Chambers (High Net Worth category):
• “He is a big name in this field. . . a polished attorney with a vast knowledge of the financial aspects of his case.”
• “He’s a terrific lawyer – someone you would want in your corner in significant disputes, but also when the requirement is there for lateral thinking in complex asset structures.”
• “He is a phenomenal negotiator and a phenomenal litigator,” states a market insider, adding: “He is so thoughtful and tremendously capable. He can deal with the most difficult and complicated matters in an effective way.”
Spears (“Top Seven US Family Lawyers”):
• “The go-to for some of New York’s most complex financial cases . . . . with a fearsome reputation for success.”
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. John’s experience and reputation in these areas often allow achievement of client objectives without resort to the courts.
Significant representations include 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), tax and trust controversies, incapacity/guardianship issues, and cross-border pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and foreign marital property regimes and estate administration.
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, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Israel, China, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
John is perennially listed in Chamber’s Band One, Family Law, High Net Worth category, where has been described as:
• “A big name in this field; . . . a very good, very hard negotiator. . . . a polished attorney with a vast knowledge of the financial aspects of his case.”
• “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.”
• “A brilliant US divorce lawyer: one of, if not the best [on] cross-border matrimonial planning, and my go-to lawyer for that work.”
• “A terrific lawyer who deserves all of his accolades. . . . exceedingly smart and very skilled.”
• “The best matrimonial lawyer if you have a client who has a complex, tricky matrimonial matter. . . . excellent negotiator, excellent writer and excellent trial lawyer.”
• “Aggressive, tough and suited to tough cases which make it to court.”
• “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.”
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 and the International Academy of Estate and Trust 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 New York chapter in the international treatise Family Law: Jurisdictional Comparisons, (1st edition 2011 through 6th edition 2024), and of Chambers’ High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth, 2023 & 2024 editions.
Prior to joining the firm, John practiced 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).