The O’Melveny community mourns the recent passing of partner Ted McAniff. Ted was a singular man, and one of the most beloved partners in O’Melveny history. He touched the lives of virtually everyone at O’Melveny lucky enough to know and work with him. Ted’s legal erudition was surpassed only by his kindness and empathy, both for his O’Melveny colleagues and many others in the communities he enriched with his active commitment and engagement.

One of the country’s leading banking lawyers, Edward J. McAniff spent more than 50 years at O’Melveny developing and shaping our banking law practice as he counseled some of the market’s most important institutions, including Bankers Trust, TCW, and both Bank of America and its predecessor bank Security Pacific. He broadened the scope of our tax-exempt practice and was one of the founders of our creditors rights group. Widely respected and trusted by his clients, Ted was their go-to source for counsel on financial markets and regulation, areas at the heart of our financial services practices.

Ted balanced his dedication to the law with service to our country, his deep faith, and his family. By the time he graduated from the New York University School of Law in 1961, he had already spent two years in the US Navy and had married Jane, a partnership that lasted 64 years and led to six children and more than two dozen grandchildren.

As an Order of Malta Knight, Ted accompanied sick and disabled people on pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, to promote healing and inner peace. He served as chair and CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the city’s professional choir, and he participated in the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, retiring in 1987 as a captain and taking an active role in O’Melveny Salute, our internal veterans advisory group.

While on a work sabbatical, he taught securities regulation law at Stanford Law School. During his career, he also taught banking and securities law at University of Oregon School of Law and held teaching positions at UCLA School of Law and UC Berkeley School of Law. He served as vice chair of the ABA’s Banking Law Committee and on the editorial board of The Banking Law Journal.

Though Ted retired in 1999, he remained a regular (and bow-tied) presence in the Los Angeles office, so dedicated to O’Melveny that he received our Warren Christopher Values Award in 2015 and continued to advise subsequent generations of leaders. Ted’s annual holiday brunch at his Pasadena home drew scores of colleagues who had become cherished friends, and that connection remained undiminished. In fact, several colleagues visited him recently as he prepared to celebrate his 90th birthday on June 29.

Firm alumni can read and contribute personal tributes to Ted on OMMConnect, our alumni program website.

Our heartfelt condolences go to Ted’s family. May his dedication, leadership, and thoughtfulness continue to inspire us all.

Ted McAniff has been involved in many of the significant aspects of banking law, particularly those involving the intersection of the banking and securities industries, and has regularly been recognized as one of the country’s leading banking lawyers. He has counseled banks and bank holding companies in connection with providing brokerage, mutual fund, and advisory services. Ted has a particular interest in, and has lectured on, the Glass-Steagall Act and is now involved in the evolution of banking under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. As well, he is active in professional groups participating in the current restructuring of US Financial Institution Regulation.

He also has an extensive background in corporate and securities law, in mergers and acquisitions, and in public finance transactions. During a sabbatical year, Ted taught Securities Regulation at Stanford Law School. He has supervised financings for numerous corporations, and for public bodies ranging from the California Veterans Affairs Department to the State of New York.

Ted has acted as underwriter’s counsel for many of the major investment banking concerns. He has acted in a similar capacity for leading commercial banks. In addition, he has participated as lead counsel in financings of all kinds, including venture capital startup offerings, major private placements, off-balance sheet commercial paper programs, major project financings, restructurings and, during his time with a solicitors firm in Australia, multinational natural resource project financings.