Andrew M. Freedman

Andy is Co-Managing Partner of the firm, a member of the Olshan Executive Committee, and Chair of the firm’s Shareholder Activism Group, where he is one of the leading attorneys in the nation practicing in the area of shareholder activism and advises some of the nation’s most prolific activist investors, including Starboard Value and Elliott, and has become the go-to legal advisor for newly-launched activist investment firms. Andy has been ranked by Chambers USA as a “Leading Lawyer” in Corporate/M&A: Shareholder Activism category and has been recognized as a Tier 1 "Leading Lawyer" in The Legal 500 U.S. in M&A/Corporate and Commercial: Shareholder Activism - advice to shareholders.

Andy’s practice focuses on shareholder activism campaigns, proxy fights, hostile takeover strategies, corporate governance and investor engagements with public company boards of directors. Andy has been cited for his preeminence in Shareholder Activism by Chambers USA as one of the top practitioners in the country every year since it began covering the practice area, and The Legal 500 as a Tier 1 Leading Lawyer for the past several years. Held in high regard by clients and peers alike, they note "Andrew is very sophisticated technically but also strategically and he will go to great lengths to help his clients. I consider him not just a lawyer, but a trusted adviser," and "He is a master strategist and extremely savvy." As one client stated to Legal 500, “Having an attorney of Andy’s caliber and aggressiveness helped lend credibility and teeth to our campaign, which ultimately yielded a highly successful settlement.” Andy was also profiled in Business Insider as one of the top go-to lawyers for activist investors.

Over the course of his 17-year career, Andy has represented investors on hundreds of major shareholder activism campaigns. All told, he has helped his clients replace approximately 1,000 directors on public company boards. His recent successful campaigns include Starboard Value at eHealth and Corteva, Elliott Management at Duke Energy and Willis Towers Watson, Outerbridge Capital at Comtech Telecommunications, Voss Capital at Griffon Corporation, Browning West at Countryside Properties plc (UK) and Oaktree Capital at Infinera Corporation.

Andy’s continued track record of leading clients to landmark, precedent-setting proxy contest victories includes his representation of Starboard Value on its historic full board victory at Darden Restaurants, H. Partners in a seminal withhold campaign at Tempur Sealy, Starboard Value in its successful campaign for change at Yahoo!, and Elliott Management in its successful campaign at Arconic. Andy has substantial experience advising on activist campaigns in Canada, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Bermuda. He has represented clients in more than two dozen proxy contests in Canada, including advising private equity firm Waterton in its successful proxy contest at Hudbay Minerals and RCF Management in its successful campaign for leadership change at IAMGOLD.

Andy is quoted frequently as an industry expert in national publications and news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Corporate Secretary Magazine, Law360, Activist Insight, Activism Monthly, and The Deal. Andy also speaks on activist panels throughout the country and contributes articles on shareholder activism to notable media and academic publications, including Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance.

Under Andy’s leadership, Olshan’s Shareholder Activism Practice has been recognized widely as the top-ranked global premier practice in representing activist investors in contested director elections. Olshan is ranked as the No. 1 legal advisor to activist investors by every league table and publication covering shareholder activism, including Bloomberg’s Activism Advisory League Tables, FactSet’s Flashwire quarterly reports, Refinitiv Global Shareholder Activism Scorecard and Insightia’s Activist Insight Monthly. In 2021, Olshan advised on a record number 119 campaigns according to the Bloomberg Activism Advisory League Tables. Chambers USA 2022 Guide ranked Olshan's Shareholder Activism Practice "Band 1," the guide’s highest ranking in the category of M&A Shareholder Activism. Chambers notes: "Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP is very strong in areas of strategy and precise execution. We have been consistently impressed with the depth and breadth of talent." The Legal 500 United States 2022 guide to leading law firms and attorneys has named Olshan's Shareholder Activism Practice as a Top Tier 1 Leading Firm in M&A/corporate and commercial: Shareholder Activism - advice to shareholders. The publication affirmed that "Olshan’s New York-based shareholder activism group acts for some of the markets most prolific strategic investors, including Starboard Value and Elliott Management."