Chambers USA published its selective list of leading practices and lawyers in the United States for the category “Takeover Defense.” Sidley was ranked in Band 1 as top law firm for this practice for the third year in a row. In addition, the co-chairs of Sidley’s Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense practice, Kai Liekefett and Derek Zaba, were both ranked individually in Band 1 and 3, respectively.
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Chambers USA commented:
Sidley houses market-leading expertise in shareholder activism defense.
“Sidley Austin is the best in the business at activism defence work.”
“The Sidley Austin activism team have seen every possible situation and offer terrific insights on the most complex issues. They have unparalleled experience.”
“Sidley Austin's responsiveness and service levels are exceptional.”
Kai Liekefett co-chairs the firm’s Shareholder Activism practice, and retains a strong reputation for his defense work and proxy fight expertise. He is active in situations on both the domestic and international stages.
“Kai is a pioneer in the field of shareholder activism defense.”
“He engenders real loyalty from his clients based on his personality, careful counsel and knowledge of the law.”
“Kai is a consummate professional in this space. He's the fighter you want on your side. He has deep knowledge, experience and expertise.”
Derek Zaba splits his time between the firm’s Palo Alto and New York offices and co-chairs its Shareholder Activism practice.
“Derek is extremely responsive, very knowledgeable and presents very well in front of the board and executives.”
“Derek is one of the brightest defense attorneys in the business. He consistently delivers sound advice and as a result he's very well liked by boards.”
“Derek is very creative, an excellent tactician, and a great listener.”
“Derek has a great style about him. He's very even-keeled in how he delivers advice and he remains very calm and collected in negotiations.”
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These Chambers rankings follow Sidley’s No. 1 rankings by Bloomberg, FactSet, Diligent and LSEG for company-side engagements by legal advisers globally and in the United States in recent years. Sidley is also ranked in Tier 1 by The Legal 500 (U.S.) for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards,” which also lists Kai Liekefett and Derek Zaba individually as leading lawyers for advice to boards. Additionally, Sidley was recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” two years in a row.
In the past five years, Sidley has represented companies in more than 150 proxy contests, several hundred activist campaigns, and dozens of settlements — more than any other defense law practice in the world.
