KAI LIEKEFETT is a partner in New York and co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense practice. He has over 20 years of experience in corporate law and spends 100% of his time on shareholder activism campaigns, proxy fights and hostile takeovers. In the past five years, Kai has defended over 150 proxy contests globally and approximately 25% of all U.S. late-stage proxy fights, more than any other defense attorney in the world.
Under Kai’s leadership, Sidley rose to the top of all activism defense league tables since 2020, including No. 1 rankings by Bloomberg, FactSet, Diligent, and LSEG (formerly Refinitiv/Thomson Reuters). Chambers USA has ranked Sidley in Band 1 in New York for Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense (2022–2024), noting in 2024 that “Sidley Austin is the best in the business at activism defence work.” Sidley has been ranked in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500. The firm was also recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” two years in a row.
The American Lawyer named Kai “2019 Dealmaker of the Year” for the Wynn Resorts proxy contest. Since 2017, Chambers USA has recognized Kai individually as leading lawyer for “Takeover Defense,” ranking him in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense in New York and noting that “Kai is a pioneer in the field of shareholder activism defense” (2024). Kai has also been named one of the leadings lawyers for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500 since 2023, calling him and his partner Derek Zaba “two of the best lawyers in America.” He was selected for the NACD Directorship 100 as a “Governance Professional” in 2022 and 2023. In 2020, Kai was elected to the American College of Governance Counsel, the honorary association of lawyers widely recognized for their achievements in governance. Kai was selected as one of the Lawdragon 500 “Leading Dealmakers in America” (2021–2023). He was ranked No. 6 among the “Top 50 Attorneys of New York for 2023” by Attorney Intel.
Kai serves on the board of the New York Chapter of the NACD and served on the Law360 Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Board for several years. He speaks regularly on panels and at universities around the world (including Harvard and Frankfurt). He is frequently interviewed and quoted as a thought leader by the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Economist, TIME, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, CNN, USA Today, Forbes, Law360, and The Deal.
Kai holds a Ph.D., magna cum laude, from Freiburg University; an Executive MBA, summa cum laude (best of class), from Muenster Business School; and an LL.M., James Kent Scholar, from Columbia Law School. He was in the top 0.1% nationwide in his First Legal State Exam (J.D. equivalent) and in the top 1.5% nationwide in his Second Legal State Exam in Germany.