John Teitler

Practice Areas

Described by Chambers 2025 as “a luminary in the field,” “an incredibly gifted lawyer and advocate,” “brilliant,” and “a force of nature,” John’s practice is centered on ultra-high net worth family law, trusts & estate law, and often the intersection of these two practice areas. He has served as lead counsel in some of the largest matrimonial cases in the world and has also handled large cross-border and domestic estate matters and disputes. John’s ability to understand complex issues in both of these disciplines makes him a unique resource for ultra-high net worth individuals, trustees and family offices seeking to avoid exposure to liability and, when high stakes controversies arise, to have zealous representation in those matters.

Significant representations have included matters regarding hedge fund and private equity business valuations, art law (disputes over ownership and valuation as well as purchase/sale transactions and succession planning), complex tax and trust controversies, capacity/guardianship issues, and advice on cross-border pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and foreign marital property regimes.

John’s extensive experience in these areas has earned him a reputation as one of the most financially sophisticated lawyers practicing in the family law area. His reputation and skills often allow him to achieve his clients’ objectives through negotiation and without the need to resort to the courts.

John has advised clients in various family law and estate matters in New York and elsewhere in the United States, as well as in many non-U.S. jurisdictions, including England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Israel, China, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Cayman Islands, and other jurisdictions.

Perennially listed in Band One, Family Law, High Net Worth category, over the past decade Chambers has consistently used superlatives to describe him:

• "John Teitler is a brilliant US divorce lawyer: one of, if not the best [on] cross-border matrimonial planning, and my go-to lawyer for that work."

• “He's a big name in this field; he's a very good, very hard negotiator. John is a polished attorney with a vast knowledge of the financial aspects of his case."

• "He is a terrific lawyer who deserves all of his accolades. He is exceedingly smart and very skilled."

• "He is the best matrimonial lawyer if you have a client who has a complex, tricky matrimonial matter. He is really a tremendous lawyer. He is an excellent negotiator, excellent writer and excellent trial lawyer."

• "He's aggressive, tough and suited to tough cases which make it to court," says an interviewee, and another local source states that "he has long-standing experience and is very, very well known in this market."

• "Very experienced and a go-to name for high net worth clients." He is seen as a strong trial lawyer for complex divorce proceedings in New York. "He's very good and involved in lots of big cases," states one source, who adds that "he has tons of experience."

• "A very strong lawyer." He primarily acts for wealthy individuals, trusts and other institutions in matrimonial and family-related litigation. A market insider reports: "I have dealt with him on a number of high-profile cases and I've found him to be easy to work with, proactive and constructive."

John frequently lectures on issues relating to asset valuation theory and cross-border family law and trusts & estates law. He has been elected to the International Academy of Family Lawyers as well as the International Academy of Estate and Trusts Law. He has been repeatedly recognized as a “Super Lawyer” and has served on the Matrimonial Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

He is the author of the U.S. (New York) chapter in the international treatise Family Law: Jurisdictional Comparisons, for each edition from 2011 (1st edition) through 2024 (6th edition), and the author of Chambers’ High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth, 2023 edition and 2024 edition.

John, who joined the firm in 1996, began his career in the litigation department of Shearman & Sterling (1990-96) including a year as a Shearman & Sterling-sponsored Special Trial Counsel to the New York City Corporation Counsel’s Office.

John is the third generation of his family to act as a partner of the firm, and now leads the firm together with his father Michael F. Teitler.

John is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 1990), and Denison University (B.A., 1987).