Stephen Merkel is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Newmark. Additionally, he is Executive Vice Chairman, Executive Managing Director, and General Counsel for the Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. group of companies, responsible for overseeing legal and compliance functions globally. He is also on the Board of Directors of BGC Group’s FMX business.
Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald in 1993, Merkel was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Goldman Sachs & Co., dedicated to the J. Aron Division. Before that, he was an associate with the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Irving R. Kaufman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Merkel received a Bachelor’s degree with a major in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Merkel is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. Merkel lives with his wife, Robin Shanus, and has three adult children, David, Gabe and Leo.
Education
Merkel graduated with a B.A. Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received his law degree from the University of Michigan School of Law.