Katten

Kristin Achterhof

Kristin Achterhof is the national co-chair of Katten's Intellectual Property Litigation practice, as well as the national co-chair of the firm's Advertising, Marketing and Promotions practice. She also serves as Katten's national hiring partner. Kristin has represented some of the world's most recognizable companies and is often the first phone call that leading technology, manufacturing, consumer goods, entertainment and fashion-industry clients make on difficult trademark, copyright and other intellectual property issues. As a first-chair trial attorney, she handles intellectual property and all manner of complex business disputes in court. As an adviser on transactions, she maximizes her clients' rights and revenues. Both in and out of the courtroom, she is an advocate and adviser, with an eye to helping clients optimize and protect their tangible and intangible property rights and assets.Household names in the technology and entertainment sectors and famous brands in all areas of consumer products and services rely on Kristin as an advocate and trusted advisor on IP, general advertising and competition issues. She has counseled multinational clients in multiple high-profile disputes involving novel ecommerce issues. She also gives strategic advice to clients on exploiting their copyrights and trademarks over social media, and on how to best protect their IP rights in software and emerging technologies.Kristin acts as a first-chair trial attorney in disputes in federal court, state court and before the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition to her extensive litigation experience, she represents clients in IP-related transactions that range from licenses to distribution agreements to vendor contracts.For many clients, Kristin is something more than an experienced first chair litigator. For them, she is a strategic counselor and partner, who takes the time to truly understand their business and what matters most when their brands are under attack, their IP is being exploited or when they simply need an effective advocate in their corner. Clients also benefit from her extensive knowledge and experience as a counselor and advocate in disputes involving their advertising, marketing and promotions practices. All of her abilities combine to make her a trusted advisor, a passionate and practical advocate, and, for her clients, the first phone call.Kristin is a frequent speaker and panel member for business, legal practice and educational groups across the country, and she is frequently quoted in national and international publications. She also is a skilled mediator and a member of the Panel of Neutrals for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, sponsored jointly by the International Trademark Association and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution.

Karen Artz Ash

From Paris runways to retail outlets across the US, Karen Artz Ash protects the intellectual property of major names in fashion. She provides comprehensive IP counsel to designers and clothing manufacturers as well as clients in other industries in which IP assets figure prominently. The institutional memory that she and her team have established with long-time clients and within the fashion industry as a whole allow her to provide practical and deeply informed advice across a wide range of issues.Karen has a talent for helping clients make strategic decisions about IP assets that support their overall business goals. That includes, but goes beyond, basic issues like selecting, defending and enforcing IP rights. Karen often assists with corporate structuring issues, often rooted in tax analysis, for entities with IP assets that represent a large portion of their overall value. She also strategizes on re-brandings, negotiates commercial agreements involving IP rights and helps clients to incorporate protections for their IP into their business operations.With the many international relationships in the fashion industry, Karen has developed significant experience in cross-border issues. Her team is known for its creative approach to those matters. Karen brings a background in economics and finance to her practice, and gained experience as a clerk in New York bankruptcy court that continues to benefit clients that have either gone through reorganizations or acquired assets from third parties in bankruptcy.

Christopher Atkinson

Christopher Atkinson gets deals done. He negotiates deals that allow his clients to grow and succeed. They include mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, equity financings and other transactions that require complex contracts and structures. Having started his career in the tech industry, Christopher brings a client mindset to his deal work for private equity firms, venture capital firms and businesses of all sizes. As a lawyer, Christopher retains the perspective he gained when he worked for emerging tech companies and was a client himself. From that experience, he appreciates the value of a practical approach to deal-making that puts a premium on efficiency. He adeptly cuts through issues and avoids spending needless time over-lawyering highly speculative, low-risk issues. Instead, he takes his clients through transactions as quickly and painlessly as possible. As a skilled negotiator, Christopher understands his clients' leverage (or lack thereof) and works hard to get them the best deal that he can. Christopher advises private equity firms, venture capital firms as well as businesses ranging from founder- and family-owned entities to large public companies. His experience goes well beyond the tech industry to include education, health care, business services, parking, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, restaurants and veterinary care. His work with venture capital firms often facilitates crucial financing for start-ups and other early-stage companies. At times, his deals allow his clients to expand into new areas, as when he helped a leading provider of parking services close a $275 million acquisition that allowed it to branch out into baggage delivery and other airport-related services.

Russell Black

Russell Black is a business lawyer who helps clients on the variety of issues they encounter every day. Companies and their owners rely on Russ from the earliest stages of formation, as they grow and expand, and when they are eventually sold. With more than 30 years' experience representing closely held, entrepreneurial and growth-oriented businesses, Russ provides his clients not only with legal assistance, but strategic business planning input as well. Russ understands that as businesses grow and evolve, their legal needs do as well. His approach is to learn all he can about a business and its owners, so he can see the full path of their history, current location and desired destination. Then he applies his legal skills and business acumen gained over three decades working with a wide variety of business clients to counsel them in a manner that's geared toward their specific needs and goals. Efficiency of time and cost are always key considerations, so Russ works quickly to either provide the solution personally or to bring together and manage team members with the needed experience and knowledge to provide a legal solution that’s appropriately measured for the situation. Russ represents clients in a wide variety of industries, and as a result has developed a broad skill set. He counsels on a range of corporate issues, including operating agreements, stockholders' agreements, partnership agreements, manufacturing/distribution agreements, vendor/purchaser agreements, licensing of technology and intellectual property, agreements between service providers and users, leases and financing. Because the proper structuring and handling of personnel issues are a central element of business success, Russ focuses a portion of his practice on employment law, including compliance with federal and state laws and the negotiation of all manner of agreements and situations dealing with employees, independent contractors, compensation, noncompetition, proprietary rights and separation. He also has extensive experience negotiating acquisitions, sales and mergers of businesses.

Peter Bogdanow

Peter Bogdanow is the attorney of choice for clients looking to execute growth plans and exit strategies in the middle market. He frequently helps private equity funds acquire companies on their own or in partnership with other sources of capital. Peter has a proven ability to complete deals on time, at good value for his clients, while preserving their key business terms. That's why many clients choose him to be their designated acquisition counsel, and why they trust him year after year with their most significant transactions. When he completed seven acquisitions in four years for a single client, it was not an aberration. Peter's dealmaking ability also translates across industries. He has successfully acquired and sold companies for clients in the energy, food and beverage, health care, manufacturing, software, waste management and other industries. Peter regularly represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as family offices, individual investors, family-owned businesses and acquisitive companies. He represents both buyers and sellers, allowing him to understand the concerns of all parties. Management teams also turn to Peter for help obtaining private equity capital and arranging their employment terms. Widely respected as a leading M&A attorney, he also assists clients with other deals that facilitate growth. He regularly structures and negotiates joint ventures, capital markets transactions and investments for minority and controlling stakes. In these transactions, he consistently overcomes the many complications that can arise — from tax issues to corporate governance matters to the many issues that crop up in cross-border deals. Peter's ability to clear those hurdles is what makes him so valuable to his clients.

Evan Borenstein

Evan's broad transactional portfolio focuses on financings (including credit facilities, term-loan financings and secured and structured financings), M&A activity and corporate restructurings. His practice covers the entire life cycle of a business, from guiding a startup venture in fundraising and organizational matters to assisting seasoned companies with corporate governance issues. His past restructuring work includes both out-of-court negotiations and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.Evan also advises entrepreneurs, start-ups, sponsors and funds on many forms of investments, including investments involving mezzanine debt, convertible securities and preferred and common equity. For a number of privately held businesses, he also serves as an outside general counsel, advising on matters including commercial contracts, corporate governance and capital raising. Evan also is well-versed in cross-border transactions and works with clients and their counterparties in various international jurisdictions.

Henry Bregstein

Henry Bregstein is chair of Katten's Alternative Products practice. He combines a great sense of business practicality with an innovative legal mindset in his practice advising varied market participants on business structuring, financial product engineering and regulatory compliance. He is recognized as a leading adviser to investment managers and funds of all kinds, as well as to investors and distributors of alternative investments.Henry provides guidance on fund formation and regulatory compliance to all types of alternative investment funds, including hedge, private equity and hybrid funds. With his combined knowledge of securities, commodities, tax and insurance laws, he is among a small handful of leading attorneys nationwide in the area of insurance-dedicated funds and privately placed life insurance and annuities. Taking into consideration global regulatory, commercial and tax issues, he advises on the structure and documentation of private funds and asset managers, investments in alternatives, lending transactions and other matters. He also assists with regulatory matters, including responding to inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Whatever the issue, Henry provides advice that is clear, actionable and driven by his depth of experience, all in the service of his clients' long-term business interests.His many clients include asset managers, banks, investment advisers, broker-dealers, insurance companies, real estate investment trusts (REITS), family offices and sovereign wealth funds. Henry and his team handle a wide range of matters for them, including intellectual property issues, private offerings of debt and equity, and the structuring of private equity transactions for operating companies. Henry's evolving practice also includes regulatory enforcement and litigation. He represents market participants and individuals before the SEC, FINRA and other regulators in investigations and enforcement proceedings.An innovator in his field, Henry holds two patents and has one patent application pending. He was granted a patent for a multilevel leverage account structure, allowing multiple classes of investors with differing leverage objectives to establish an investment structure that takes advantage of both the master-feeder structure and the reverse master feeder structure with segregated accounts in the same master fund. Henry's pending patent application involves a tax-deferred fund in which investors can obtain exposure to variable annuities and life insurance policies in a hedge fund structure with income tax deferment or elimination.

Matthew Brown

Matthew Brown helps entrepreneurs build, grow and sell their businesses, including multigenerational family businesses with their own governance and liquidity issues. He represents owners and investors in buying and selling companies, helping them raise capital and addressing their ongoing legal matters. He also advises directors and special committees in connection with special transactions and investigations. Recognized as a leading lawyer by industry publications, Matt's clients rely on him as a talented problem solver, and practical and valued advisor, with a broad range of legal skills to guide their legal needs from day-to-day matters to lifetime business events. He has counseled clients from startup and initial organization through angel and growth equity fundings, redemptions and recapitalizations, initial and follow-on public offerings and multibillion-dollar liquidity events. He has been instrumental in solving ownership and governance issues for multigenerational family businesses. He also advises entrepreneurs and institutional clients in connection with buying and selling businesses, publicly traded businesses in connection with their SEC reporting and compliance, and directors and special committees in connection with special transactions and investigations. Matt's clients include leading entrepreneurs, multigenerational family businesses and corporate institutional clients, and they range from innovative revolutionary businesses like the first air-to-ground telephone service to a disruptive IT-driven real estate facilities management service business to traditional businesses like scrap recyclers and chemical distributors. Matt was appointed by former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to serve on the Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors and served for two years as co-chair of the Access to Capital Working Group. He has served on the board of directors of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center since its inception and helped establish Chicago's 1871, one of the most ambitious incubator projects in the country, which is home to more than 400 digital startup companies. He was an advisory board member to the Clean Energy Trust. Matt is also on the board of directors of the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

Alan Brudner

Corporate entities and individuals who need advice or representation in investigations and litigation have called upon Alan Brudner for more than 30 years. With experience both as a federal prosecutor and as head of litigation and investigations for the Americas at one of the most prominent financial institutions in the world, Alan brings extensive knowledge, a multifaceted perspective and a practical approach to all of his matters. Alan has represented clients in a broad range of investigations by the Department of Justice, US Attorney's Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and other regulators. He has also represented clients in Congressional committee investigations. In addition, he represents clients in civil securities and business litigation, and has significant experience representing hospitals and public entities in False Claims Act cases. As an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he was a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, Alan was responsible for cases that included securities, bank, health care, insurance and federal program frauds. He then worked at UBS AG for 15 years, eight as head of litigation and investigations in the Americas for the UBS Investment Bank, where he managed all of the investment bank's litigation and enforcement matters. The bank's senior executives frequently called on Alan for clear-headed guidance, including how best to navigate the legal morass that engulfed the financial industry during the financial crisis of 2007-08. All of his clients get the benefit of his broad experience, his sensitivity to business concerns and his skill and good judgment in dealing with their legal issues as well as with the regulators, prosecutors and adversaries they face. Alan has successfully tried complex cases before federal juries, represented clients in administrative hearings and argued appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He won a significant pro bono appeal in which the court held that a defendant is entitled to a writ of habeas corpus if his conviction resulted from perjured testimony, even if the prosecutor was unaware of the perjury at the time of trial. Alan currently serves as chair of the Bioethical Issues Committee of the New York City Bar Association. In that capacity, he is frequently called on for advice and assistance in formulating positions on health care policy issues and proposed legislation.

