Richards, Layton & Finger Director Rudolf Koch Named Legal Advisor of the Year by The M&A Advisor
September 16, 2026
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WILMINGTON, Delaware (September 16, 2026) — Richards, Layton & Finger is pleased to announce that Director Rudy Koch was named Legal Advisor of the Year by The M&A Advisor as part of its 17th Annual International M&A Awards.
Koch represents clients in complex corporate and commercial disputes in Delaware state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. He also advises managers, general partners, boards, and committees on governance, litigation, internal investigations, and control disputes.
His work has received recognition from leading legal directories. The Legal 500 describes Koch as being “known by the courts as a real litigator,” while Chambers USA has recognized his “superb legal judgment and common sense,” and his encyclopedic knowledge of Delaware law.”
Recent representative matters include Koch’s work on Tesla’s appellate team in In re Tesla, Inc. Derivative Litigation, in which the Delaware Supreme Court reversed the Court of Chancery’s rescission of Elon Musk’s 2018 performance-based equity award; his representation of Fifth Third Bancorp in Delaware Court of Chancery litigation concerning its $10.9 billion acquisition of Comerica Incorporated; and his representation of IDT Corporation and its controller, Howard Jonas, in trial and appellate proceedings involving more than $1.2 billion in class claims. Koch also speaks and writes frequently on Delaware corporate law, including at the Tulane Corporate Law Institute, and his writing has appeared in The Business Lawyer, The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, Insights: The Corporate and Securities Law Advisor, Business Law Today, and the Cornell Law Review.
“Rudy is an exceptional advocate and trusted adviser to clients confronting their most complex corporate matters,” said Richards Layton President Paul Heath. “His deep knowledge of Delaware corporate law, strategic judgment, and ability to guide clients through consequential disputes make this recognition especially well deserved. We are proud to congratulate him on this honor.”
The International M&A Awards honor the industry’s leading transactions, firms, and professionals whose accomplishments represent the highest levels of performance across global mergers and acquisitions, financing, restructuring, and corporate finance.
About Richards, Layton & Finger
Defining Delaware law since 1899, Richards, Layton & Finger helps sophisticated clients navigate complex issues and the intricacies of Delaware law. We advise global companies, business partnerships, leading financial institutions, local businesses, and individuals across a wide range of practices, including corporate law, alternative entities, commercial law, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, intellectual property, tax, trusts and estates, commercial real estate, and litigation.