David E. Kahan joined Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in 2000 and was elected to the partnership in 2008. Kahan is a partner in Wachtell’s Executive Compensation and Benefits Department, and is active in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice, focusing on the executive compensation and employee benefits aspects of transactions. Kahan also advises companies on executive compensation and related corporate governance matters.
Kahan received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2000, where he served on the Columbia Law Review. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit during the 2001-2002 term.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers | 2026 | Executive Compensation & Benefits |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers | 2025 | Executive Compensation & Benefits |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Corporate Employment Lawyers | 2024 | Executive Compensation & Benefits |
| Lawdragon's Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers of America | 2021 | Executive Compensation & Benefits |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers | 2020 | Executive Compensation & Benefits |
Kahan frequently writes and speaks on executive compensation and corporate governance issues. Kahan has authored or co-authored articles in several publications, including M&A Lawyer, Wall Street Lawyer, Tax Notes, and the Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter and is co-author of Wachtell's Compensation Committee Guide. Kahan is active in various professional and community organizations, and is a past chair of the executive compensation and nonqualified plans subcommittee of the New York City Bar Association.
Select Publications
- Compensation Season 2025,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 23, 2025.
- Compensation Season 2024,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, January 29, 2024 and Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 30, 2024.
- Compensation Season 2023,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 20, 2023.
- Compensation Season 2022,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 9, 2022 and Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, January 11, 2022.
- Spin-Off Guide - 2021,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, June 15, 2021.
- Compensation Season 2021,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 14, 2021.
- DOL Proposes New Rules Regulating ESG Investments,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, July 7, 2020.
- Executive Compensation Considerations in PIPE Transactions,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, April 30, 2020.
- Key ESG Considerations in the Crisis,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, April 21, 2020.
- Covid-19: What Compensation Committees Should Be Thinking About Today,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, March 31, 2020.
- Compensation Committee Guide - 2020,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, March 19, 2020.
- Compensation Season 2020,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 23, 2020.
- Compensation Committee Guide - 2019,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, April 26, 2019.
- Compensation Season 2019,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 11, 2019.
- Compensation Issues in REIT Mergers and Acquisitions,
in REITs: Mergers and Acquisitions (Chapter 11), Law Journal Seminars Press, 2018.
- Compensation Season 2018,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 9, 2018.
- Compensation Season 2017,
in Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 7, 2017.