Sam Butler, who passed away on January 4, 2025, at the age of 94, was one of Cravath’s longest‑serving Presiding Partners and widely considered one of the most respected lawyers of his generation—“a living legend of the New York bar,” as The Wall Street Journal described him in a 2007 Law Blog Q&A.

After retiring from the Firm in 2003, Sam became Partner Emeritus and held the title until his death. He remained widely admired by the attorneys and clients who worked with and opposite him: for his high‑caliber practice, his personal grace and collegiality, and his longstanding commitment to mentorship. His steadfast leadership left ripples throughout the Cravath community and deeply impacted the legal world at large.

Corporate partner Mark Greene recalled working with Sam as a first‑year Cravath associate in 1990. Witnessing the depth, wisdom and work ethic Sam brought to his practice inspired Mark, now the Head of the Corporate Department and Leader of the International Practice, to follow in his M&A footsteps.

Of those initial impressions, Mark told Law360 in his 2021 MVP interview: “At that point in his career, Sam was the trusted adviser to C‑suites and boards across the country. And I looked at that role and I said, ‘That looks like a great career, because it looks to me like you only get better at this with age.’”

Reflecting further on his relationship with Sam, Mark said in a recent conversation: “Working for Sam when I started at the Firm was the single most formative experience of my legal career. It was from observing him that I knew I wanted to become a counselor to senior executives and directors in their most difficult and complex dealings.”

Throughout his career, Sam represented blue-chip companies—including Squibb in its acquisition by Bristol‑Myers, Time in its acquisition of Warner Communications, and CBS in its acquisition by Westinghouse—in a number of high-profile transactions. He was also counsel to the European Union and the European Investment Bank in their U.S. financial and securities law matters for more than 40 years.

In just one example of his expertise, in the 1970s, Sam represented insurance company GEICO in its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway, earning the respect of CEO Warren Buffett in the process. Twenty years later, Buffett was the biggest shareholder of Capital Cities/ABC when the company was sold to Disney. Knowing that Disney and then-CEO Michael Eisner were tough negotiators, Buffett and Capital Cities/ABC Chief Executive Tom Murphy decided Sam should do the deal, according to the WSJ.

“In 1995, I called Sam on a Thursday—in July, no less—and told him I needed his help on a complex transaction that had to be announced on Monday,” Buffett remembered about the deal. “That transaction was Disney’s purchase of Capital Cities/ABC. I explained some of the many complexities and Sam hurried me off the phone by saying, ‘We are taking the assignment.’ Sam got it done and we announced Monday morning on Good Morning America.”

That was just one of the many high‑stakes matters Sam handled during his tenure as Presiding Partner from 1980 through 1998.

Sam’s ability to wear both hats—leading the Firm while maintaining an active M&A practice—was an inspiration to many of his peers and helped convince H. Rodgin Cohen that he could do the same when he became Sullivan & Cromwell’s Chairman in 1999.

“[P]eople I have great respect for, like Sam Butler of Cravath and Steve Volk of Shearman & Sterling, were both able to be managing partner for their firm and really their go‑to partners. … I don’t know if I can put myself in their class, but at least it shows that there is the ability to do it,” he told Law.com in an interview at the time.

Throughout Sam’s years of practice—he joined Cravath in 1956 and was elected a partner in 1960—he earned a reputation in the legal community as a leader who treats his colleagues with appreciation and respect. “I do not regard myself as a classic M&A transactional lawyer,” Sam said during the town hall. “I would regard myself as a relationship lawyer. Cravath is a relationship firm, with longstanding relationships with companies and with people.”

Sam left a lasting impression on the young attorneys who worked with him, too. Phil Gelston, a former corporate partner who retired from the Firm in 2017, recalls working with Sam in his first rotation at the Firm.

“Everyone knew, of course, how prominent he was both at Cravath and in the business community. But he was not at all imperial or intimidating,” Phil said of the experience. “Sam worked directly with the newest associates and made us feel like meaningful parts of the team. Looking back, I can see he tolerated, probably with some amusement, my own exaggerated view of my importance.”

Speaking recently about Sam, Presiding Partner Faiza Saeed said: “Sam was an extraordinary lawyer whose judgment was consistently sought out by clients in their most challenging and consequential moments. His enduring impact on Cravath was not just as a singular leader over an exceptional 18 years as Presiding Partner, but also as a mentor and role model to generations of lawyers.

She added: “His myriad accomplishments were exceeded only by the remarkable humility, adventurous spirit and reservoir of good cheer that defined Sam as a person. It was a privilege to know Sam and learn from him.”

Despite building such a monumental career at the Firm, Sam very nearly chose a different path. He grew up in Logansport, Indiana, and after graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton before joining the military.

While interviewing at law firms following his service, New York wasn’t at the top of the list—neither for Sam nor his wife, Sally.

“We were small-town kids. She was from West Virginia, and I met her when I was 16,” he told The Wall Street Journal during his Law Blog Q&A. “But I knew the legal practice was better in New York so I interviewed there and liked Cravath the best.”

Another factor that persuaded Sam’s decision making? He asked each of the six firms where he interviewed if they could list what they thought were the three best firms in New York City. “I said, list four firms. Put your own firm first, and what are the next three? The other five firms all listed Cravath,” he explained during a 2004 Cravath town hall with then‑partner Allen Parker.

Sam joined as an associate in 1956 and spent the rest of his career at Cravath—as luck would have it for so many attorneys at the Firm, and beyond, who had the chance to work with Sam and were lucky enough to call him a friend and mentor during his lifetime.