David M. Silk

Education
- State University of New York at Albany, B.S. 1985, magna cum laude
- University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D. 1988, cum laude, Order of the Coif (Member of the Editorial Board, University of Pennsylvania Law Review)
David M. Silk
David M. Silk is a partner of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. His practice focuses on hostile and negotiated merger and acquisition transactions, private equity transactions, corporate governance including sustainability and ESG matters, proxy contests, restructurings, joint ventures and securities laws. He represents public and private companies in a wide variety of industries.
Mr. Silk is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he was a member of the editorial board of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and the Order of the Coif. He has lectured frequently on governance and transactional topics and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Law School teaching a course on mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Silk is a member of the Corporate Laws Committee of the of the American Bar Association, a past chairman of the Corporation Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and co-chair of the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Select Publications
- The SEC’s Proposed Climate-Related Disclosure Rules: Thoughts for Audit Committees,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, April 6, 2022 and Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and Capital Markets, April 11, 2022.
- Board Oversight of ESG: Preparing for the 2022 Proxy Season and Beyond,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, March 28, 2022, Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, April 4, 2022 and Boardspan, April 14, 2022.
- War in Ukraine: Is ESG at a Crossroads?,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, March 24, 2022.
- ESG Oversight and Integration: Considerations for Boards (and USA chapter),
in The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Environmental, Social & Governance Law, Global Legal Group Ltd., Second ed. 2022 (First ed. 2021).
- ESG and M&A in 2022: From Risk Mitigation to Value Creation,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 24, 2022.
- SEC Staff Limits Exclusion of “Social Policy” Shareholder Proposals,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, November 8, 2021 and Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, November 9, 2021.
- Carbon Zero and the Board,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance , October 29, 2021.
- Vermont’s Fossil Fuel Suit Underscores Climate-Change Pressures Faced by U.S. Companies,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, September 17, 2021.
- Mandatory Climate Change Disclosure Rules – A Preview From the SEC Chair?,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, August 3, 2021.
- Global Climate and Sustainability Reporting Continues to Grow with Proposed New International and Domestic Regulatory Initiatives,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, July 22, 2021.
- Using ESG Tools to Help Combat Racial Inequity: One Year Retrospective,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, July 21, 2021.
- SEC Division of Enforcement Forms New Climate and ESG Task Force to Target ESG-Related Misconduct and Potential Violations,
in Compliance & Enforcement, a blog of NYU Law’s Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement, March 5, 2021.
- SEC Division of Corporation Finance Directed to Focus on Climate-Related Disclosures and Update Prior Climate Guidance,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, March 2, 2021.
- ESG Disclosures: SEC Appoints Climate and ESG Policy Advisor; U.K. and EU Regulators Ramp Up Reporting Requirements,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, February 7, 2021.
- ESG and Sustainability: Key Considerations for 2021,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 30, 2021.