Chris Giordano '93

An Interview with Chris Giordano '93

Chris Giordano ’93 is a partner at DLA Piper US LLP in New York City, practicing mergers & acquisitions for private equity funds. Throughout his career, Mr. Giordano has held positions in public service, and in both large and smaller boutique law firms. He attributes his success to his experience at New York Law School, where he took advantage of classes that taught him how to be a practical lawyer. His hard work paid off when he became a member of the New York Law School Law Review and served on the 1991–1992 editorial board as an articles editor.

Upon graduation, Mr. Giordano clerked for the Honorable Roger J. Miner ’56, United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He enjoyed the clerking experience, describing it as “such a unique and enriching experience that it helps you be a better lawyer no matter what you are doing.” While noting the difference between drafting corporate agreements for M&A deals and writing briefs or other litigation documents, he believes that “clerking is about legal writing in the truest sense,” and that it helps in every aspect of writing as a lawyer. During his 12-month clerkship, Mr. Giordano drafted numerous opinions for Judge Miner. He encourages all students—whether they are interested in corporate practice or litigation—to pursue a clerkship.

After clerking for Judge Miner, Mr. Giordano joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He spent the first 18 months practicing international mergers and acquisitions and then switched to general corporate work. Following Cravath, he had a short stint at Morgan Stanley, working on the equity derivatives desk. However, Mr. Giordano realized he missed M&A transactions, and such desire led to his employment at O’Sullivan LLP, a private equity boutique firm. At O’Sullivan, Mr. Giordano found himself representing private equity funds in their mergers & acquisition activities. Mr. Giordano notes that it is easier to specialize at a boutique firm. Further, he cautions that for many young lawyers, specializing may not be the best option. “I’m a private equity lawyer which means that I do M&A deals for private equity funds—but I could just as easily do a deal for other types of clients, such as large strategic buyers.”

Mr. Giordano eventually found his way back to practicing at a large law firm. As a partner at DLA Piper, Mr. Giordano’s responsibilities include working with clients, drafting M&A documents, and marketing the firm to the business community—i.e. future clients. When I asked Mr. Giordano how he measures success, he responded that “the biggest thing that you can be proud of is when you close the deal and they call you for the next one.”

Mr. Giordano said that whether you are working at a boutique or a large law firm, you can enjoy deal making. Large multi-national corporations were the type of clients Mr. Giordano worked closely with during his tenure at Cravath and at his current firm, DLA Piper, but the same experience and excitement can be gained at a smaller boutique firm. “The reality is that when I was at Cravath, I was working on deals that were on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. But if you enjoy doing deals, you’ll like them at any level.” For those students who are interested in pursuing a similar line of work, Mr. Giordano remarked that understanding tax law is key to doing his job.

Of all his accomplishments, Mr. Giordano most enjoys teaching the young lawyers who work with him how to grow their skills. He brings this goal to the classroom at New York Law School, where Mr. Giordano teaches Mergers & Acquisitions in the spring semester. His approach to teaching is a practical one, much like the education that he received 15 years ago at 47 Worth Street. “I try to provide a solid foundation so that the students are equipped to become M&A lawyers. It’s a fantastic class to teach.”

Students at the Law School are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from an accomplished graduate from the corporate sector—especially one so eager to see them succeed.