The Court of Chancery consists of one chancellor and four vice chancellors.
The chancellor and vice chancellors are nominated by the Governor and must
be confirmed by the Senate for 12-year terms. The Delaware Court of Chancery
is a non-jury trial court that serves as Delaware's court of original and
exclusive equity jurisdiction, and adjudicates a wide variety of cases involving
trusts, real property, guardianships, civil rights, and commercial litigation.
The chancellor and vice chancellors must be learned in the law and must
be Delaware citizens.
Chancellor William B. Chandler III
The Honorable William B. Chandler III was
appointed Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery in 1997, where
he had served as Vice Chancellor since 1989. He also served as Resident
Judge of the Delaware Superior Court from 1985 to 1989. He received his
law degrees from the University of South Carolina School of Law and the
Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware.
Before his appointment to the Court, Chancellor
Chandler was an associate with Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell and he
served as Legal Counsel to former Governor Pete duPont. The Chancellor
taught commercial law, legislative process, and remedies for two years
at the University of Alabama School of Law. He is presently a member of
the American Law Institute and the Delaware Bar Association.
Vice Chancellor Leo E. Strine, Jr.
The Honorable Leo E. Strine, Jr. became
a Vice Chancellor of the Court of Chancery in November, 1998. Immediately
prior, Vice Chancellor Strine was Counsel to Governor Thomas R. Carper
since 1993. Before his position with Governor Carper, Vice Chancellor
Strine served as a corporate litigator at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher
& Flom and as law clerk to Judge Walter K. Stapleton of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Chief Judge John F. Gerry of the
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Vice Chancellor Strine graduated magna cum
laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and received his
Bachelor's Degree summa cum laude from the University of Delaware.
Vice Chancellor John W. Noble
The Honorable John W. Noble has been a Vice
Chancellor of the Court of Chancery since November 2000. He holds a B.S.
in Ch.E., magna cum laude, from Bucknell University and a J.D., cum laude,
from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Following law school,
he served as a federal district court law clerk and then practiced with
Parkowski, Noble & Guerke, P.A., in Dover, Delaware.
Vice Chancellor Donald F. Parsons
Donald F. Parsons, Jr., became a Vice Chancellor
of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware on October 22, 2003.
He is a 1977 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and also
received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University.
Before joining the Court of Chancery, Vice
Chancellor Parsons spent over twenty-four years at the firm of Morris,
Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was a senior
partner. While in private practice, he specialized in intellectual property
litigation, participated in numerous jury and non-jury patent trials,
and wrote several papers relating to intellectual property law. Before
joining Morris, Nichols in 1979, Vice Chancellor Parsons clerked for the
Honorable James L. Latchum of the United States District Court for the
District of Delaware. He also is a Past President of the Delaware State
Bar Association.
Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster
The Honorable J. Travis Laster was sworn in as Vice Chancellor of the Court of Chancery on October 9, 2009. Prior to his appointment, he was one of the founding partners of Abrams & Laster LLP, a corporate law boutique specializing in high stakes litigation involving Delaware corporations and other business entities, and advising on transactional matters carrying a significant risk of litigation. Before forming Abrams & Laster, he was a director in the Corporate Department of Richards, Layton & Finger P.A. Before joining Richards Layton & Finger, he clerked for the Honorable Jane R. Roth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Vice Chancellor Laster received his A.B summa cum laude from Princeton University and his J.D. and M.A. from the University of Virginia, where he served on the Virginia Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif, and received the Law School Alumni Association Award for Academic Excellence for having the best academic record in his graduating class. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Delaware State Bar Association, and the Rodney Inn of Court.
Sam Glasscock, III
Master in Chancery
Sam Glasscock, III, was born is Erie, Pennsylvania
and spent most of his youth in Lewes, Delaware. He received a B.A. in
History from the University of Delaware in 1975, a J.D. with Honors from
Duke University in 1983 and a Master's Degree in Marine Policy from the
University of Delaware in 1989. Before coming to the Court of Chancery,
he worked as a judicial clerk, as an associate at Prickett, Jones, Elliott,
Kristol & Schnee in the litigation section, as a Superior Court special
discovery master and as a Deputy Attorney General in the Appeals Unit
of the Department of Justice.
Kim E. Ayvazian
Master in Chancery
Kim E. Ayvazian has been a Master in Chancery since November 2006. She received a B.A. in History from Yale University in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1986. Before joining the Court of Chancery, she was a Deputy Attorney General in the Appeals Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice, and a judicial law clerk.
Past Members of the Court of Chancery
William Killen (1793-1801)
Nicholas Ridgley (1801-1830)
Kensey Johns, Sr. (1830-1832)
Kensey Johns, Jr. (1832-1857)
Samuel Maxwell Harrington (1857-1865)
Daniel Moore Bates (1865-1873)
Willard Saulsbury (1873-1892)
James L. Wolcott (1893-1895)
John Read Nicholson (1895-1909)
Charles Minot Curtis (1909-1921)
Josiah Oliver Wolcott (1921-1938)
William Watson Harrington (1938-1950)
George Burton Pearson, Jr. (1939-1946)
Daniel F. Wolcott (1950-1951)
Collins J. Seitz (1946-1966)
Howard W. Bramhall (1951-1954)
William Marvel (1954-1982)
Issac D. Short, II (1961-1973)
William Duffy (1966-1973)
Grover C. Brown (1973-1985)
William T. Quillen (1973-1976)
Maurice A. Hartnett, III (1976-1994)
Joseph J. Longobardi (1982-1984)
Carolyn Berger (1984-1994)
Joseph T. Walsh (1984-1985)
William T. Allen (1985-1997)
Bernard Balick (1994-1998)
Myron T. Steele (1994-2000)
Jack B. Jacobs
(1985-2003)
Stephen P. Lamb (1997 - 2009)
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