Stephen L. Gordon

Stephen L. Gordon is a partner at Cravath and serves as the Head of the Tax Department. His practice focuses on advising clients on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions and other major transactions, including spin-offs, international restructurings and corporate joint ventures. Mr. Gordon also works with clients on issues related to corporate finance and domestic and international taxation. 

Mr. Gordon's clients have included Ashland, Royal Dutch Shell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, JPMorgan Chase, Moody's, DreamWorks Animation, Kraft Foods, Lucent, Time Warner, UAL and White Mountains Insurance Group.

Mr. Gordon has been repeatedly cited as one of the country's leading tax practitioners by, among others, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business from 2007 through 2012; Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business from 2008 through 2012; The Legal 500 from 2007 through 2012; The Best Lawyers in America from 2007 through 2012; and The International Who's Who of Corporate Tax Lawyers from 2007 through 2011. In addition, Cravath's tax practice received the publication's highest ranking for its ability to handle "any matter thrown at them with poise and flair." In 2012, Mr. Gordon was chosen by corporate counsel as one of the BTI Client Service All-Stars for his exceptional commitment to understanding his clients' legal and business objectives, recognizing client goals and providing innovative and effective solutions tailored specifically to the client's desired outcome. 

Mr. Gordon was born in Syracuse, New York. He received an A.B. cum laude from Cornell University in 1978 and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1981, where he was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review. He joined Cravath in 1981 and became a partner in 1987. Mr. Gordon has served as the Firm's Hiring Partner and Managing Partner of Administration.

Mr. Gordon is a frequent speaker at national and international tax conferences, including those sponsored by PLI, ALI-ABA, the Tax Executives Institute and the International Fiscal Association, and is a member of the Tax Forum and the tax sections of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.