Wilmington Attorney J. Travis Laster Appointed to the Delaware Court of Chancery

I have known Travis Laster for over a decade, in both professional and personal settings. We met in 1998 when he was an associate at Richards, Layton & Finger and I was working there as a summer associate. [Several years ago Travis and Kevin Abrams left RL&F to form their own corporate litigation boutique firm Abrams & Laster.]

I also had the opportunity while clerking for (then)-Vice-Chancellor Myron Steele to see Travis at work litigating before the court.

The News-Journal now reports on Travis's nomination to the Delaware Court of Chancery :

Laster nominated to Court of Chancery

By MAUREEN MILFORD - The News Journal

J. Travis Laster, a 39-year-old Wilmington corporate lawyer, has been nominated by Gov. Jack Markell for the vacant seat on Delaware’s prestigious Court of Chancery.

“Travis Laster has spent his career litigating in front of the Court of Chancery and has developed an outstanding reputation for his intelligence and integrity,” Markell said.

Laster, a partner with Abrams & Laster, was selected out of an initial field of about seven candidates who applied for the seat left vacant when Stephen P. Lamb retired in July after his 12-year term expired.

“I am honored to be nominated by Governor Markell,” Laster said in a statement. “I have profound respect for the Court of Chancery and for the many jurists who have given that court its national reputation for excellence. If confirmed, I hope to contribute to the court’s tradition.”

Under the Delaware Constitution, Markell must submit a name to the Senate within 60 days after the seat becomes vacant. The Senate is expected to reconvene in September and hold a confirmation vote then.

Travis has an outstanding and comprehensive grasp of the countless nuances of Delaware's corporate laws and jurisprudence, having helped shape many of them over the last 13+ years during which he became a premiere corporate litigator.

He also has an exceedingly just and even-handed temperament accompanying his extensive knowledge and experience as a Chancery litigator.

Laster is a superlative choice to replace Stephen Lamb on the Court of Chancery and I roundly commend Governor Markell's wise decision.

As a member of the Delaware Bar, it is highly reassuring to know that the Court will soon have an attorney of Travis's caliber on its bench.

Given Travis's sterling reputation and track record I am confident his nomination will be unanimously confirmed by the Delaware Senate, and I urge all Senators to vote in the affirmative.

[On a personal note, Travis's life accomplishments are even more impressive given his age of 39! But it also has me (at nearly 38) beginning to feel a bit old. I guess when one's contemporaries begin becoming judges, the feeling is inevitable.]

Best of luck to Travis in his confirmation and eventual tenure on the nation's #1 court for high-stakes and complex corporate dispute resolution!