Wendy Cohen

Wendy Cohen, co-chair of the Investment Management and Funds group, understands the business realities and challenges of the competitive world of asset management. For three decades, asset managers have turned to her to navigate the minefield of regulation that governs the structuring and operation of private investment funds. From the largest and most established hedge funds to innovative players with alternative strategies, clients rely on Wendy to handle all legal issues that touch their businesses.Wendy knows that asset managers don't fit a single mold. She understands each of her client's businesses, and uses that understanding to suggest practical strategies that are commercial while minimizing the risk of regulatory violations. Those clients have rewarded her with their loyalty. In an industry where personal connections matter, Wendy forges fast and long-standing relationships with clients large and small.Wendy has amassed extensive knowledge on the laws most relevant to her client base of private investment funds whether the investment portfolio includes securities, futures or cryptocurrencies. She has particular experience on issues relating to the formation and ongoing operation of fund management, including domestic and offshore offering requirements, futures regulation, investment adviser rules and broker-dealer regulation. She also stays in front of new and changing legal issues that touch other aspects of fund operations — among them cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity rules, US and EU privacy regulations and ERISA-related matters.What separates Wendy, however, is her ability to account for her clients' unique needs in a manner that reflects an understanding of their businesses, while minimizing regulatory risk. When an investment manager client wanted to adopt a highly complex compensation structure for its multiple families of funds, for instance, she was able to distill the concepts and craft easily understandable disclosures that would enhance the client's marketing efforts. Sometimes she simply helps clients navigate regulatory obstacles, as she has done for clients that want to manage funds for their employees' IRAs. She helps guide them through the complex web of US Department of Labor rules, including receiving an exemption for one client that could not fit within established protocols. Wendy's wide-ranging practice frequently touches on cutting-edge issues. She launched one of the earliest investment funds focused on cryptocurrencies, a rapidly changing area fraught with risk. She created comprehensive offering documents that allowed the manager to enter this dynamic new investment space with materials that were compliant with applicable regulation. Whether it is in law or finance, Wendy is passionate about empowering women. She is active in Katten's Women's Leadership Forum, which supports the strategic retention and advancement of women attorneys at the firm through mentoring and professional development programs. She also has a long-standing relationship with 100 Women in Finance as an Angel Member. Wendy routinely hosts roundtable programs and other events in Katten's New York office on behalf of the 100WF, bringing exceptional speakers from the finance world and facilitating networking opportunities.

Christopher Cole

Christopher Cole is a nationally-recognized litigator who offers strategic counsel to some of the world’s leading companies on protecting their technology and brands from attack by competitors, regulators and private consumer class action claimants. With a practice that covers a wide range of industries and sectors, Chris brings a practical, creative and individualized approach in advising clients on how to navigate advertising, unfair competition, brand disparagement, reputation and intellectual property matters. Whether handling judicial and administrative proceedings or defending against government investigations and enforcement actions, Chris works closely with his clients to maximize strategies for preserving their valuable claims and assets.Dogged advocacy combined with technical acumenChris has extensive experience in litigating Lanham Act and consumer class action cases, defending against claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission, and handling disputes before the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau. With a keen understanding of the legal, regulatory and procedural complexities surrounding advertising and brands, Chris is well-positioned to mitigate risks and develop potential pathways through litigation and regulatory investigations.Chris counsels clients of all types and sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, in connection with domestic and international issues relating to advertising, competition and product regulation. He is well-versed on advertising claims substantiation, product testing and consumer research, and consumer protection regulatory due diligence in transactions. Chris is well-known for helping companies understand their obligations regarding advertising of ESG-related claims, including claims about carbon offset, waste reduction and recycling, and social issues. He leverages rich experience in counseling companies across multiple industries – including food and beverage, media and telecommunications, technology, energy, home appliances and consumer products – to help clients understand industry-specific challenges and achieve their business objectives.When scientific issues arise in false advertising and unfair competition disputes, clients benefit from Chris’s deep-seated interest and comfort with the scientific side of such cases. His interest in science earlier led to academic degrees in biology and marine biology, and that scientific curiosity now underlies his approach in dissecting and translating the technical aspects of cases.Chris has for years been rated at the top of various guides for lawyers, including Chambers USA, which recognizes him in the highest ranking possible for Advertising: NAD and among the top six lawyers in the country for Advertising Litigation.Practice Focus- Intellectual property counseling and litigation- False advertising, unfair competition and First Amendment counseling and litigation- Complex business disputes in federal and state courts, and government investigations and enforcement actionsRepresentative Experience - Lead counsel for multinational appliance manufacturer in lawsuit against competitor for false advertising of garbage disposal horsepower.- Lead counsel for multinational appliance manufacturer in lawsuit against competitor for making misleading comparison of mixing action to client’s market-leading - product performance.- Lead counsel for not-for-profit human rights certification provider in defense of class action litigation regarding validity of certification mark.- Lead counsel for not-for-profit seafood sustainability certification provider in defense of class action litigation regarding validity of certification mark.- Worked with trial team as the lead counsel for a multinational telecommunications company on consumer survey and measurement issues in a landmark litigation in which the US government unsuccessfully attempted to enjoin the company’s merger with a cable television company. *- Co-lead counsel for a multinational brewing company in a false advertising case alleging another brewing company violated the Lanham Act through an advertising campaign that began during the 2019 Super Bowl. *- Counsel for multinational companies in dozens of matters before the National Advertising Division and the National Advertising Review Board. *- Counsel for major advertisers in conjunction with claims and investigations by the Federal Trade Commission in multiple industries including food and beverage, telecommunications, technology and consumer products. ** Experience prior to Katten

Christopher Collins

Christopher Collins is an England, New York dual-qualified lawyer who advises financial services clients on a range of regulatory and compliance matters. He represents UK, US and EU clients, including proprietary trading firms, investment managers, hedge funds, broker-dealers, trading venues, clearinghouses and payment services firms. Such clients rely on Chris to anticipate and solve the complex cross-border regulatory issues they face.Firsthand industry experience helps provide first-rate legal solutionsMany of Chris's clients are international firms and, therefore, require an understanding of the cross-border issues and opportunities that may arise for their businesses. In some cases, they're entering new markets; in others, planning for future regulatory reform. Chris helps these clients navigate the panoply of UK, European and US regulations affecting them as they pursue their business aims. He offers them considered recommendations, presenting them with their best options when dealing with the rules affecting trading in financial instruments and digital assets.Prior to joining Katten, he worked for three and a half years in AllianceBernstein's legal and compliance department. He also volunteered at the Citizens Advice Bureau, a charity that provides face-to-face advice and information to the public.Practice Focus- Financial services- Financial services regulatory and compliance- Futures and derivatives- Investment companies- Private funds and investment management- Proprietary trading firms- Quantitative and algorithmic trading

David Crichlow

David Crichlow, co-chair of the Litigation Department, represents large companies in some of their most important litigation. He serves as lead trial counsel on high-stakes commercial, class action and bankruptcy litigation, with experience that includes nine- and ten-figure disputes. David has represented clients in multibillion-dollar RMBS consolidated litigation, fraudulent inducement claims with respect to asset purchase agreements for significant commercial businesses, and litigation in or related to the bankruptcies of the Caesars Entertainment Operation Company, Solutia, Enron and Refco. Clients that turn to David include some of the largest banks in the United States and Europe, major oil and industrial gas companies, private equity firms and large pension funds. His wide-ranging experience includes representing an indenture trustee in its $6 billion claim against the gaming company Caesars pursuant to a parent guarantee in the applicable indenture, the equity committee in the Solutia bankruptcy in its $2 billion claim against a former parent, and a Cayman Island hedge fund against a $324 million preference action in the Refco bankruptcy. David's class action defense practice includes his work defending an indenture trustee against a "bet-the-company" class action claim relating to a bond offering alleged to be part of a Ponzi scheme, and defending a US auto financing company against a nationwide class bringing consumer claims under various motor vehicle leasing consumer protection statutes. In over 30 years of practice, he has gained particular experience with clients in the financial services and life sciences industries.

Farzad Damania

Farzad Damania speaks the language of business. Whether advising clients on securities regulation, corporate governance or capital markets and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), he is steeped in the issues that drive client success.Global public and private companies, their boards and underwriters appreciate the sound business judgment Farzad brings to every matter. His practical approach to legal issues, combined with his detailed knowledge of client businesses, prevents regulatory delays and helps close deals. His fluency with securities laws and cross-border transactions often smooths the path with business partners and opponents.Farzad has advised over a dozen public companies extensively on securities regulations, corporate governance issues, rules of stock exchanges and proxy advisory firms. He has represented companies in a wide range of industries, from telecom to food and beverage, heath care, mining, retail, software and technology. His cross-border experience includes capital markets and M&A transactions with clients in diverse markets from Canada and Europe to China, India and Japan. Farzad also counsels clients on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.

Jill Darrow

Jill Darrow focuses on financial services and private equity transactions, guiding clients through the tax aspects of fund and management company formation, partnership transactions and business acquisitions. Jill's broad knowledge, clear communication and practical advice make her a valuable part of our financial services and private equity representation.She speaks at conferences sponsored by Financial Research Associates and the Practicing Law Institute.

James Davison

James Davison is a solution-focused restructuring lawyer whose broad practice encompasses debtor and creditor side mandates, with an emphasis on corporate rescue and turnaround to maximize value for stakeholders. James has led high-profile (often cross-border) restructurings across a range of sectors, including hospitality and leisure, travel, retail, consumer goods, industrials and financial services, using early intervention and practical dealmaking to safeguard and enhance clients' interests. James also routinely advises boards, management teams, private equity sponsors, lenders and other investors on accelerated mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital structure resets, workouts and contingency planning.Strategic, business-focused restructuring leaderJames approaches complex matters with a focus on identifying and pursuing the critical path to a solution, coordinating workstreams and aligning stakeholders around the necessary actions. His completion of secondments to two lending institutions and a global private credit fund (incorporating debt and equity interests) contributes to his well-rounded, multijurisdictional experience, as well as his ability to understand the key objectives of a range of stakeholders. Clients turn to James as a trusted advisor at critical inflection points because of his ability to combine calm, strategic judgment with clarity and speed of execution under pressure. Financial advisory firms with aligned practices often refer clients to James, reflecting his reputation for developing longstanding relationships and delivering dependable and commercially sound legal counsel.James "has been at the forefront in the development of Part 26A Restructuring Plans (The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2025)," with particular know-how in the design and implementation of such plans under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006. He has acted on a series of high-profile cases since this tool was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2020 (with similar tools having come online in other European jurisdictions more recently). These tools bear some of the hallmarks of Chapter 11 and provide a route to rescuing a company in financial difficulty without the need for a formal insolvency.Practice Focus - Restructuring- Consumer goods, food and retail- Financial services- Industrials- Real estateRepresentative Experience- Advised Fitness First Group on a successful Restructuring Plan, delivering a financial and operational turnaround for the group despite significant opposition from landlords. *- Advised FTI Consulting on the accelerated sale of Elvie, the leading provider of wireless breast pumps and other FemTech innovations, to US-based competitor, Willow Corporation. *- Advised Tapi Carpets & Floors on the acquisition of a substantial part of its competitor, Carpetright, through a pre-packaged administration. Counsel included navigating antitrust considerations. Subsequently advised the group on the impact of the Homebase administration and, more recently, its commercial arrangements with John Lewis, helping to shape Tapi into the market-leading business it is today. *- Advised administrators at Teneo on the accelerated sale of online fashion retailer Missguided to Frasers Group. *- Advised Sandton Capital Partners on the refinancing of Camerons Breweries. *- Advised a key stakeholder on the Energy Supply Administration of Bulb Energy. *- Advised FTI Consulting on the accelerated sale of globally recognised men’s tailor Gieves & Hawkes. *- Advised Bibby Offshore on its divestment and recapitalization via a scheme of arrangement. *- Advised the CVA nominees and supervisors on the corporate rescue of historic retailer Clarks Shoes. *- Advised Cargologicair, an airline impacted by UK sanctions, on the wind down of its operations and the return of funds to non-sanctioned creditors. *- Advised various stakeholders on numerous phases of the restructuring of UK Coal. *- Advised Revolution Bars Group PLC and its subsidiaries on a successful Restructuring Plan alongside a complex equity raise in the capital markets (AIM) and the refinancing of the group’s banking facilities. *- Advised the Poundland Group on its successful leasehold restructuring, delivered through a Restructuring Plan. *- Advised restaurant and bars group Drake & Morgan on its financial and operational turnaround, delivered through inter-conditional CVA's of various group entities. *- Advised Virgin Money, as secured creditor, in connection with the first Restructuring Plan proposed by an SME, Houst Limited. *- Represented a global financial institution in connection with the insolvency of Thomas Cook. *- Advised a global clothing brand on its joint venture with a listed UK retailer to move the client’s UK presence online and wind down its UK store portfolio. *- Advised King & Wood Mallesons in connection with the acquisition (out of administration) of various offices and teams within its Europe and Middle East business, maintaining the firm’s presence in key jurisdictions. *- Advised LA Fitness Group of its financial and operational restructuring, delivered through inter-conditional CVA's of various group entities. *- Advised a prominent US private equity investor on a series of hotel portfolio disposals with a value of more than £700 million. *- Advised AlixPartners as lead financial advisors in connection with the restructuring of global consulting firm Enzen. *- Advised administrators at Deloitte on the accelerated sale of Gourmet Burger Kitchen to Boparan. *- Advised a global payment services group on its recapitalization and the implementation of a credit bid acquisition by its secured lenders. ** Experience prior to Katten

