Through his leadership of Sullivan & Cromwell, his commitment to social justice and his service to clients, Joseph Shenker has made enormous contributions to the legal profession and the broader community for more than four decades. In 2022 Joe stepped down as chair of S&C, capping a 12-year stewardship, which included steering the firm through the unprecedented 2008 financial crisis while enhancing its position as one of the world’s premier law firms. He now serves as senior chair, joining Rodge Cohen in that role.

An Advocate for Change and Diversity

As chair of the firm, Joe redoubled S&C’s efforts to expand opportunities through diversity and inclusion. As Joe told Leaders magazine in 2020, “Our goal is to continuously reinvent ourselves in order to maintain our model of innovative, creative and outside-the-box thinking …. We can’t get there unless we constantly look to hire people different than those doing the hiring, and make them feel 100 percent welcome and included.”