Jonathan D. Schiller

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Jonathan D. Schiller
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColumbia University (BA, JD)
Occupationlawyer
Known forco-founding Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
SpouseMarla Prather
Children3
Parents

Jonathan D. Schiller is an American lawyer who is a co-founder and managing partner of the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. He also chaired the Board of Trustees of Columbia University from 2013 to 2018.[1][2]

Biography[edit]

Schiller was born to Irving and Patricia Schiller, both of whom were lawyers who moved to Washington, D.C. during the New Deal. His father worked for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and his mother worked at the U.S. Office of Price Administration, as well as the National Labor Relations Board, before joining the faculty at Howard University College of Medicine and becoming a nationally recognized sex and marriage therapist.[3][4]

Schiller graduated from Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1965.[5] He is a 1969 graduate of Columbia University, where he was a star basketball player and a member of the 1967-68 Ivy League men's basketball championship team with future NBA players Jim McMillian and Dave Newmark.[6] The team ranked fifth in the country.[6] After college, he briefly taught at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., before going on to earn his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1973.[2]

After graduating from Columbia, Schiller joined Arnold & Porter as an associate before moving to Rogovin, Stern & Huge, spending 17 year in the firm that was renamed Rogovin, Huge, and Schiller.[7] In 1986, Westinghouse, a client of his, decided to assign a civil corruption case alleging bribery of Ferdinand Marcos, ex-President of the Philippines, to David Boies at Cravath, Swaine & Moore instead of Schiller's litigation boutique.[8] Previously, Schiller had successfully defended Westinghouse on two occasions, so he was invited by Boies to team up on behalf of the company.[2] The two formed a close friendship, and in 1997, founded the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.[8]

In 2009, he was named a trustee of Columbia University, and in 2013, co-chair of the trustees, serving alongside William Campbell.[9] He was made sole chair of the board from 2015 to 2018.

Awards and honors[edit]

Schiller received the John Jay Award in 2006 from Columbia College and the Alexander Hamilton Medal in 2012.[10][11]

In 2017, Schiller was named to the inaugural class of "Legends of Ivy Basketball" for achievements and contributions to the Ivy League's basketball program.[12] In 2020, Columbia dedicated the basketball court in Levien Gymnasium in his honor.[13]

Personal life and family[edit]

He is married to Marla Prather, an art collector and former Whitney Museum curator who is the ex-wife of Mortimer Zuckerman.[14][15][16] Schiller has three sons from a previous marriage, Zachary, Joshua, and Aaron, all of whom are either graduates of Columbia College or Columbia Law School.[6] Aaron Schiller is an architect, whereas Zachary "Zack" Schiller is a film producer whose production credits included the Escape Plan series, Midnight Sun, The Babysitter, and Countdown.[17][18][19] His other son, Joshua Schiller, is married to Melissa Siebel Schiller, sister of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California and spouse of California governor Gavin Newsom.[20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Browne, Rob (2020-01-25). "ICYMI: Columbia Athletics to name Levien Gymnasium court in honor of Jonathan Schiller". Ivy Hoops Online. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  2. ^ a b c "Renowned Litigator Jonathan Schiller '73 Loves a Good Challenge". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  3. ^ Plokhii, Olesia (July 8, 2018). "Patricia Schiller, prominent sex therapist, dies at 104". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Irving Schiller Obituary (2007) New York Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  5. ^ "Landon Magazine Summer 2017 by Landon School - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  6. ^ a b c "Jonathan Schiller, Columbia". ivyleague.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  7. ^ Thomason, Robert (November 20, 1989). "D.C. LAW FIRM AGREES TO MERGER WITH N.Y. LAWYERS". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Parnell, David J. "Jonathan Schiller Of Boies Schiller: "We Had Ideas About How A Good Law Firm Should Be Managed."". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  9. ^ "Jonathan D. Schiller Poised to Lead University Trustees". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  10. ^ "Jonathan D. Schiller CC '69, LW '73 Receives Alexander Hamilton Medal". Columbia College. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  11. ^ "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  12. ^ "Schiller, Lomax Selected as Legends of Ivy League Basketball". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  13. ^ "Columbia to Dedicate Levien Gymnasium Floor in Honor of Jonathan Schiller '69CC '73LAW". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  14. ^ "Munificent Mortimer". Observer. 2002-07-01. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  15. ^ Grove, Lloyd (July 9, 2002). "The Reliable Source". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Peter Plagens on the Whitney's new curators". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  17. ^ Shaw, Matt (2019-09-30). "How Aaron Schiller is using data and community organizing to change workplace design". AN Interior. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  18. ^ "It's a Family Affair". Martha's Vineyard Magazine. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  19. ^ "Bad Boies, Bad Boies: Boies/Schiller Film Group to Fund 'COPS' Movie". Law.com. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  20. ^ "Prosecutors Drop Domestic Violence Charge Against Boies Schiller Flexner Partner Joshua Schiller". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  21. ^ Arredondo, Vanessa (2021-01-18). "Newsom's brother-in-law arrested for alleged domestic violence in Marin County". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-09-17.