Chris DiAngelo

Chris DiAngelo offers clients a comprehensive understanding of wholesale finance, the critical process through which banks and finance companies fund their lending activities. His intimate knowledge of the industry's business, legal and policymaking arenas have allowed him to execute some of its most innovative deals. For large banks, finance companies and government entities, Chris offers decades of experience in structured finance and securitizations, particularly in the area of mortgage financing. From banks to finance companies to government entities, institutions have turned to Chris to solve complex funding puzzles and manage the risk of holding financial assets. Chris's depth of knowledge and experience enable him to quickly assess a client's financing goals and advise on the best options. Clients also benefit from his deep contacts throughout the industry and in the government. He acts as a lead counsel to the Structured Finance Association, chairman of its political action committee and co-chair of its legal counsel committee. He also serves as outside counsel to a Washington, DC, lobbying firm focused on the financial services industry. The legal and industry knowledge that Chris brings to the table has allowed him to complete landmark financing deals. For an agency lender, he assisted with a $922 million credit risk transfer transaction that marked an evolution in financing techniques. The first credit risk transfer transaction using the structure of a real estate mortgage investment conduit, it opened the US residential mortgage credit market to an increased number of sources of private capital. Chris's policy knowledge includes a detailed familiarity with the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on structured finance. He is also deeply informed about housing and mortgage policy reform and its impact on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Before entering private practice, he served on the staff of the New York State Housing Finance Agency.

David Dickstein

David Dickstein addresses a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues for investment advisers, hedge and private equity funds.David regularly counsels investment advisers on matters such as the need for registration, Form ADV matters, disclosing conflicts of interest, compliance policies and procedures, rules on personal trading, marketing materials and federal and state pay-to-play and lobbying registration matters. Clients also frequently seek David's assistance with SEC examinations.David also advises brokerage and advisory firms on soft dollars and best execution, wrap-fee programs, trade allocations, marketing arrangements and bad actor matters. In addition, he conducts compliance audits and provides advice on SEC investigations.

Michael Diver

Michael Diver has built a national practice advising public companies, financial services firms and individuals in securities litigation and regulatory investigations. In these high-stakes matters, Michael's past experience as a branch chief in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gives him valuable perspective, and he has a long track record of achieving very favorable results for his clients. As an Enforcement Division branch chief, Michael managed a team of SEC enforcement attorneys in investigating and prosecuting securities law violations, including matters involving complex financial fraud, market manipulation, insider trading and violations of broker-dealer, investment adviser and investment company regulations. Applying his government experience in private practice, Michael represents public companies, financial institutions and their individual officers and directors in regulatory matters and civil litigation. With over 20 years of experience, Michael is adept at devising effective defense strategies to address legal risks across a broad spectrum of circumstances. He is often called upon to defend clients that are facing concurrent private actions and regulatory investigations, and to defend against claims involving complex legal or compliance issues. In addition to handling investigations and litigation, he also regularly advises clients in connection with corporate governance matters, shareholder claims, financial restatements, internal investigations and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and stock exchange inquiries.

David Dlugie

Financial institutions across the country rely on David Dlugie to handle their most critical commercial property and commercial loan matters, sometimes with extremely tight timelines. For clients that are financing or selling/buying/leasing real property, or acquiring or disposing of commercial real estate loans, he solves their financing and equity issues using negotiation skills honed through three decades of practice. As Katten's Chair of Midwest Real Estate practice group, David assembles teams across the firm that work with clients to achieve their goals on commercial real estate matters throughout the country on a timely basis.In real estate negotiations, David uses his market knowledge to find solutions that move parties toward a successful closing on a cost-effective basis. Aided by an accounting background, he uses his business acumen to assist in productive negotiations and help his client achieve their goals, leading to more efficient outcomes that leave all parties feeling like winners.David's business sense allows him to quickly identify, mitigate and resolve client issues as they arise. In large-scale transactions, he draws on Katten's 120-plus-lawyer Real Estate group to achieve results on even the most compressed time frames. One major private equity institution turned to David, for instance, when it needed to efficiently sell a portfolio of assets across the country that included eighteen office buildings, six hotels, three industrial properties and two retail properties in a short time frame. David assisted in the structuring and negotiation of thirteen transactions totaling over $500 million in just four months. In another fast-moving deal, David represented another private equity institution in its purchase of five mezzanine loans across 219 properties. The deal entailed negotiations with eleven borrowers and total financing of more than $3.6 billion. It closed in 33 days.David also represented the financial services unit of an American conglomerate in its sale of a $1.56 billion mortgage loan pool of 44 mortgage loans, which commenced and closed in 40 days, while simultaneously working on the sale of a $560 million mortgage loan pool for the client with more than 260 mortgage loans. He also represented a Chicago-based lender and a financial institution in the origination of over 2,000 conduit mortgage loans across the country and the later securitization of such mortgage loans.

Adam Engel

Adam Engel helps both lenders and borrowers with the origination, structuring, restructuring and execution of a wide range of real estate financing transactions. Adam works with participants throughout the real estate finance market, including institutional and investment banks, insurance companies, institutional real estate funds, and developers and investors.Recognized by industry publications such as Super Lawyers and The Legal 500 US, Adam's real estate finance experience covers first lien and subordinate mortgage financing, construction financing, mezzanine financing, loan syndication and participation, preferred equity and joint venture transactions, and other secured and unsecured lending structures. Adam also represents clients in the resolution and restructuring of distressed debt, including loan modifications, settlements, foreclosures and workouts.

Peter Englund

When debt funds, hedge funds, sponsors and borrowers/platforms find themselves in uncharted deal waters, Peter Englund is their safe harbor. He is known for handling complex middle-market debt finance transactions that require a creative approach.Advice that sets clients up for future successFor Peter, a successful deal is one that both funders and borrowers see as the foundation of a beneficial long-term relationship. No matter which side he's on for a particular transaction, he makes it a priority to understand his client's goals and areas of concern. For debt funders, that means keeping in mind their appetite for risk, how they operate and the regulatory environment in which they do business. For borrowers, Peter makes sure financing arrangements won't restrict their day-to-day operations and plans for growth.Peter brings more than 15 years of experience in finance to his deals. Throughout his career, he has taken time away from top law firms to work directly with global financial services institutions, where he assisted with restructurings in Europe and the Middle East, and one of the world's largest multinational gas and oil companies, where he served as senior legal counsel. His diverse experiences make Peter particularly adept at handling deals that don't fit any template and require bespoke structuring. He was very much at home representing a lender in a financing involving 11 jurisdictions in the Caribbean, where neither side nor their advisors had ever done a similar transaction. Peter guided both his fund client and the platform through the deal's tricky requirements.Meanwhile, Peter's repeated work in fintech, alternative finance, hospitality and platform lending give him special insight into deals in those sectors. Knowing what questions to ask helps Peter — and his clients — cut to the issues that matter quickly.Practice Focus- Middle-market debt financings, ranging from US$25-200 million- Domestic, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions- Leveraged and acquisition financings, structured financings, restructurings- Specialty lending and asset-based structures- Borrower, asset and regulatory due diligence- Transactions involving the hotel and leisure, fintech, specialty finance and real estate sectors

Stephen Esko

Recognized as a leading lawyer in the Structured Finance: Securitizations category by The Legal 500 US, Stephen Esko advises clients on all aspects of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securitizations. His experience encompasses a wide range of structured finance transactions, including issuer and underwriter representation in public and private securitizations, asset sales and financings, structured note issuances and credit derivatives work. Stephen works with government-sponsored enterprises, banks, lenders, broker-dealers and mortgage loan servicers.

Valentina Famparska

Valentina Famparska concentrates her practice on the federal income tax aspects of complex business transactions and entities, including mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, private equity investments, formation of private equity and real estate funds, formation of joint ventures and partnerships, and management compensation.Valentina also works with the firm's health care practice, sports and sports facilities practices, financial services practice and the trusts & estates practice on various tax matters. In addition, she provides tax planning advice to family-owned and other closely held businesses.Valentina's representative transactions include private equity and M&A transactions for clients including Sterling Capital, Frontenac Company, PSP Partners and Prairie Capital.

Christine Fitzgerald

Clients closing real estate finance deals rely on Christine Fitzgerald to not only identify risk and potential issues in a transaction but, more importantly, to offer solutions tailored to the business needs of her clients and to create a viable path forward for the deal despite any challenges. Christy is a co-chair of the firm's Los Angeles Real Estate practice, recognized as a top practice by U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms," which reports that clients note Katten is a "firm of choice for real estate transactions." Christy's priority, in alignment with her client's ultimate goal, is closing a real estate finance transaction in such a way that all parties view the result as favorable and her client's business — and business relationships — grow and thrive.Christy concentrates her practice in real estate finance and is experienced in syndicated, securitized, mezzanine, ground lease, hospitality and construction lending and borrowing, intercreditor arrangements, participations, whole and portfolio loan sales, "loan on loan" secured financing transactions, workouts, foreclosures, loan restructurings and deeds in lieu of foreclosure, as well as acquisition, disposition and development of real estate assets, joint venture transactions and preferred equity.From 1996 to 1997, Christy clerked in the chambers of the Honorable Lourdes G. Baird, US District Court, Central District of California.

Roger Furey

As the chair of Katten, Roger Furey leads the development of the firm's vision, strategic direction and growth. Roger also works together with CEO Noah Heller to execute on the firm’s strategic priorities, including strengthening the firm’s diversity and inclusion, pro bono, and community engagement capabilities. Roger spends much of his time with clients of the firm, ensuring they receive the highest quality legal service delivered with efficiency and innovation. In addition to his role as chair, during his legal career Roger has protected and enforced the intellectual property rights of his clients in every region of the world. His practice concentrates on disputes involving trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, advertising and other areas of unfair competition.Roger's IP litigation experience includes trademark and trade dress infringement, copyright infringement and trade secret misappropriation for clients across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications and information technology, automotive parts, chemical coatings, consumer homecare, industrial power sources, aviation and aerospace, flooring products and defense contracting. He also has considerable experience representing sports entities in nationwide trademark and copyright infringement ad counterfeit-enforcement programs in connection with major sporting events.In the advertising and marketing arena, Roger represents clients in Lanham Act Section 43(a) false advertising and state law unfair competition litigation. He also handles inquiries, investigations and litigations brought by regulators including the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. His location in the Washington, DC office provides him with ready access to federal regulators, and he has developed strong working relationships with many of them. Finally, Roger and his team review client advertising campaigns for compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements, and he is active in representing clients in advertising disputes brought before the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau.

Brooks Giles

Mergers and acquisitions can be a tricky business, but Brooks Giles has a way of cutting through the complexity. His extensive experience and pragmatic mindset get deals to closing on time and on budget. Brooks helps equity investors and business owners buy and sell operating businesses. Many of his transactions involve the purchase of private companies by private equity firms. He also represents sellers in such deals, which typically range in value from $25 million to $500 million. For all his clients, he finds the right structure for the transaction, negotiates the terms and offers guidance on corporate governance and general corporate matters. Brooks has successfully closed a large number of middle-market M&A deals, using structures that include stock purchases, asset sales, taxable and tax-free mergers and leveraged recapitalizations. He knows the importance of closing on time, on budget and at market terms. More importantly, he knows how to achieve those goals. In every deal he touches, he looks to use his accumulated knowledge, together with specialist input, to resolve issues before they become crises.

