The firm advised on 21 public activist campaigns launched in 2019.
Sidley was ranked No. 1 among legal advisors for activism defense for 2019, according to data provided by FactSet*. Moreover, Sidley was ranked No. 2 in Bloomberg’s activism league tables for company-side engagements in 2019 by aggregate market capitalization. These rankings reflect Sidley’s company representations in 21 public activism campaigns, including the largest board election contest of 2019 at Texas Pacific Land Trust. These rankings solidify Sidley’s reputation as a leader in the shareholder activism arena.
Additionally in 2019, Sidley’s co-head of the shareholder activism practice, Kai Liekefett, received the “2019 Dealmaker of the Year” award from The American Lawyer for his activism representation. Sidley’s defense of Texas Pacific Land Trust was also deemed the “Wildest Campaign of the Year” by Activist Insight, marking the second year in a row that Sidley led the defense in such a campaign.
Furthermore, in 2019, Derek Zaba joined Sidley as co-leader of Sidley’s shareholder activism practice from CamberView Partners, where he served as the head of its activism and contested M&A practice. Since 2016, Mr. Liekefett and Mr. Zaba have defended against more than 50 proxy contests (while losing only two votes) and represented issuers in more than 30 settlement agreements.
With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the world, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter @SidleyLaw.
* Public companies with market capitalizations greater than US$100 million at the time of campaign announcement.
