Mr Christian Kemnitz > Katten > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Katten
525 WEST MONROE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60661-3693
ILLINOIS
United States

Work Department

Financial Markets Litigation and Enforcement

Position

Christian Kemnitz devotes his practice to the defense of financial services firms in litigation, regulatory enforcement proceedings and internal investigations. His work frequently involves disputes over futures, options, swaps, securities and other complex financial products. In particular, he has extensive experience defending matters relating to spoofing, manipulation and other forms of disruptive trading.

Chris’ work on financial services litigation includes proposed class actions brought under securities laws. He also frequently represents broker-dealers in civil disputes, including arbitration claims brought by customers. In this work, Chris has a long and successful record at arbitration hearings. In the heavily regulated field of financial services, he also handles enforcement proceedings before the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), self-regulatory bodies, and at stock, option and futures exchanges.

Outside of financial services, Chris has litigated employment, product liability and class action matters, as well as disputes within partnerships and closely held corporations. Clients also seek his counsel on antitrust issues, where Chris’ experience includes pre-merger regulatory review, criminal investigations and class actions by direct and indirect purchasers.

Chris also advises corporate and individual clients in white-collar criminal matters, including investigations initiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the SEC and the CFTC. Often those investigations are preceded by internal investigations. Chris has run such internal investigations for manufacturing companies, investment banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds.

Languages

German

Education

JD, The University of Chicago Law School; BA, Michigan State University

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products

Katten offers expertise in all matters arising in the derivatives and structured products space, including regulatory, enforcement and transactional. The firm acts as both advisory and defense counsel, with Chicago-based Christian Kemnitz heading the financial markets litigation and enforcement team. It is also well-versed in the regulatory frameworks of the CFTC and SEC. With a client base spanning the sector, the firm is noted for its work with investment banks, hedge funds and trading firms. Also based in Chicago, Lance Zinman, the overall practice head, focuses on futures and derivatives regulation matters. In Washington DC, Daniel Davis is experienced on both the buy- and sell-side of the market, with standout capabilities in fraud-related allegations and compliance matters in the derivatives space. New York-based Carl Kennedy is noted for his work on regulatory matters concerning derivatives, including OTC and listed derivatives.