John Coates

John Coates is the John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics at Harvard Law School, where he also serves as the Deputy Dean for Finance and Strategic Initiatives and Research Director of the Center on the Legal Profession. Professor Coates served as Acting Director for the Division of Corporation Finance and as General Counsel for the SEC. Before joining Harvard, he was a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, specializing in financial institutions and M&A. At HLS and at HBS, he teaches corporate governance, M&A, finance, and related topics. He has testified before Congress and provided consulting services to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of Treasury, the New York Stock Exchange, and he served as the Chair of the Investor-as-Owner Subcommittee of the Investor Advisory Committee of the SEC.