The firm advised on 14 public activist campaigns launched in the first eight months of 2019.
Sidley was ranked No. 1 among law firms for activism defense for the first eight months of 2019, according to data provided by SharkRepellent/FactSet*. The No. 1 ranking reflects 14 public activism campaigns, including the largest director election contest of the 2019 proxy season, Texas Pacific Land Trust in its proxy contest defense against SoftVest and Horizon Kinetics. The Texas Pacific Land Trust defense was also deemed the “Wildest Campaign of the Year” by Activist Insight, marking the second year in a row that Sidley has led the defense in such a campaign.
Sidley’s other recent notable proxy contest representations include:
- Argo Group International in its proxy contest defense against Voce Capital
- HomeStreet in its proxy contest defense against Roaring Blue Lion Capital
- MiMedx in its proxy contest defense against Parker Petit and Prescience Point
- Knowles in its proxy contest defense against Caligan Partners
This ranking solidifies Sidley’s reputation as a leader in the shareholder activism arena. Earlier this year, Sidley’s leader of the shareholder activism practice, Kai Liekefett, received the “2019 Dealmaker of the Year” award from The American Lawyer for his activism representation. Furthermore, Sidley recently hired Derek Zaba as new co-leader of the firm’s shareholder activism practice; Mr. Zaba joined Sidley from CamberView, where he ultimately served as the head of its activism and contested M&A practice. In the last five years, Mr. Liekefett and Mr. Zaba have been involved collectively in more than 70 proxy contests, according to SharkRepellent/FactSet.
*public companies with market capitalization greater than US$100 million at the time of campaign announcement