Louis Glaser

Mergers and acquisitions in the health care industry demand a thorough understanding of the unique organizations involved and the complex regulatory issues they face. Having completed more than 100 acquisitions in this field, including a number of industry-leading transactions, Lou Glaser can anticipate the full range of complications arising in this highly regulated environment. Health care providers turn to him for some of the largest deals involving hospitals and specialty medical practices. The sale of a physician-owned business poses challenges, and Lou is familiar with the complications that such an ownership situation can create and often devises novel structures to get deals done. A skilled negotiator with a certificate of mediation from the American Health Lawyers Association, he has a track record of closing transactions with minimal regulatory problems. The many successful deals he has completed include record-setting acquisitions of urology and gastroenterology specialty practices. Diversified hospital systems and large medical groups frequently call on Lou, as do a wide range of health care providers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), managed care organizations (MCOs), pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers. The transactions that he helps these clients with include not just M&A deals, but also reorganizations, joint ventures and complex financial arrangements. Given his vast experience, Lou has navigated nearly every twist that a heath care deal can take — from selling a specialty practice owned by more than 100 physicians to negotiating sensitive matters with a government entity in public due to state sunshine laws. Across all of his work, Lou takes care to address not just his clients' business goals, but also regulatory issues including reimbursement. Beyond his deal work, Lou counsels clients on general corporate and regulatory matters. He has also steered clients through insurance and health care fraud litigation, numerous self-disclosures and the advisory opinion process.

Mara Glaser McCahan

A seasoned transactional lawyer, Mara Glaser McCahan advises on mergers and acquisitions, financings and a wide range of other deals in both regulated and unregulated industries. Her breadth of practice makes her a creative problem solver and her experience navigating deals across industries gives her valuable insight into how to get transactions closed, while staying attuned to the specific nuances of each industry and deal. Mara represents banks, private equity funds and enterprises of all sizes, including multibillion-dollar public companies. Her clients touch industries from real estate to technology and from fintech to manufacturing. She helps them with complex corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures and debt and equity financings. Known for her technical savvy and business acumen, she also advises on general corporate matters and often acts as outside general counsel to her clients. She does substantial work involving distressed companies and restructurings, including Section 363 asset sales. In addition, Mara has experience in the highly specialized area of guaranteed and unguaranteed tax credit investment funds, working closely with Katten's tax practice in representing these highly tax-sensitive investment vehicles.

David Goldberg

Veteran litigator David Goldberg helps financial institutions in high-stakes, complex litigation and enforcement matters. As a former AUSA who spent a decade as in-house counsel for a financial services firm, David knows firsthand the pressures and challenges his clients face. His no-surprises approach to litigation and investigations offers peace of mind when stakes are high and the outcome is uncertain.As executive director and senior associate general counsel for UBS Securities LLC, David managed many of the firm's largest investment banking disputes and regulatory investigations. He knows the challenges and opportunities financial institutions face during regulatory investigations and enforcement matters, and his understanding of the industry allows him to position his clients for the best outcomes possible. David also spent seven years at UBS Wealth Management Americas, where he personally handled hundreds of retail investor arbitrations, disputes and regulatory matters.In his role as in-house counsel, David handled most types of major class-action and securities litigation. These included residential mortgage-backed securities, auction rate securities, collateralized debt obligations, structured products, affiliated bank sweeps programs and market timing cases. David also worked across all of the key product areas that comprise an integrated modern financial institution, representing UBS's equities, fixed income, investment banking advisory and wealth management franchises.David previously served with distinction as an AUSA in the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, where he received the John Marshall Award, one of the highest honors given by the DOJ.

Terry Green

As Deputy Managing Partner of Katten's London office, Terry Green is a trusted advisor to social media platforms and digital service providers, family offices and luxury retailers. He serves as a project leader for their international business operations and frequently addresses issues related to financing, regulatory, social media and cybersecurity, litigation, insolvency and corporate matters.Terry focuses on digital service regulation and, in particular, the Online Safety Act (OSA), including laws imposed by the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom), as well as the global nature of the OSA. It will affect all platforms with links to the United Kingdom. He provides straightforward counsel on complicated issues related to social media platforms that often cannot be easily addressed.Always available, always improvingTerry maintains a global practice, which has seen him manage projects for his clients in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He makes himself available to his clients at all times and believes in working closely with each of them. Terry listens to their feedback and regularly strives to improve and enhance the value he provides.In all his projects and transactions, Terry aims to ensure that all parties walk away from any deal feeling like they have been treated fairly. He takes a long-term view and knows that one deal, if done correctly, can lead to many more for his clients and their counterparties. That forward-looking approach has been critical when acting for his digital services, high-net-worth and luxury retail clients.A flexible, global approachGiven the global nature of his work, Terry has strong business relationships all over the world. These relationships have proven invaluable when he works on complex matters that require established trust as well as flexibility.Terry applies the same flexibility when investing in his multinational relationships, which includes being open to exploring fee arrangements that work for those clients.Practice Focus- Intellectual Property- Private Wealth

Mark Grossmann

Mark Grossmann knows how to make deals happen. For more than 20 years, he has guided principals and finance sources alike through critical transactions that have helped them grow, compete and realize value. He is known for a refreshingly direct approach that cuts away extraneous issues and gets to the heart of what the parties need. Mark knows that lawyers are often seen as obstacles who can bury the deal in the legal details. He takes a different approach — one based on market knowledge, sharp analysis and a keen sense of priorities. He'll stand firm to get the "right" terms for every deal, but never lets minor or academic issues bring progress to a halt. By keeping the deal moving toward a timely close, Mark makes sure his clients reap its full benefit, while at the same time protecting their legal interests. A deft quarterback, Mark assembles and balances resources from around the firm to address the diverse issues that arise in every transaction. He weighs competing points of view with client priorities in mind and emerges with strategies that meet both immediate needs and long-term goals. Mark has handled hundreds of transactions in the United States and around the world. Clients often turn to him for insight on "what's market," in a given industry or deal structure. Not only does he know the terms, he knows why they matter and how they will play out from contract negotiations through post-closing operations. Mark has deep experience in industries including finance, technology, manufacturing, consulting, real estate, retail, parking, pharmaceutical, security and health care.

Brandon Hadley

Brandon Hadley advises financial institutions and large middle market lenders in all types of debt transactions, including commercial finance, securitization and structured finance, and cross-border debt investments. With a national practice spanning more than 10 years, Brandon assists his clients in managing tax risks and reducing tax costs. He also helps clients with debt investments, securitizing assets and other capital markets transactions.Recognized as a leader in structured finance, Brandon has substantial experience in complying with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and related withholding tax issues, structuring cross-border investments into the United States, and negotiating tax-related issues with syndicated loans, warehouse lines and credit agreements. This includes tax indemnification, withholding tax, registered form requirements, controlled foreign corporation and section 956-related issues with guarantees and collateral, and applicable high-yield debt obligation issues.Brandon counsels US and offshore issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of securities. He has provided tax advice for private equity investments in US real estate, performing and nonperforming US loans and other debt instruments, and equity securities. Brandon was a member of the Solar Access to Public Capital working group formed to increase access to securitization for solar projects with tax equity investors. He focuses on the investment tax credits, and financing for renewable energy projects and developers, including property assessed clean energy or PACE financing. An advisor to many tax-exempt organizations with respect to US federal tax matters, Brandon provides pro bono services to, and serves on the board of, the Amara Legal Center.

David Halberstadter

Over more than 35 years of practice, David Halberstadter, the firm's deputy general counsel, has established a reputation among leading entertainment companies as a no-nonsense advisor and talented litigator. When other options fail, he aggressively pursues and defends lawsuits, with a focus on intellectual property-related disputes. Across all his work, clients value David's clear thinking, strategic wisdom and practical business sense. David represents motion picture studios, production companies, television networks and new media companies. He gives them advice they can actually use — plain-spoken, grounded in common sense and uncluttered by legalese. His useful recommendations are backed by the decades he has spent in the entertainment industry. He also understands the cost burden of litigation and factors that into his advice. The cases that David litigates cover all aspects of developing, financing, producing and distributing entertainment content. He also plays a significant "behind-the-scenes" role in the development of movies, television shows and new media properties. He helps clients assess and mitigate risk, often answering the question: "Can we do this without getting sued?" He regularly reviews books, magazine articles and other source material to determine the risk of third-party claims likely to arise from adaptations. In other instances, he reviews often-byzantine rights agreements to make sure his clients actually acquire the rights they need for a project. Clients also turn to him for advice on accounting claims asserted by motion picture and television profit participants.

Ryan Hansen

With deep cross-border experience, Ryan Hansen is a trusted adviser to international investment and private fund managers, venture capital firms, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. His work spans fund formation, corporate governance and marketing, equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and reorganizations and restructuring. He helps clients navigate the myriad commercial and regulatory issues that arise in connection with international investment and fundraising activities.Delivering counsel with cross-border vision and a client-centric approachWithin the investment management industry, Ryan provides regular guidance to private fund managers on various topics, including the formation of domestic and offshore funds, the offering of fund interests, investment screening and due diligence, portfolio investment acquisitions and dispositions, and ongoing compliance with US regulatory requirements. He is well-respected in this space, with clients noting that he is "responsive, thorough and approachable." (Legal 500 UK, 2024).Ryan focuses his corporate practice on advising institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals on their venture capital investments and related financings. He understands the unique needs of emerging companies and helps them achieve their goals through equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, reorganizations and restructurings, and commercial contracts with key customers, suppliers and service providers. Additionally, he provides guidance to public and private companies, sovereign entities and private investors on matters relating to US securities laws, including securities offerings under Regulation D, Regulation S, Rule 144A and other private placement exemptions, as well as compliance with reporting and disclosure requirements from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other self-regulatory organizations (SROs).Ryan also has particular experience in infrastructure development and the energy and natural resources sector, advising oil and gas, commodities, transportation and tourism clients on their large-scale energy, mining and infrastructure projects. Additionally, he regularly assists governments and state-owned entities with natural resource sector laws, regulations and agreements, including the preparation, administration and oversight of production-sharing contracts and related project agreements. He is a trusted adviser on public bid tenders for oil, gas and mineral reserves, cross-border unitization and joint development agreements.Practice Focus - Investments and financings for institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals- Venture capital- Securities offerings under Regulation D, Regulation S, Rule 144A and other private placement exemptions- SEC and stock exchange reporting and disclosure compliance- Commercial contracts, public bid tenders and infrastructure development agreementsRepresentative Experience- Represented a UK-based venture capital fund and family office on their venture capital investments. *- Represented a US private equity fund sponsor in the formation and marketing of various US and offshore feeder funds. *- Represented a US hedge fund sponsor in the formation and marketing of various US and offshore funds. *- Represented a US venture capital adviser on various secondary transactions in startups and early-stage companies. *- Represented various Middle East-based sovereign wealth funds and pension funds in investments in private equity funds, venture capital funds, and co-investment vehicles and joint ventures. *- Represented a Middle East-based family office in various corporate and commercial transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, investments and corporate structuring matters. *- Represented a Middle Eastern special economic zone, its investment fund and affiliates in venture capital investments and strategic commercial arrangements. *- Represented a US registered investment adviser and affiliated private funds on various transactional, governance and compliance matters, including direct portfolio investments, regulatory filings and disclosures. *- Represented a US-based family office in various private fund investments. *- Represented a Middle East-based industrial manufacturer and its shareholders in connection with a $650 million sale to a strategic buyer. *- Represented a Mexican transportation and logistics company in its SEC reporting and compliance obligations. *- Represented a UK corporate venture capital group in its venture capital investments. *- Represented a US specialty food business in its equity and debt financings, corporate restructurings and commercial arrangements. *- Represented a US provider of reusable rocket and satellite launch services in its equity financing. *- Represented a UK provider of cloud kitchen software in its convertible note financing. *- Represented a US industrial hemp business in its equity financings, restructurings, commercial and joint venture agreements, and international expansion. *- Represented a US manufacturer of military vehicles on its joint venture arrangements with a Middle East-based local partner. ** Experience prior to Katten

Anna-Liza Harris

Anna-Liza Harris advises clients on tax issues related to asset-backed securitizations, residential and multifamily mortgage-backed securitizations, derivatives, and domestic and cross-border financing transactions. She is national co-chair of Katten's Structured Finance and Securitization practice and a partner in the Tax practice.An important aspect of Anna-Liza's practice is designing innovative securitization structures. These include many "first of their kind" transactions that require both creativity and extensive market knowledge to develop. Anna-Liza has worked with a broad range of financial assets including distressed and non-performing debt, debt secured by esoteric assets, synthetics and debt issued in revolving structures.Anna-Liza works with clients ranging from first-time issuers to frequent market participants. She counsels clients on the taxation of investment vehicles, including REMICs, grantor trusts and offshore funds. Anna-Liza also has experience with the tax concerns of private equity funds and hedge funds. She is a past chair of the Structured Finance Association's (SFA's) Tax Policy Committee and is a member of the SFA's Executive Committee.

