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Who

Dannhauser is managing partner at mega-firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. He's helmed the organization for nearly two decades.

Backstory

Dannhauser is no Ivy Leaguer with a silver-spooned pedigree. Raised in a modest Nassau county neighborhood—his dad was a court clerk—Dannhauser received his B.A. at SUNY Stony Brook and his JD with honors at Brooklyn Law. He joined Weil in 1975 and made his name in the early days working with companies like Chase Manhattan and Drexel Burnham under the tutelage of legendary Weil partners Ira Millstein and Harvey Miller. In 1989, he was named Weil's executive partner. Since taking the top job, Dannhauser has presided over a major expansion: Weil now has 20 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and more than 1,100 lawyers.

Of note

Dannhauser leads one of the city's top firms. The bankruptcy group is unparalleled—Weil represented Enron and Worldcom—and the firm's M&A, securities, litigation, and tax practices are all top-rated. (Clients over the years have included GE, Morgan Stanley, and Johnson & Johnson, among many others.) The firm is a powerhouse when it comes to professional sports (the NFL, NHL, and NBA have all been clients). Weil has played a role in high-profile political battles, too. (It represented Sheldon Silver in his suit against Governor George Pataki, for example.) Although Weil has long been known for its rough and tumble reputation—"We'll Getcha and Mangle Ya" has long been its nickname—the competitive spirit has paid off with record revenues. As of late, though, Dannhauser has tried to make the place a little more civilized, and has made efforts to diversify the firm and emphasize pro-bono activities. It was Weil, for example, which led the charge to get Steve Banks' Legal Aid Society back on track after it neared bankruptcy.

On the job

In 2007, Dannhauser warmly welcomed back his mentor, Harvey Miller; he'd left his bankruptcy practice at Weil after 33 years to work at Bob Greenhill's merchant banking firm, Greenhill & Co. Other stars Dannhauser works with include private equity expert Barry Wolf; real estate group co-head Philip Rosen; media powerhouse R. Bruce Rich; anti-trust experts Steve Newborn in D.C. and Helene Jaffe in New York; and the estimable James ("Jim") Quinn, who heads up Weil Gotshal's 500-lawyer litigation department.

Drama

In 1998, one of Weil's most renowned partners, M&A expert Dennis Block, left amid controversy, and a protracted mudslinging contest soon ensued. Block claimed he didn't approve of the direction the firm was heading in; Dannhauser claimed Block's "inappropriate" behavior was the real problem. More recently, Weil was in the spotlight after singer Michael Bolton sued for breach of fiduciary duty in 2003. The case was settled before it went to trial.

Board game

Dannhauser is the president of the New York Police & Fire Widows & Children's Benefit Fund. Nicholas Scoppetta, Stephen Cassidy, Patrick Lynch, and Ray Kelly are all advisory board members. He's also on the board of the United Way of New York City.

Personal

Dannhauser's wife, Beth, is active on the charity/social scene. In addition to opening up her home to various functions, she does "touch therapy" with critically ill patients at Cabrini Hospital. They have three sons, Benjamin, Todd, and Jess (an assistant commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services under Linda Gibbs), and live on Fifth Avenue.