Former Biglaw Chairman Dies in Manhattan Fire
The lawyer who led Sullivan & Cromwell in the 1980s and 1990s died from injuries he suffered in a fire in his Manhattan apartment.
John Merow, 89, was found near his wife, Mary, 85, after the fire broke out in their apartment about 5 a.m. on Jan. 12, reports Above the Law. His wife was dead at the scene with severe burns, while Merow later died at a hospital.
“Merow, a graduate of Havard Law School, worked for Sullivan & Cromwell for 60 years,” writes Above the Law editor Staci Zaretsky. “He first joined the firm in 1958, became a partner in 1964, became the firm’s vice chairman in 1986, and continued his leadership ascent to become the firm’s chairman and senior partner in 1987. Merow served as chair until 1994, but retained the senior partner title for more than two decades before his death.”
The New York Post reported that police sources believe the fire started when Mary allegedly fell asleep on the couch with a lit cigarette in her hand.
Read the Above the Law article.