Charlotte Hill

Charlotte Hill advises financial institutions, fintech companies, digital asset businesses, investment managers and private capital market participants on UK and EU financial services regulation. With extensive experience advising on the regulatory frameworks administered by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), as well as the evolving body of UK and EU financial services legislation, Charlotte helps clients navigate complex regulatory challenges with clear, commercially focused advice.Strategic regulatory counsel for evolving financial marketsCharlotte is particularly recognised for her work in fintech, payments and digital assets. She advises challenger banks, payment services providers, e-money issuers, crypto firms, investment platforms, crowdfunding platforms, investment managers and international banking groups on regulatory strategy, market entry, governance arrangements, safeguarding and client money requirements, new product development and ongoing compliance obligations.Charlotte’s practice encompasses ongoing regulatory advisory work, transactional regulatory support and strategic counsel on business expansion and innovation. She has extensive experience advising on payment services and e-money regulation, digital assets, cryptoassets, blockchain technology and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. Clients seek her counsel on the practical application of complex regulatory frameworks, including financial promotions, anti-money laundering requirements, consumer protection obligations, regulatory perimeter issues and senior management and governance arrangements.Charlotte is known for combining technical regulatory expertise with a pragmatic understanding of clients' commercial objectives. She regularly advises boards, senior management teams and founders on governance, regulatory risk and engagement with regulators. Her clients range from global financial institutions managing cross-border regulatory strategies to entrepreneurial businesses bringing innovative products and services to market.Clients quoted in The Legal 500 have described Charlotte as having "vast experience in the UK financial services sector" and praised her for providing "high-quality work", while noting that she is both "very knowledgeable" and "very approachable."A recognised commentator on developments in financial services regulation, digital assets and emerging technologies, Charlotte is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences, Women in Finance events and regulatory roundtables. Her presentations focus on the practical implications of regulatory change for market participants, while media outlets regularly seek her commentary and thought leadership on developments across the sector. As an active member of CryptoUK, she contributes to the organisation's responses to UK regulatory consultations. She participates in industry and parliamentary roundtables on digital assets, fintech and financial services regulation.Practice Focus- Financial services regulation in the UK and EU- Payments and e-money regulation- Client money and safeguarding- Digital assets, cryptoassets and blockchain technology- Fintech, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies- Regulatory advisory, market entry and new product development- Corporate governance and senior management arrangementsRepresentative Experience- Advised a luxury fashion digital marketplace on the application of the Commercial Agents Exclusion and payments issues arising from new product launches. *- Advised a US payroll payments platform on its application for payment services authorisation in the UK and coordinated associated regulatory advice across multiple jurisdictions. *- Advised a leading cryptocurrency derivatives exchange on FCA registration requirements, financial promotions compliance and wider authorisation and regulatory perimeter issues applicable to cryptoasset businesses. *- Advised a cryptoasset technology provider on compliance with the FCA's financial promotions regime for cryptoassets and related regulatory obligations. *- Advised a US asset manager on the marketing of investment funds in the UK and the EU under the National Private Placement Regime. *- Advised clients in relation to FCA and PRA supervisory engagement, including regulatory visits, authorisation matters, change-in-control applications and enforcement-related issues. ** Experience prior to Katten

Christopher Hitchins

Christopher Hitchins has specialised in employment law for nearly 25 years, advising clients on all aspects of company operations. Chris helps his clients navigate workplace challenges, with their culture and enhancing their employer reputation at the forefront of his advice. His knowledge and experience enable him to advise on the full spectrum of employment issues faced by employers with large or small, growing workforces.Representing clients across all sectors, Chris is particularly active in the financial services, luxury brands and retail, and hospitality and leisure industries. His practice encompasses traditional employment matters, including employment litigation, as well as broader areas such as workplace investigations, data privacy, benefits, reputation management and commercial issues. He also helps employers design strategies to incentivise workers, raise workforce standards and take other action to realise their goals and values as a company. In addition, he regularly represents senior executives in negotiations and disputes.HR counsel that enhances management efficiencyChris and his team add value for clients by finding ways to conform with the law that enhance their retention and recruitment efforts while also reducing legal risk.For employers, he handles all day-to-day employment law and human resource compliance issues that may arise, including employment litigation (in the Employment Tribunal, and the enforcement of post-termination restrictions in the High Court), and traditional advisory matters for example involving onboarding, family-friendly rights, holiday pay, performance management, disputes and exits, as well as broader areas such as the GDPR, in particular Subject Access Requests, modern slavery compliance, anti-money-laundering and immigration issues. With extensive international expertise, he also helps clients' businesses operate effectively across borders.Whether Chris is defending employers in a discrimination case, drafting employment contracts or designing benefits policies, he helps his clients manage HR matters more efficiently. They are free to focus on expanding their businesses, secure that they have counsel taking a cost-effective and consistent approach to issues across their workforce, enhancing their reputation as a good place to work. Providing that security is what makes Chris a long-term, trusted adviser to his clients.Practice Focus- Day-to-day employment law advice- Employment contracts, benefits and incentives- Data privacy obligations and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)- Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) Regulations- Employment tribunals and High Court litigation- General commercial contracts

Michael Hobel

Michael Hobel is recognized as a leading authority in the legal profession on entertainment transactions across digital, television and film. Described by clients as "a tremendous thought partner who provides practical, sophisticated advice," Michael is trusted by entertainment and media companies to represent them on deals involving some of the entertainment industry’s most successful properties for more than 25 years. As the head of Katten's Entertainment and Media Practice, Michael has extensive experience representing entertainment and media companies in complex transactions involving valuable entertainment and intellectual property rights and assets. Chambers USA reports that clients call him "incredibly effective in driving deals to closure and note his superb overall legal and business expertise." Michael's clients include motion picture studios, free, pay and cable television networks, streaming services, Internet and digital media companies, production and distribution companies, financiers, video game companies, rights holders and investors. Michael also advises industry executives on employment contracts, individual talent on agreements for their services on film, television and music products, and companies on management and protection of their trademark and copyright assets. Michael's work relates to all stages of development, production and exploitation of entertainment product. Michael is particularly interested in deals that involve the convergence of entertainment and technology, and he has represented some of the most innovative companies in deals that break new ground in deal structures and business models that have enabled his clients to be first movers in entertainment development, production and delivery.

Carolyn Jackson

Carolyn Jackson helps clients solve complex cross-border issues involving the regulation of financial institutions and financial products, including derivatives. Carolyn's depth of knowledge and practical approach are shaped by her first-hand experience: she managed the New York trading desk of several investment banks and was formerly the executive director of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Trading firms, banks, asset managers, clearing houses and trading venues rely on her to find creative-yet-sensible solutions.Solving cross-border puzzlesClients with international financial operations regularly face cross-border regulatory challenges. Carolyn is adept at solving these compliance puzzles, which often involve adherence to the Dodd-Frank Act, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation and other foreign financial laws. When necessary, she crafts innovative solutions by restructuring financial products or business operations or by obtaining regulatory relief.Carolyn doesn't see most regulations as obstacles. When a US stock exchange's acquisition of a foreign clearing house created issues under Dodd-Frank, she worked with the client to restructure operations to eliminate these issues. For another foreign client concerned about the effect of Brexit on its trading business, Carolyn helped it set up new structures and compliance systems to continue its operations. She also helps clients with day-to-day compliance issues, including, for instance, creating multijurisdictional employee-training programs.As both a New York and English qualified lawyer, Carolyn is well placed to address cross-border financial regulatory issues.Practice Focus- Financial industry regulation and compliance- Financial industry licensing- Cross-border regulatory issues- Regulatory reform solutions

Kenneth Jacobson

Commercial real estate investors trust Kenneth Jacobson to guide them through high‑dollar transactions in all kinds of economic environments. He helps capital providers like real estate investment trusts (REITs), commercial banks, insurance companies and investment funds invest in commercial real estate through a world of different product types and investment structures. Thanks to a rigorous focus on issues that matter, Ken executes deals with maximum efficiency. Ken has a well-honed ability to distinguish between peripheral issues that drain the time and energy of all parties, and deal terms that truly affect his clients' interests. He keeps his attention fixed on the latter. Together with his organizational skills and attention to process management, he is able to put his advice into action quickly. In markets good and bad, Ken uses investment structures and product types that meet his clients' needs. His deals involve most sectors of the commercial real estate market, including offices, hotels, multi-family apartments, industrial buildings and mixed-use facilities.

Michael Jacobson

Michael Jacobson represents issuers, lenders and investors in a wide variety of commercial finance matters. He regularly assists them with senior, first-lien, second-lien, unitranche and mezzanine financings and structures. Michael frequently handles cash flow and asset-based transactions, leveraged buyouts and buildups, recapitalizations, restructurings and workouts. He has extensive experience negotiating the complex intercreditor arrangements these deals can require. He also routinely represents agents, lead arrangers, lenders, asset managers and other investors (both regulated and nonregulated) in a wide range of financings and structures. They include bilateral, clubbed and broadly syndicated deals, unitranche structures (including "first out, last out" arrangements), senior secured and second-lien credit facilities and cross-border financings. Michael also helps investors consummating equity co-investments and equity "kickers." While his practice spans a variety of industries, Michael frequently works on financings involving businesses in health care, software and technology, and sports and entertainment.

Andrew Jagoda

Andrew Jagoda advises clients that finance, buy, sell, build, lease and manage real estate properties in all asset classes. He also has extensive experience representing both lenders and borrowers in workouts and restructurings. Having assisted both the US government and the government of the People's Republic of China in disposing of billions in real estate assets, he is prepared to handle the most challenging transactions. Andrew is the co-chair of Katten's New York Real Estate Department and a member of Katten's board of directors.Andrew is the quintessential real estate lawyer for all asset classes and all business cycles. He advises clients on transactions involving large office buildings, hotels, retail centers, industrial facilities and multifamily properties, both on an individual property and a portfolio basis. He has represented lenders in a variety of loan transactions, including construction loans, multiproperty financings, mezzanine loans and ground lease mortgage loans (involving both fee and leasehold positions). He also has considerable experience representing lenders with the workout, restructuring and foreclosure of real estate and construction mortgage loans. Andrew also represents property owners in the acquisition, sale and development of property, including the negotiation of construction contracts, as well as the acquisition, construction, and permanent financing and joint ventures with equity investors. Andrew's practice also includes the representation of both landlords and tenants in ground leases and in office and retail leases. His clients include insurance companies, banks, developers, foreign and US investment funds, family-office investors, landlords, tenants and nonprofit organizations.Andrew takes a holistic approach with his clients, with a focus on a client's position in the market and not only with respect to individual transactions. He routinely works with clients to develop and upgrade their operating platforms and document forms, and he assists clients in anticipating and addressing market trends and issues.Andrew's 35-year career has included public service representing US taxpayers in the real estate crisis in the early 1990s. In this role, he served as counsel at the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), a federal agency charged with the disposition of real estate assets from failed financial institutions. At the RTC, he advised on the disposition of approximately $4 billion of assets. Andrew also represented China Huarong Asset Management Corporation, an agency of the government of the People's Republic of China, in a series of bulk sales of more than $1 billion of nonperforming loans and foreclosed properties, structured as joint ventures between Huarong and investors. These were among the first such transactions conducted in China. Andrew has also represented the heirs of victims of the Holocaust in the recovery of art stolen by the Nazis.

