Avrohom J. (“A.J.”) Kess is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP where he is a member of the Firm’s Corporate Department and the head of the Public Company Advisory Practice group.  Mr. Kess advises clients on public and private offerings of securities and general corporate and securities law matters.  Mr. Kess also regularly advises boards of directors and their committees regarding governance-related matters.

Mr. Kess advises a number of companies, including large, multinational corporations such as Accenture Ltd, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. and The Travelers Companies, Inc. with respect to general corporate, securities laws and governance matters.  Mr. Kess represented Ford Motor Company in connection with its December 2006 $23.5 billion financing, one of the largest corporate financings in history. In addition, Mr. Kess advised Accenture on its worldwide reorganization effected in connection with its initial public offering.  Mr. Kess has also represented major investment banking firms including Citigroup and JPMorgan in connection with various securities offerings.

Mr. Kess served as special counsel, along with other attorneys at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, to The Conference Board Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise in connection with its issued “findings and recommendations” regarding executive compensation, corporate governance and audit and accounting matters. 

Mr. Kess is a frequent speaker and author on corporate governance matters.  Mr. Kess was recently recognized by Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2011 and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2010 as a leading lawyer in Capital Markets: Debt & Equity.

Mr. Kess has been with the Firm since 1995.  He received his B.S. in accounting from Brooklyn College in 1989 where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda Society, and he received his J.D., cum laude, from New York University in 1994.  He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1995.

Publications

•	SEC Filings Under The New Iran Disclosure Obligations Have Reached A Steady Drumbeat
•	SEC Adopts Final Rule Requiring Listing Standards for Compensation Committees
•	SEC Responds to Proxy Access No-Action Requests
•	U.S. Treasury Department Unveils New Reporting Requirement for Cross-Border Holdings of Foreign Securities and Issuances of U.S. Securities
•	Companies Should Review Insider Trading Policies in Light of “Expert Network” Cases
•	SEC Adopts Proxy Access
•	The Prospective Impact on Public Companies of the Financial Regulatory Reform Bills: A Legislative Update
•	SEC Issues Interpretive Guidance Regarding Climate Change Disclosure
•	SEC Adopts Amended Rules for Compensation and Corporate Governance Disclosure
•	SEC Re-Proposes Proxy Access
•	RiskMetrics Policy Updates Suggest Increased Risk of Withhold/Against Vote Due to Poor Performance

Admissions

•	New York 1995

Education

•	New York University School of Law, 1994 J.D. cum laude
•	Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, 1989 B.S.