Sachin Kohli ’06

Sachin Kohli grew up in Rochester, N.Y., with parents who emigrated from India. His father wanted Sachin, his older sister and his brother to earn engineering degrees, so they all entered UB’s undergraduate engineering school. As a summer industrial engineering intern at IBM in Binghamton, he was tangentially exposed to law—and what merger and acquisition lawyers do—as IBM was selling its facility. “It was serendipitous,” Kohli said, igniting his interest in UB’s JD/MBA degree program. Early on he knew he wanted to practice business law in a big city. UB Law topped his list.

Pursuing a dual degree added a year to Kohli’s academic program. He graduated a year after his law school cohort. Kohli spent his first year studying law and his second year in the School of Management. He thus formed relationships with two classes and had two key study groups and extracurricular activities. His classes focused on business transaction law and were cross-listed with the business school. He was editor in chief of the Buffalo Law Review, which prepared him for law practice. He relished the relationships he formed in O’Brian Hall, his “second home,” and fondly remembers studying in the law library. His favorite course was Acquisitions and Transactions with Professor Philip Halpern, whom he deemed an excellent instructor and who reaffirmed his choice of practicing M&A. Other professors who impacted him were Bert Westbrook, Thomas Disare and John Henry Schlegel, all key professors involved in finance and transactions. Kohli is grateful for their mentorship.

He started his career as a summer associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Jeffrey Tannenbaum, a UB Law alumnus and a Weil partner, helped him enter his firm. Now Kohli gives back by coaching UB Law students who want to interview at Weil.

Kohli considers his greatest professional achievement the merger of Dow and DuPont, two iconic companies, a $130 billion transaction done quickly.

UB Law served him well, Kohli said, providing significant alumni connections. His legal education helped him develop a strong work ethic and gave him the necessary skills to work at Weil. He would choose the same path again.