Jennifer Kafcas

Head of the Structured Products and Derivatives practice, Jennifer Kafcas has over 20 years’ experience representing major investment banks and private equity funds with respect to derivatives products, whether as a stand-alone transaction or an integral part of a leveraged finance, a high-yield bond issuance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), a project or an infrastructure transaction, including on a finance-linked or deal-contingent basis.Trusted adviser for sophisticated derivatives transactionsHer team is one of the only go-to full-service derivatives practices for finance-linked swap and deal-contingent transactions in the market. Taking an innovative approach, Jen’s team not only advises on the derivatives aspects of a transaction, but also on (a) finance-linked swap transactions and the underlying financing documentation; and (b) deal-contingent transactions involving regulatory, antitrust and other deal-closing conditions in infrastructure/projects and M&A corporate transactions. This broader perspective enables clients to evaluate the transaction holistically and analyze risk and deal certainty in the context of a derivatives instrument.Seven major investment banks, which routinely consult Jen — and certain of them on an exclusive basis — value and trust Jen and the London team on all aspects of structured finance and derivatives law and practice across all major asset classes. Having worked on some of the most high-profile transactions in the Asian, European, UK, US and Latin American markets, she brings strong market intelligence and sound structuring counsel to any transaction.Clients value the work and the constant attention Jen provides to their businesses. In particular, a major investment banking client was quoted in the Legal 500, noting that Jen and her team are “the best on the street by far … always timely, proactive and commercial.”Jen is a regular participant on International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) committees and was a market trailblazer with respect to London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) replacement, writing more than 38 articles and blogs on the subject.Practice Focus- Derivatives and structured finance, including finance-linked and deal-contingent transactions- Derivatives across major asset classes- Complex structured products, including credit-linked notes, risk participations, fund-level financings and repackaging structures- Crypto derivatives and digital asset-linked financing solutions- Global transactional support for large-scale financings and infrastructure projects- ISDA documentation and committee involvementRepresentative Experience- Counseled a major investment bank in its capacity as mandated hedge provider in relation to the financing aspects of a £4.2 billion acquisition, one of the largest European private equity buyouts since the coronavirus pandemic. *- Counseled a major investment bank in connection with a complex deal-contingent transaction relating to a take-private transaction involving a consortium of private equity funds' £1.4 billion recommended cash offer for a major public limited company. *- Counseled a major investment bank in its capacity as hedge coordinator on two finance packages worth approximately €1 billion relating to the construction and maintenance of 15 stations on the Barcelona Metro. *- Counseled a major investment bank in structuring a complex deal-contingent derivative product in connection with a €1.6 billion investment in a wind farm in Germany. *- Counseled a major investment bank in structuring a complex deal-contingent derivative product in connection with acquisition finance for a major Portuguese fibre business valued at €630 million. *- Counseled a major investment bank in connection with multiple complex deal-contingent transactions forming part of a top-tier private equity infrastructure fund's $630 million investment in Brazilian renewable energy. *- Counseled a major US bank in connection with its commodity trading business lines worth $750 million. ** Experience prior to Katten

Alvin Katz

Described as "an absolutely first-class lawyer" with "tremendous expertise in fund formation and joint ventures" by industry publications such as The Legal 500 US, Alvin Katz has been helping real estate investors and developers close their most important deals for more than 40 years. Through multiple real estate cycles, in good times and bad, Alvin’s experience and judgment have guided his clients to achieve their goals. Alvin is consistently ranked in the top tier of Chicago real estate lawyers by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, which quotes clients praising his "exceptional intelligence" and describe him as "a really good lawyer with great business sense," "[f]antastic … stellar at explaining key points during transactions … a go to lawyer who is at the top of his game" and "a smart and sophisticated attorney who absolutely deserves his top-tier ranking" whose "experience is nearly unparalleled." Alvin is a frequent speaker at real estate industry conferences and continuing education programs for lawyers and real estate professionals. In recognition of his accomplishments in real estate law, he has been selected for membership in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

John Keiserman

John Keiserman represents issuers, underwriters and lenders on structured finance deals across all asset classes, with particular experience in transactions backed by motor vehicle collateral. Recognized as a leading lawyer in structured finance by The Legal 500 US, John brings a creative, pragmatic approach to every transaction to ensure that his clients' business goals are achieved even as they contend with an evolving regulatory regime. With his deep understanding of automobile loan, automobile lease and dealer floorplan receivables-backed deals, John regularly advises clients about developments in securities laws and transaction structures that impact those sectors.John's clients include captive finance companies and independent lenders, new market entrants and issuers with more than 20 years of experience, and underwriters, initial purchasers, lenders and investors who demand counsel that understands the peculiarities of every type of issuance, offering and deal structure. In addition to working extensively on transactions involving every type of motor vehicle collateral, John also focuses on structuring deals with underlying collateral that ranges in quality from deep subprime to super-prime and understands how to tailor structures to reflect each asset's unique characteristics.Understanding the auto industry and the unique features of motor vehicle-backed securitizations also allows John to give advice that keeps his clients on top of regulatory trends and at the front of the market on deal structures and innovative approaches. John advises securitization industry groups and informal groups of issuers on regulatory matters impacting these motor vehicle securitizations and has prepared numerous comment letters to regulatory bodies on these topics.John's focus on motor vehicle deals is supplemented and enhanced by deep experience on transactions utilizing other types of collateral, including mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, equipment loans and leases, franchise loans and diversified payment rights. He also has represented collateral managers and monoline insurers on market value, cash flow and synthetic collateralized debt obligations and collateralized loan obligations.

Christian Kemnitz

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.

Adam Klein

Adam Klein counsels a wide range of clients nationwide on matters related to the business of professional sports, including various Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer teams, arenas and stadiums, lenders, investors, sponsors and regional sports networks. Adam's sports clients have included the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Seattle NHL expansion team, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Fire, Philadelphia Union, San Jose Earthquakes, United Center, Chase Center, Golden 1 Center, Fiserv Forum and 120 Sports (Stadium), as well as investors in the New York Mets, Memphis Grizzlies, Pittsburgh Penguins and Swansea City AFC. In the highly self-regulated field of professional sports, Adam has the experience to handle a variety of transactions with maximum efficiency. That is attributable in part to his detailed knowledge of applicable league rules and the issues related to operating a team and its home venue. Equally important are the strong relationships that Adam has established across leagues, teams, venues and their advisors. His clients understand and appreciate the vested interest he takes in helping them make informed decisions in connection with significant transactions.

Nicole Lynn Kobrine

Nicole Lynn Kobrine has successfully climbed to the top of the often male-dominated areas of complex business litigation and commercial real estate. She has been trying cases for more than 20 years and has secured major victories in the courts of DC, Maryland and Virginia. The judges in these jurisdictions know her, and oftentimes she is the only female lawyer in the well of the courtroom. Primarily practicing throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area and nationally, Nicole's recent engagements include the successful representation of landowners, real estate development companies and leading shopping centers in high-stakes disputes.Nicole offers an out-of-the-box approach to finding creative solutions that achieve her clients' goals in the most efficient, effective manner possible. Part of what differentiates Nicole is her ability to find legal "wedge issues" that can take a weak hand and turn it into a strong one for her clients. She finds holes in the other side's argument and then flips the situation to go on offense. Her main focus is to obtain a business resolution, which in these types of disputes is often the best objective. She takes the time to understand the motives of the opposing side and then develops litigation strategies for her clients so they can decide how hard to fight.While she has been successful at winning high-profile, high-value complex commercial disputes on behalf of some of the nation's leading developers, property owners and investors, Nicole seeks the best solution for her clients — which often means avoiding litigation. Her ability to advise on both proactive and reactive approaches makes Nicole an asset in the real estate and construction industries.Outside the courtroom, Nicole is committed to advancing and retaining women attorneys through mentoring, external networking, internal relationship building and career development programs through her work with the Katten Women's Leadership Forum. Nicole is a national committee member of Katten's WLF and has been since 2007. She is also a member of the WLF National Mentoring Panel.Nicole was a Division 1 scholar athlete while earning her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University. While earning her doctorate of law degree from The George Washington University Law School, Nicole interned for the Honorable Pauline Newman of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Derek Ladgenski

For more than two decades, private debt providers and banks have turned to Derek Ladgenski to advise on their most complicated and challenging debt financing deals. Derek helps his clients close complex financings quickly and efficiently, without surprises or delays, and builds their relationships and market presence along the way. Derek counsels lead arrangers, administrative agents and lenders on cash-flow acquisition and recapitalization financings, "take private" transactions and debt financings. Thanks to his vast experience and deep roots in the financing community, Derek helps his clients understand current market conditions, avoid getting bogged down in legal minutiae and get their deals done. His high volume of transactional work — from multibillion-dollar syndicated loans to smaller bilateral deals — allows him to advise clients on current market conditions, the effects of decisions through different credit cycles and positioning for future success. In all of his engagements, Derek strives to exceed expectations and ensure that all parties walk away from the negotiating table as happy with the process as possible, helping his clients to build relationships and grow their own standing with their customers. He has particularly extensive experience in retail, restaurant and franchise financings, where he facilitates the expansion of national and international franchisors, franchisees and restaurant operators through a variety of deal sizes and types, from financings of smaller franchisees and young restaurant concepts to credit facilities of more than $1 billion.

Nathaniel Lalone

Nathaniel Lalone is a dual-qualified lawyer (England, New York) and a rising leader in the field of providing cross-border regulatory and compliance advice to market infrastructures as well as sell- and buy-side firms active in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, futures and securities markets. Nate is sought out by clients for his ability to manage their legal and regulatory risks while helping them achieve their commercial goals.Innovative solutions to the most complex questionsSince the financial crisis, regulation of financial markets and products has increased considerably, which has challenged existing market structures while prompting a wave of innovations and new ways of thinking. Incumbents and disruptors are both competing to bring groundbreaking solutions to market while contending with overlapping, and sometimes contradictory, legal and compliance obligations. Drawing on his vast cross-border experience, and his deep understanding of both US and UK/EU law and regulation, Nate is able to draw simplicity out of complexity and to provide clients with commercially sensible solutions to cutting-edge, and often first-of-their kind, questions.Nate received his master's degree and doctorate from Cambridge, where he studied EU politics with a focus on financial services. He was a 2004 Fulbright Scholar to the European Union.Practice Focus- Financial services- Financial services regulatory and compliance- Futures and derivatives- Financial market infrastructures- Proprietary trading firms- Quantitative and algorithmic trading- Securitization and structured finance

Thomas Laurer

With over two decades of experience in the investment management and strategic corporate sectors, Thomas Laurer has built a reputation as a problem solver in the global financial landscape. He is a trusted advisor for a diverse range of clients — from financial institutions and investment managers to sovereign wealth funds, multinational companies, family offices and other high-net-worth investors.Strategic investment management counsel in a transatlantic settingThomas is highly skilled when it comes to providing legal, regulatory and commercial guidance on a variety of investment strategies, whether they involve public or private equity, debt, venture capital, real estate, commodities or other asset classes. His clients appreciate his knack for navigating complex investments with ease and precision and note that he is "more personally invested in the process with rapid response times." (Legal 500 UK, 2024) The combination of Thomas's skills and extensive experience positions him as a highly sought-after advisor for individuals and entities aiming to raise or allocate substantial amounts of capital.What sets Thomas apart is his ability to practice law across the United States, England and Europe. Having worked extensively in New York and London, he has a deep understanding of the legal and business systems in the EU, UK and the United States, which allows him to provide comprehensive and cross-border counsel.Practice Focus- Strategies for and structuring of investment funds- Cross-border investments- Venture capital- Regulatory and compliance- Family offices and high-net-worth investment guidance

Daniel Lewin

Daniel Lewin’s wide-ranging tax practice spans many industries, including corporate, finance, technology, investment management and family offices. Daniel also has particular experience advising on sponsor, investor and investment fund structuring for private equity, venture capital, hedge, debt, infrastructure and sovereign wealth funds.He regularly provides transaction support for cross-border transactions including acquisitions, disposals, financings and joint ventures, delivering successful results for his London and international clients by instructing and coordinating with foreign counsel, and closely liaising with the client’s commercial needs.Incredibly personable, collaborative and forward-thinkingDaniel’s strong focus on investment funds and familiarity with standard onshore and offshore jurisdictions, including the United States, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ireland, and the Channel and Cayman Islands positions him to give sound structuring guidance on all aspects of investment management across multiple jurisdictions, including establishing the fund management vehicle, tax-efficient management group setup and fund formation. Clients can also rely on Daniel to counsel them on tax-efficient financing structures for UK and international loans, real estate finance, securitizations, treaty relief and subsidiary structures, early to later stage venture capital financings and mitigation of tax withholdings.In addition to his work related to investment funds, Daniel advises family offices and high-net-worth individuals on various personal and investment tax matters related to UK tax residency, non-domiciliary (remittance basis) taxation, UK or offshore investments and co-investments, board composition and residence, offshore trust structures and compliance issues. He is the principal co-author of Practical Law Tax’s note on the taxation of UK hedge funds.Practice Focus- Investment management- Venture capital and private equity- Corporate transactions- Mergers and acquisitions- Family offices- Real estate finance- Tax compliance

