As an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Adam Turteltaub said on this week’s Drinks With the Deal podcast, one of his mentors was Jack H. Nusbaum, for many years Willkie’s chairman and a major figure in the New York M&A world.
Nusbaum, Turteltaub said, placed great importance on holding the room: “Do people listen when you speak, even if you’re a young person in the room? That resonated with me. Even though Jack was this revered figure, when he was in a conference room full of people, he spoke incredibly softly, and he made everybody be quiet to be able to hear him. You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room for someone to listen to you. You have to say things that are worth hearing.”
Having Nusbaum take an interest in him, Turteltaub said, “was always incredibly meaningful to me. I try to pay that forward, because you can have much more an influence on younger associates than you might expect.”
Turteltaub, who with Willkie’s Gavin Gordon advised TBG AG on its agreement to sell Megger Group Ltd. to ESCO Technologies Inc. (ESE) for $2.35 billion in cash and stock announced in April, also talked about how AI could affect the practice of law and why he enjoys skiing, kite-surfing and playing tennis in his down time.
“These activities that I find myself drawn to demand focus and attention,” Turteltaub said. “It’s a way to clear your mind, and I think those opportunities are fewer and fewer given the 24-7 nature of our jobs.”
Listen to the podcast with Adam Turteltaub below:
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