Kaplan was a lawyer at Marshall, Bratter who headed its corporate department and was considered a potential leader before joining the investment bank, Burnham and Company.[2] Kaplan then served the president and CEO of its various incarnations before becoming Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1970 to 1977, replacing I. W. "Tubby" Burnham, the firm's founder in that capacity while Burnham remained its chairman.[3][4][5] In 1977, he left the company to become president and CEO of Engelhard, a former Fortune 500 company.[6] He spent two years at the company before joining Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he served as a senior partner until 1998.[7] He also served as a director of DRS Technologies and represented the firm in its acquisition by Leonardo S.p.A.[8][9]
^Sobel, Robert (1993). Dangerous Dreamers: The Financial Innovators from Charles Merrill to Michael Milken. New York, NY: Wiley. p. 78. ISBN0471577340.