Christopher Locke

Christopher Locke has the right experience and knowledge to guide health care entities through transactions that affect their businesses. His decades of involvement in a variety of transactions allow him to explain deal terms in ways that are meaningful to clients. Whether he's representing a professional practice, hospital system, management company or medical device manufacturer, he is able to understand and negotiate terms to accomplish their strategic goals.Health care entities trust Christopher with major transactions relating to their businesses. Deals that he works on regularly include purchases and sales of professional practices by private equity-backed entities, hospital system acquisitions, joint ventures and other arrangements with professional practices, other hospital systems and universities and fundraising for nonprofessional entities. Negotiating and drafting these sometimes-complex agreements are just one aspect of Christopher's work. He is a trusted advisor, in part, because he provides as much business insight as legal counsel.Many of Katten's health care clients rely on Christopher to serve as their outside general counsel, as his broad industry knowledge gives him the insight to advise management and boards of directors on a range of issues. Clients also turn to him for sensitive government investigations, benefiting from his experience as a former special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Kenneth Lore

Ken Lore has developed a nationally recognized real estate finance practice based upon his representation of owners, developers, investors and lenders by creating complex equity and debt financing structures. His transactions involve multifamily rental properties, mixed use development, affordable housing, public-private partnerships, office buildings and other commercial projects. Ken has also had significant experience in dealing with restructuring and disposition of distressed assets (mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, asset-backed securities and other asset types), including representation of the Resolution Trust Corporation, lenders, underwriters and developers. Clients do not come to Ken for a cookie-cutter deal or approach. Owners, developers and other deal participants seek him out when they have stubborn problems others can't solve. In one project, he created an entirely new financing structure that paved the way for a third-party investor to provide critical and necessary funding. Ken secured Internal Revenue Service private-letter rulings supporting the structure and has gone on to use and improve that structure more than 30 times, making refinements to take advantage of changes in laws and market conditions. Similarly, Ken has developed structures and received Securities and Exchange Commission no-action letters for real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) and investment company matters to facilitate transactions that had not previously been possible. He was also involved in the original drafting of the LIHTC provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (Section 42). Due to the diversity of Ken's practice and the fact that he has worked on so many complex transactions, he is able to develop creative solutions to his clients' problems. He knows from extensive experience what will and will not work in various economic and market conditions. He understands his clients' businesses and how to achieve their objectives. As a result, Ken is able to help his clients develop and take advantage of innovative structures to make the projects they have become reality.

Timothy Lynes

Leading the firm's Aviation practice, Timothy Lynes, managing partner of Katten's Washington, DC office, has spent more than 30 years representing manufacturers, airlines, lessors, financial institutions, equity investors and insurers in the sale, leasing and financing of aircraft. Clients rely on Tim's deep industry knowledge and his proven leadership in the field.Having spent so many years serving aviation clients, Tim has developed his own best practices that lead the rest of the sector. For example, he created and implemented novel private aviation cost-sharing structures involving non-exclusive leases and management agreements that now are used industrywide. This forward-looking, innovative approach is why clients turn to Tim again and again.Tim handles all types of aviation transactions with a singular focus on finding creative solutions to a client's most challenging problems. In every deal, he works to build consensus among all parties, paying particular attention to their unique needs. Tim never assumes he automatically knows what success looks like for a client – he listens and then develops a strategy that will accomplish their specific objectives.He has made numerous appearances on CNN and other outlets to discuss aviation issues from the perspective of manufacturers and airlines routinely writes on the aviation issues of the day.

Floyd Mandell

Floyd Mandell is the national co-chair and founder of the firm's Intellectual Property department. He has represented some of the world’s most recognizable companies in intellectual property litigation. Few other lawyers have handled as many high-profile cases over the past 20 years involving copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, trade dress, false advertising and defamation. He has been lead counsel in more than 40 published decisions, many involving novel or cutting-edge issues. On more than one occasion, Floyd has litigated cases with more than $1 billion at stake for his clients.Floyd has served as lead trial counsel for globally recognized brands in technology (Microsoft Corporation, Yahoo!, Intel, Panasonic, Sanyo, Stripe), food and beverage (PepsiCo/Gatorade, Boar’s Head, Cracker Barrel, Planet Hollywood), retail and fashion (Forever 21, Arcadia Group Limited and its Topshop brand, Tommy Hilfiger, ASICS, Fruit of the Loom), media (Cumulus Media; Westwood One; Times Mirror, Inc.), entertainment (Universal Studios; Universal Music Group; Home Box Office, Inc.; E! Entertainment Television, LLC; Scripps Network), pharma and health care (Bausch & Lomb) and beyond.Floyd's client relationships frequently span many years, and leading companies turn to him again and again for his business-focused guidance. They trust him with their most significant legal problems. Usually, these are disputes that threaten a famous brand, like the trademark action against PepsiCo over Gatorade's use of a slogan referring to it as "The Sports Fuel Company." Floyd earned a summary judgment victory for PepsiCo, which had been found liable for millions of dollars in a previous similar case. Similarly, Floyd secured a summary judgment victory for Microsoft, affirmed on appeal, involving a claimed infringement arising out of its X-Box product.Floyd is consistently ranked among the top intellectual property litigators in the United States by Chambers USA, Legal 500, Law360, the National Law Journal, and other outlets. Recognized as a skilled mediator and arbitrator, he is a member of the Panel of Neutrals for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program sponsored by the International Trademark Association. He is on the list of mediators/arbitrators recommended by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for Lanham Act cases.

Laura Keidan Martin

Laura Keidan Martin counsels health care providers on their most challenging transactions and compliance issues. As co-chair of Katten's national Health Care practice, she represents hospitals and health systems, ancillary services and post-acute care providers, physician groups and life sciences companies.Ultimately, Laura's work on both transactional and compliance matters paves the way for health care providers to successfully navigate risks while achieving business objectives. Toward that end, she starts with an intimate understanding of their businesses, risk profiles and strategic priorities. This informs everything she does for clients, including structuring complex transactions and advising on compensation arrangements with referral sources. She also regularly helps clients develop clinically integrated networks, navigate high-stakes compliance issues — including government investigations — and proactively reduce regulatory risk through preventative measures like compliance education.Drawing on years of experience and her knowledge of regulatory pitfalls, Laura provides timely and pragmatic solutions to complex issues. In transactional matters, she quickly identifies options and regulatory risks on her way to developing deal structures that best meet client business objectives. In the compliance space, she helps clients grasp the relevant issues immediately based on experience, without the need for research, and provides a recommended course of action, including corrective action plans and government disclosures where appropriate.

Kenneth Miller

Kenneth Miller devotes much of his practice to representing private equity sponsors, including private equity funds, independent sponsors and family offices, and their portfolio companies in connection with their acquisition and investment activities. His work covers the initial buyout of or investment in the portfolio company, all aspects of the legal representation of the portfolio company during the sponsor's ownership and the sponsor's exit transaction from the portfolio company. His representations have included sponsor investments in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing and industrials, distribution, business services, health care and technology.In his wider practice, Ken represents private equity sponsors, public and private businesses and entrepreneurs in their merger and acquisition (M&A) activities. He also represents numerous pharmaceutical businesses in acquisition and licensing activities, and provides general corporate counseling to private and public businesses.In addition, Ken advises high-net-worth individuals on the legal aspects of their investments, from acquiring or investing in business to investing in funds.

Zia Modabber

Time and again, major recording artists, their key advisors and core industry companies trust Zia Modabber, the managing partner of the Los Angeles offices, to handle legal issues they face in the creation and protection of their assets. With decades of experience in the music and entertainment industry, he has an ability to not only address his clients' pressing legal issues, but also their long-term artistic and business interests. Zia is a sought-after litigator of intellectual property, First Amendment and other entertainment-related issues. And his ability to maintain a career-long perspective — along with his integrity and discretion — cements the trust between Zia and his clients that make him an invaluable counselor even outside of actual litigation. In a high-stress, high-reward industry, some of the biggest musical artists have relied on his experience, judgment and skill: Michael Jackson (and now his estate), Trent Reznor, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Usher, Chris Brown, Slash and Jeff Lynne/Electric Light Orchestra among them. Zia also represents industry powerhouses Live Nation, The Recording Academy and MusiCares, as well as personal managers, agents, business managers and record and publishing companies. Zia's industry relationships and reputation are tools that he brings to bear for his clients' advantage. He has deep experience in all forms of dispute resolution, from private mediations to high-profile jury trials and appeals and everything in between. His matters include cutting-edge issues, as in his representation of the former spouse of an R&B legend in a case involving the tension between state community property laws and the federal Copyright Act. And for Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Zia won a multimillion-dollar jury verdict and the return from a former personal manager of all of Nine Inch Nails' trademarks and other intellectual property.

Scott Morrison

Litigation is disruptive and expensive. Not only do businesses have to deal with the cost of litigation, they also lose time and money when litigation occurs. Scott Morrison helps real estate, construction and other businesses resolve their litigation matters so that they can get back to work. He provides creative solutions to business problems and, if necessary, a tenacious and successful courtroom presence.Scott serves as lead counsel in sophisticated business disputes. He has handled numerous complex, "bet-the-company" cases in both federal and state courts. He also has extensive experience in mediation and arbitration proceedings. He has represented clients in virtually every type of business litigation, including partnership and joint venture fights, complex landlord-tenant cases, breach of contract, fiduciary duty and fraud claims as well as valuation, construction, land use, lender liability and environmental suits. Many of his cases have involved landmark Washington, DC-area developments such as L'Enfant Plaza, Washington Harbour, Market Square and Gallery Place.Scott additionally represents clients in misappropriation, false claims and non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. He has previously been retained as special litigation counsel in bankruptcy, insurance and probate matters.As an appellate attorney, he has successfully managed matters before the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Virginia Supreme Court, the Maryland Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Patt

Jeffrey Patt represents entrepreneurs, high-growth companies and the investors who invest in these companies. Jeff regularly handles complex and strategic financial M&A transactions and recapitalizations, serves as board and special committee counsel in going-private and related-party transactions, and represents management teams and executives in change in control transactions.Jeff represents a wide range of clients in a variety of corporate matters, including public and private capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate governance matters. He has been recognized by The Legal 500 US and Chambers USA for his middle-market M&A practice for the past several years and, more recently, by Chambers USA for his work with startups and emerging companies. According to Chambers USA, clients say Jeff "finds pragmatic solutions to complex problems and convinces the other side that is the right approach." Clients rely on Jeff's candor and efficient problem-solving.Jeff regularly speaks on a range of topics, including corporate governance and structuring considerations, stockholders' agreements, appraisal rights and remedies, and incenting and retaining management and key employees. Jeff has served as a judge for the Loyola Family Business Center's annual Illinois Family Business of the Year awards. He also is a member of the advisory board to the Chicago office of BBVA Compass.Since 2006, Jeff has been an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, teaching a mergers and acquisitions class as part of the LLM program in International and Comparative Law. Additionally, Jeff serves on the alumni board for The Chicago-Kent Law Review, and Jeff's contributions to his alma mater were recognized with a Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Jeff is the co-author of a book on stockholders' agreements.

