Lawyers
The Paul, Weiss community mourns the passing of our beloved partner, friend, and former firm Chairman Alfred D. Youngwood, who died on September 19 at the age of 87.
Alfred was one of the nation’s most distinguished tax attorneys and business advisors, and was brilliant, endlessly creative and dogged in solving his clients’ most challenging and complex problems. He loved Paul, Weiss, and was a calm, highly ethical and effective firm leader who had an enormous impact on the firm. His wisdom, friendship, and integrity were felt throughout the firm community.
Born on April 27, 1938, Alfred was raised in New York City. He graduated from Yale University in 1959 and Harvard Law School in 1962, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Alfred was also a Fulbright Scholar in international taxation at the London School of Economics.
Following law school, he clerked for Judge Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before joining Paul, Weiss in 1964, where he would remain for his entire career. He was elected a partner in the Tax Department in 1970, and in 1999, became the firm’s first democratically elected chairman, serving in that leadership role for the next decade while maintaining a vibrant tax practice. He retired to of counsel status in 2009.
Alfred was a trusted business advisor to many of Paul, Weiss’s then-largest clients, including Warner Communications and its successor companies and affiliates (including Time Warner Cable), Viacom and Bank of America, among many others, handling their most significant transactions and other important business challenges. His practice concentrated on acquisitions, reorganizations, and financings involving both American and foreign business organizations through the use of corporate and partnership structures. Among his countless significant tax representations, he helped structure the landmark 1990 merger of Warner Communications Inc. and Time Inc., and the 2005 spin-off that separated Viacom Inc. from CBS Corporation. Even while leading the firm, he maintained a robust practice, spending roughly half his time on client work.
Alfred was widely admired for his intellectual rigor, creativity, and relentless problem-solving abilities, as well as his unwavering commitment to professional excellence. He was utterly dedicated to delivering the highest-quality work to his clients. A natural mentor, Alfred was equally deeply committed to supporting and teaching younger attorneys, generously sharing his wisdom and experience to generations of lawyers.
Alfred was also a natural leader. He was a longtime leader within the Tax Department, and served on and chaired the Committee on Committees, the firm’s then-management committee, before being elected Chairman in 1999. Under his ethical, consultative and consensus-based leadership, the firm grew stronger, becoming one of the most successful in the country, while deepening its distinctive collegial, collaborative culture and commitments to pro bono, diversity, and associate development. He championed intellectual rigor and practice excellence; collaboration among partners; and the duty of partners to teach and mentor junior lawyers. In 2009, for his many accomplishments as well as for his dedication to community service, Alfred was recognized by The American Lawyer in its inaugural Law Firm Distinguished Leader Award.
Earlier in his career, Alfred served as chair of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section. He was also a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He published a number of articles in The Tax Lawyer focusing on partnership issues. He was devoted to his temple, Central Synagogue, including serving as its president for many years.
Alfred’s integrity, humility, and warmth left a lasting impression on all who worked with him, and he was a mentor and role model to generations of lawyers and business professionals at Paul, Weiss. He was an extraordinary human being whose wisdom, friendship, and unwavering integrity will be profoundly missed by so many within and beyond the firm.
Alfred was predeceased by his first wife, Judith, in 2008. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his children, Jonathan (and his wife, Holly) and Stephen (and his wife, Sarah); and his grandchildren. He will be remembered by generations of Paul, Weiss lawyers for his generosity of spirit and for taking the time to know and support his colleagues at every stage of their careers.
