In an age where Wall Street banks are sometimes blamed for abuses that led to the recession, the banks' go-to lawyer H. Rodgin Cohen—often known simply as Rodge—maintains enormous respect from both clients and government regulators alike.

His work on behalf of banks was often critical to their survival during the financial crisis, while he was involved in shaping key concepts that made their way into legislation such as the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Cohen, 73, was chairman at Sullivan & Cromwell from 2000 to 2009.

His work in the financial crisis in 2008 was the most intense of his career, Cohen says, when many days he worked from 5 a.m. to midnight or pulled all-nighters “going from crisis to crisis.”