Considered the jurist who “saved corporate law,” former Delaware Chancellor William T. Allen, who passed away recently of undisclosed causes, was lauded by the legal community for Chancery Court rulings that offered much-needed guidance for the contentious mergers and acquisitions of the late 1980s and ‘90s. His rulings continue to be cited as important foundations of modern corporation law.
McCarter’s chairman emeritus Mike Kelly, whose father served as register in chancery while Allen was on the bench, said the former chancellor had a strong moral fiber that was evident in his writings, and that he would be missed. He recalled Allen as “the embodiment of what a judge should be: Smart, hard-working, and kind. He was extraordinarily courteous and treated everyone with the same respectful demeanor.”