Widely acknowledged nationally as preeminent in the shareholder activism arena, Andrew Freedman represents many of the most active and prominent activist investors and investment funds, as well as newly launched activist investment firms. A co-founder of Olshan's Shareholder Activism Practice, he now leads Olshan’s top-ranked global Shareholder Activism Group.
Leading activist hedge funds and investors choose Andy to guide them in their shareholder activism campaigns, proxy fights, 13D filings, hostile takeovers, corporate governance matters, and engagements with public company management and boards of directors. Private equity firms also seek his counsel regarding “toehold” stakes, PIPEs, M&A strategies, and transaction negotiations, including offer letters, diligence, NDAs, and regulatory issues.

Andy has represented investors in hundreds of high-stakes, high-profile shareholder activism campaigns in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, helping clients replace more than 1,000 directors on public company boards and strengthening corporate governance and accountability in the process. An out-of-the-box strategic thinker, Andy finds solutions.

Andy has achieved landmark, precedent-setting proxy contest victories, including Browning West's historic win in a recent proxy contest to replace the entire board at Canadian clothing maker Gildan Activewear, where Browning West's eight nominees were installed, and its former CEO and founder, Glenn Chamandy, was reinstated. He also represented first-time activist, Irenic Capital, earlier this year in its successful proxy campaign at Barnes Group Inc., a global provider of highly engineered products, differentiated industrial technologies, and innovative solutions. Additionally, Andy represented Hestia Capital in its proxy campaign at Pitney Bowes Inc., marking the first-ever control slate proxy contest to go to a vote under the SEC's new universal proxy card voting regime. He has delivered similarly successful results for activist investors such as Starboard Value LP, Elliott Investment Management, and Ancora Advisors.

Andy's skill in assessing the prospects for change and devising proxy campaign strategies gives clients a competitive edge regardless of campaign constraints. He is regularly praised as a tenacious adversary, a master strategist, and sophisticated in managing the myriad technical details of campaigns. A tactician of the highest order and aggressive in delivering results, Andy's talent and reputation lend credibility and power to campaigns, ultimately resulting in highly successful outcomes.

Andy is recognized as the #1 lawyer in Shareholder Activism, having been ranked by Chambers USA since 2017 and achieving a prestigious Band 1 ranking in 2024. The Legal 500 United States also ranks him as a Tier 1 Leading Lawyer in M&A/Corporate and Commercial: Shareholder Activism – Advice to Shareholders. In 2022, Business Insider named Andy one of the top 13 attorneys in the shareholder activism space, and he has been included in the New York Metro Super Lawyers since 2016. Andy’s expertise and influence have made him a leading dealmaker in the field of Shareholder Activism.

Quoted frequently as an authority in leading national publications and news outlets, like The Wall Street Journal, Andy is a sought-after speaker on activist panels throughout the U.S. and authors articles on shareholder activism for media and academic journals, including Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.