(New York, September 12, 2006)—Robert D. Joffe has been elected to the Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was announced today by James R. Houghton, the Museum's Chairman. The election took place at the September 12 meeting of the Board.
Mr. Joffe is the Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York City.
"We welcome Bob Joffe as a new Trustee," commented Mr. Houghton, in announcing the election. "He is an exceptional litigator and counselor who has worked extensively in the areas of antitrust, securities, copyright, contract, and the First Amendment, and who has counseling experience in the area of corporate governance. He has also done remarkable pro bono work in the area of civil rights and international human rights. We are pleased that – in addition to all this – he is willing to translate his interest in the arts and this museum into the dedicated ongoing work of a trusteeship here. We look forward to benefiting from his wise counsel."
Mr. Joffe began working with Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1967, first as an Associate and, since 1975, as a Partner. He became Deputy Presiding Partner in 1997 and Presiding Partner in 1999. His work has included antitrust, securities, copyright and commercial litigation and counseling since 1978 for Time Inc., Home Box Office, Time Warner Cable, and Time Warner Inc. Mr. Joffe's current counseling work includes advising the non-management directors of Fannie Mae.
He is a Member of the American Bar Association (Litigation, Antitrust, Individual Rights and Responsibilities and International Law and Practice Sections), New York State Bar Association (Antitrust Section), and Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Vice President, 2003-04). Mr. Joffe is also Chair of the Task Force on Judicial Selection (2003 and 2006- ), a member of Senator Charles Schumer's Screening Panel, a member of the Chief Judge's (N.Y.) Corporate
Advisory Committee, and a member of the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts (since 2004).
Mr. Joffe has been profiled in The American Lawyer and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. The National Law Journal featured him in "Profiles in Power, The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" (2006). His activities include membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and a membership – and, since 2005, the position of Vice-Chair – of the Board of Directors for Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights). In December 1989 he took part in a mission to Kenya on behalf of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and the International Human Rights Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and gave testimony in 1990 before the House and Senate Subcommittees with respect to human rights in Kenya. Mr. Joffe is also a member of the Advisory Council of Human Rights Watch/Africa. He was recognized by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for "Distinguished Leadership" in securing passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and was the recipient of the American Jewish Committee's Learned Hand Award (2004), the Fund for Modern Courts' John J. McCloy Award (2005), and the Legal Aid Society's Servant of Justice Award (2006).
Mr. Joffe has also served as a member of the board of trustees of the Romanian American Enterprise Fund (appointed by President Clinton; 1994-2003), Franklin Resources, Inc. (since 2003), the Fiduciary Trust Company International (since 1999), The After-School Corporation (since 2001), and The Jericho Project (1985-97).
He holds an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Mr. Joffe lives in Manhattan with his wife, Virginia Joffe, a photographer. They have four children.
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September 12, 2006
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