About Bennett Jay
Bennett Jay Yankowitz has built a long legal career that crosses private practice, corporate leadership and international study. He pairs a technical undergraduate background in mathematics with advanced legal training that includes an LL.M. in international law from the University of Cambridge.
Yankowitz began his academic path at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied mathematics. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Southern California and completed graduate study at Cambridge in 1980. The mix of quantitative study and advanced legal work shaped his approach to complex transactions and cross-border matters.
He entered private practice in the 1980s. Early roles included associate positions at Rogers & Wells and at White & Case. By 1990 he had moved into partnership at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. Those years gave him exposure to large firm litigation and transactional work in U.S. and international contexts.
In the mid-1990s Yankowitz shifted between law firm practice and business leadership. He became a partner at Heenan Blaikie in 1995 and took a principal role at SY Development Corp. in 1997. That blend of legal and operational responsibility led to an of counsel post at Kaye Scholer LLP in 1999, where he advised on matters that combined corporate structuring and international considerations.
His career includes a stint as chief executive officer of Proteus Energy Corp. in 2003, a move that expanded his experience in the energy and development sectors. After that role he returned to of counsel positions at firms that handle corporate and commercial matters, joining Parker Shumaker Mills LLP in 2010 and later Shumaker Mallory LLP in 2014.
Yankowitz is licensed to practice in both New York and California. Over several decades his work has involved corporate transactions, international legal issues and projects tied to energy and development. He has moved between law firm partnership, in-house leadership and advisory of counsel roles, bringing a combination of transactional, regulatory and business experience to client matters.
Currently he serves as of counsel at Shumaker Mallory LLP and maintains licenses in New York and California. His current practice concentrates on corporate and international matters and legal issues arising in energy and development projects.
