Lawyerly Lairs: A Powerful Paul Weiss Partner's Penthouse -- On Sale For $15 Million

Which legendary lawyer once called this mansion in the sky his home?

As we roll into the July 4th holiday weekend, it’s a good time for a Lawyerly Lairs post. What could be more American than great real estate? Great real estate once owned by a great American lawyer, in fact?

The River House is one of Manhattan’s most magnificent addresses. This elegant pre-war co-op, offering incredible views of the East River, has been rightly described as “one of the most luxurious, romantic and private apartment buildings ever built.”

As you can see from the building’s Wikipedia entry, its celebrity residents over the years have included Henry Kissinger and Uma Thurman. Legal eagles like Philip Bobbitt and Kermit Roosevelt [sorry, wrong Kermit Roosevelt] have also made their nests here. And this legal eagle, a Paul, Weiss partner whose penthouse is on the market for almost $15 million, might be the most high-flying of them all….

It would be no exaggeration to call the late Arthur L. Liman one of the great lawyers of American history. This legendary litigator, a Harvard College and Yale Law School graduate, spent most of his long and distinguished career as a partner at Paul, Weiss, representing such famous clients as Michael Milken and Time Warner. But he also made significant forays into government, serving at various points as an assistant U.S. attorney, chief counsel of the commission that investigated the Attica Prison uprising, and chief counsel of the Senate committee that investigated the Iran-Contra affair.

Liman passed away in 1997. He was survived by his wife, Ellen Fogelson Liman, and three remarkable children: Emily, a neurobiologist; Doug Liman, the acclaimed director of films like Swingers and The Bourne Identity (affiliate links); and Lewis Liman, a former federal prosecutor, current Cleary Gottlieb partner, and great litigator in his own right.

Arthur Liman also left behind a beautiful River House apartment — one that’s now on the market for almost $15 million, as reported by the New York Observer. According to the listing, the apartment has three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, spread out over more than 4,000 square feet on three levels.

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The private elevator landing opens into this marbled entry hall. It boasts a nice coffered ceiling (click to enlarge) and a mirrored bar, so Arthur Liman could make himself a stiff drink right after coming home from court:

What wonders lie beyond the foyer?

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