 22, 2025.
- M&A Developments: Hedge Fund Activism,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 6, 2024.
- Mergers and Acquisitions—2024,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 19, 2024.
- Private Equity in 2023—A Year (Not) to Remember,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 13, 2024.
- Takeover Law and Practice: Current Developments,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 3, 2023.
- Mergers and Acquisitions—2023,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, February 8, 2023.
- Preparing for the 2023 Proxy Season in the Era of Universal Proxy,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, November 14, 2022.
- Private Equity – 2021 Year in Review and 2022 Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, February 9, 2022.
- Mergers and Acquisitions - 2022,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 27, 2022.
- Lessons from TEGNA’s Second Straight Proxy Fight Win,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 13, 2021.
- Private Equity – Year in Review and 2021 Outlook,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, February 6, 2021.
- Contested Virtual Shareholder Meetings: A New Frontier,
in The M&A Lawyer, Volume 25 Issue 2, February 2021.
- The Next Frontier for Representations and Warranties Insurance: Public M&A Deals?,
in M&A Lawyer, Volume 24 Issue 9, October 2020.
- The Resurgence of SPACs: Observations and Considerations,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, August 22, 2020.
- Representations and Warranties Insurance in Public M&A Deals,
in Practical Law, July 2020.
- Lessons from the Future - The First Contested Virtual Meeting,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, May 9, 2020.
- What to Say on Your Next Earnings Call in the Time of Covid-19: Providing Insights, Disclosing Scenarios and Managing Risks,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, April 23, 2020.
- Disclosure Issues Relating to Covid-19,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, March 31, 2020.
- M&A and Private Equity Confidentiality Agreements: A Detailed Guide to Drafting and Negotiating,
Thomson Rueters, 2018.
- Expert Q&A on Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions,
in Practical Law, October/November 2019.
- Contingent Value Rights (CVRs),
in Practical Law, 2019.