I am honored to pay tribute to my mentor, partner, and most of all dear friend, Miles Ruthberg. Miles is a legendary force in the securities and class action litigation fields, who also has had a huge impact on Latham and its New York litigation practice in particular. The admiration, fondness, and appreciation for Miles among his colleagues and peers is unmatched, owing to his decency and generosity.

I met Miles nearly 25 years ago when I was a first year associate at Latham and he was interviewing as a lateral partner to join the firm. I was struck by his warmth and respect toward others, regardless of their level of seniority, and that conversation set us on the path of an extraordinary and mutually rewarding mentor-mentee relationship during which I grew from his “kid,” to his partner, to his “boss” (as he likes to call it). Our partner Peter Wald, one of Miles’ closest friends, had a similar reaction when they met at Harvard Law School: “My first impression of Miles—which stood in such stark contrast to the rest of us, these pumped-up masters of the universe—was his humility and kindness.” Peter points to Miles’ empathy, compassion, and concern for other people combined with his “sheer brilliance” as “what makes Miles the extraordinary individual he is.”