Joe Payne

Joe Payne is a commercial litigator and advisor, who industry publications describe as "an excellent lawyer who fights his cause well." Joe focuses on the business priority behind every legal issue. He helps clients in protecting the value of their investments and assets and in identifying and mitigating their commercial and regulatory risks. He regularly advises and represents clients in cross-jurisdictional transactions and disputes.Focused advice and strong commercial understandingRecognized as a leading litigator in industry publications like Chambers UK and Legal 500, Joe Payne was described by clients as "impressively commercial," for "command[ing] respect across the market" and for his "focused advice and strong commercial understanding." Joe has also been described as being "a lawyer who never gives in, he is tenacious and impossible to ignore."Joe represents corporate clients across a range of sectors, including aviation, real estate and financial services. Joe is a solicitor advocate, often appearing in the High Court. He represents clients in all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation and expert determination.Practice Focus- Business disputes and commercial litigation (including insolvency issues and cross‑jurisdictional disputes)- Arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution- Compliance and risk-avoidance issuesRepresentative Experience - Advise aircraft leasing company on English security, enforcement and insolvency issues.- Advise aircraft manufacturer on English insolvency and enforcement issues arising from sales agreement with airline.- Represent client in enforcement of covenants relating to valuable parking rights benefitting substantial West End property.- Represent client in arbitrations concerning rent review provisions in leases.- Represent client in obtaining in England a judgment against BVI airline company and enforcing that judgement overseas.- Represent financial services business in securing in Privy Council the dismissal of proceedings commenced in Gibraltar by US trustee in bankruptcy.- Represent hospitality business in obtaining worldwide freezing injunction relating to assets owned by an employee who engaged in theft.- Represent individual in securing discharge of worldwide freezing injunction obtained in relation to overseas property transaction.- Represent individual in obtaining injunction preventing development that would breach right of light.- Advise aircraft leasing company on insurance claim arising from fatal air accident.- Represent ICC arbitration relating to African mine.

Victoria Procter

Victoria Procter advises corporations, funds, directors, accountants, insolvency practitioners, receivers and other stakeholders on all aspects of corporate restructurings, turnarounds, formal insolvencies and distressed financings.Finding practical solutions for clientsVictoria's experience includes consensual transactions such as refinancings and the disposal of assets, and she is also experienced in using formal tools such as restructuring plans and administrations.Representative Experience- Represented a national bar and hospitality operator in proposing a successful restructuring plan, alongside a public market equity raise and refinancing. *- Represented a major discount retail chain in its successful restructuring plan. *- Represented a major discount retail chain in its successful restructuring plan. *- Represented administrators handling multiple energy supply insolvency processes. *- Represented a flooring and home improvement retailer in its acquisition of the business and selected assets from another retailer in administration. *- Represented the joint administrators of a large casual dining restaurant group. *- Represented a regional brewery in its refinancing, acting on behalf of a specialist investment firm. ** Experience prior to Katten

Steven Reisman

Steven Reisman advises clients on a wide range of insolvency, restructuring and creditors' rights matters. His work helps creditors to protect their interests and maximize their recoveries, helps debtors to restructure or wind down their businesses in an orderly manner, and helps investors to locate hidden opportunities. Steve regularly represents debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, as well as boards of directors and independent directors in all aspects of insolvency matters. Steve is highly experienced in all aspects of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as well as insolvency issues arising from in-court and out-of-court restructurings. He is particularly well-versed in the unique needs of parties to Chapter 11 cases, such as debtors, secured lenders, governmental entities, creditors' committees, indenture trustees, liquidators, secured and unsecured creditors, shareholders, and defendants in avoidance actions. Steve also advises investors seeking opportunities in Chapter 11 through the purchase of assets or interests in a creative manner in order to acquire the company or its assets. His clients benefit from his understanding of the needs of all stakeholders, which allows them to negotiate more effectively during the in-court or out-of-court process. His insolvency experience does not end at the US border. Steve has been involved in proceedings with clients in markets such as Mexico, Argentina and Canada, among other jurisdictions.

Stanford Renas

With clients that include some of the largest banks, funds and corporates in the world, Stanford Renas is a respected thought-leader in the structured finance community who clients seek out high-dollar transactions and cutting-edge structures. Stan helps clients structure, negotiate, document and execute complex financial transactions in the energy, oil and gas and metals sectors, including borrowing base facilities, renewable energy transactions, intermediation facilities, tolling arrangements and structured bullion and base metals transactions. Stan also represents underwriters, issuers, institutional investors, collateral managers and sponsors in a wide range of matters involving the securitization or re-packaging of traditional and non-traditional assets. He has extensive experience using "cash flow," "market value" and hybrid structures, and is a leading practitioner in the CLO market. In addition, Stan represents issuers, sponsors, derivatives dealers and end-users in a broad range of transactions, including structured swaps, total return instruments, credit derivatives, repo contracts and other types of structured products. Stan has significant experience in domestic and cross-border trade receivables securitization, asset-based finance, factoring, supply chain/vendor finance, trade finance and other receivables monetization strategies. He regularly advises clients on the creation and management of bespoke receivables finance transactions.

Scott Resnik

From government investigations through trials, Scott Resnik helps individuals and corporations manage every stage of the criminal justice system. He is deeply familiar with it, after more than 25 years of work as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney. The insights he has gained along the way have led to repeated success in resolving investigations, trials and appeals.Before joining Katten, Scott spend more than six years as an assistant US attorney in the District of New Jersey. There, he gained extensive trial experience prosecuting a series of high-profile white collar and public corruption cases. As a defense lawyer, he has continued to try cases regularly, including earning acquittals on multiple counts for a pharmaceutical executive following a seven-week trial. He has also won a number of precedent-setting appeals in federal criminal cases.Scott helps individual executives and corporations across all industries — with particular experience in health care and financial services — through every step of a criminal or regulatory action. He assists them in resolving government investigations, and for those that are charged with a crime, he defends them throughout the criminal process.He has handled dozens of investigations for hedge funds, broker-dealers and health care providers into allegations ranging from tax fraud to violations of the federal Medicare Anti-Kickback Statute. He also regularly represents clients in large insider trading investigations, touching on issues from stock price manipulation to violations of confidentiality agreements.

Neil Robson

Neil Robson decodes complex UK and EU regulations to provide practical regulatory and compliance advice to financial services firms. He represents a range of financial market participants — hedge and private equity fund managers, investment advisors, broker-dealers and proprietary traders — that are based or doing business in the UK or the EU. Neil's extensive working knowledge of this complicated sector allows his clients to both meet their business objectives and satisfy regulatory requirements.Proactive compliance counsel that keeps financial services firms thriving, nimbleNeil's ultimate goal for each one of his clients is for them to confidently run their firms and thrive within the complex regulatory environment in which they operate. That means ensuring everything they do — from day-to-day business functions and cross-border interactions to launching products and new funds — stands up to the closest regulatory scrutiny.A significant part of Neil's work involves helping his clients stay nimble in the face of changing laws and regulations or uncertain circumstances. He assisted an international multibillion AUM fund management group, for example, with a restructuring to ensure uninterrupted operations in the event of a "no deal" Brexit. This included forming new entities across Europe and restructuring client relationships across the EU, the UK and United States and working through complicated regulatory, personnel and tax issues. Whatever the scope of an engagement, Neil provides responsive and agile advice aimed at satisfying his client's commercial objectives.Practice Focus - Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorization and compliance issues- Regulatory capital requirements- Reporting and disclosure obligations- Formations and buyouts- Structuring and marketing of investment funds and other products- Data privacy and GDPR compliance- Financial crime prevention (market abuse, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery and international financial sanctions compliance)Representative Experience- Represent UK and other fund managers in relation to impact of AIFM Directive on their ongoing operations including authorization/registration, delegation, restructuring, marketing, disclosure and remuneration issues.- Advise activist fund manager in connection with its UK acquisitions, including reporting issues under UK takeover rules, concert party issues and negotiations with UK Panel on Takeovers and Mergers.- Represent US proprietary trading firms in establishing UK subsidiaries, obtaining FCA-authorized status in the United Kingdom and passporting cross-border within European Union.- Advise numerous start-up managers in connection with structuring, establishment and FCA authorization of their UK operations- Represent significant UK-based commodity trading adviser in restructuring its management operations to limit (1) FCA regulatory capital requirements and (2) impact of AIFM Directive, with establishment of non-EEA AIFM entity and appropriate levels of overseas substance to meet minimum regulatory requirements.- Advise institutional investment manager in connection with impact of EU and international sanctions on its business.- Advise on structure of new UK crowd-funding business, including the FCA regulatory regimes.- Advise clients on financial crime, bribery and corruption prevention, including staff training and implementing protective measures in the form of adequate procedures, due diligence and contractual protections.

Shaya Rochester

Nearly all companies encounter insolvency or restructuring issues, sometimes in their own businesses and other times with their business partners. When those issues arise, Shaya Rochester has nearly two decades of experience guiding clients of all types through complex in- and out-of-court restructurings. He seeks to maximize value for his clients in the most time and cost-efficient manner possible. Often, this calls for an outside-the-box approach, but one that remains rooted in an understanding of the client's business realities and objectives.Shaya has nearly two decades of experience representing hedge funds, private equity funds, banks, indenture trustees and official and unofficial creditors committees in complex in- and out-of-court restructuring matters, including debt for equity swaps, DIP financings, bridge financings, purchasing assets and defending and prosecuting claims and causes of action. He also has significant expertise representing corporate debtors and other company side constituencies, including management, boards of directors, independent directors and equity sponsors.Knowing that restructurings are always about more than the strict application of bankruptcy law, Shaya makes it his job to understand everything about a company's capital structure, business operations, industry and competitors before developing his approach. He never hides behind legalese, possessing a talent for explaining complex concepts in plain language. That not only helps his clients understand the issues they face, but, as in Shaya's representation of the disinterested directors in the Toys"R"Us bankruptcy, can help them reach resolutions with contentious third parties.

Michael Rosensaft

Michael Rosensaft helps individual clients at what is often the greatest crisis of their lives — facing government prosecutors — and advises corporate clients through difficult and complex enforcement investigations. Whether it is responding to a regulatory subpoena, overseeing an internal investigation of employee wrongdoing or advocating for individuals in front of a jury, Michael devotes his efforts to ensuring his clients are protected. A litigator with years of courtroom experience, Michael defends individuals and companies through every stage of investigations and enforcement actions. And as a former AUSA, Michael understands government investigations and prosecutions from the inside and uses that knowledge to gain advantages for his clients.As an Assistant United States Attorney with the Southern District of New York, Michael prosecuted criminal cases, working closely with federal regulators and law enforcement as well as government officials and foreign law enforcement around the world. Now, Michael brings his insider's perspective to his clients' defense, helping them navigate their most serious legal concerns.Michael regularly represents individuals, small businesses, banks and hedge funds in handling regulatory request and actions, internal investigations and criminal indictments. Michael puts his efforts into assuring his clients are never charged with wrongdoing, but when his client's cases go to trial, Michael has the courtroom experience to mount a vigorous defense. He handles all aspects of litigation from efforts to resolve any issues prelitigation, discovery and motion practice, trial and, if necessary, appeal.In recent years, Michael has vacated a 75-count conviction for a client on appeal in the Second Circuit and staved off attacks on his client's privileged communications with his former lawyer in the Third Circuit. Michael manages cases involving white-collar insider trading and fraud, health care fraud, anti-kickback cases, regulatory compliance issues, fraudulent tax shelters, money laundering and insurance fraud. He has conducted internal investigations for clients in multiple industries including health care, investment banking, food services and accounting.As an AUSA for the Southern District of New York, Michael oversaw the investigation and prosecution of numerous criminal cases involving terrorism, international money laundering, export violations, bribery of foreign officials, RICO violations, bank fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud and computer crimes. He was responsible for all aspects of litigation as a federal prosecutor — from pre-indictment investigation and grand jury practice through discovery, motion practice, trial and appeal. Throughout his tenure as an AUSA, Michael worked closely with federal investigative and administrative agencies, including the FBI, the IRS and the State Department. He also coordinated federal prosecutions with law enforcement and government officials in other countries, including working with UN and Guatemalan prosecutors in the investigation and indictment of the former president of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo, for money laundering. Michael served as law clerk to the Honorable Jane R. Roth of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Joshua Rubenstein

In his widely respected practice, Joshua Rubenstein, global chair of the firm's Private Wealth practice, brings a variety of important services under one roof for high-net-worth individuals. He offers integrated planning, administration and litigation counseling for individuals, their estates and their businesses, all of it designed to preserve wealth over generations. His advice stretches as far as his clients' financial interests – locally, nationally and globally.All-encompassing counsel for private clientsJosh is the rare trusts and estates attorney that does not focus exclusively on either planning, estate administration, or litigation. Instead, he integrates all three. The result, for clients, is deeper insight in each area that may affect them. Josh performs his planning and administration with a view to minimizing litigation risk; meanwhile, he litigates cases with a view towards discovering planning opportunities. Appreciating his insights and the strong qualities he has as an attorney, clients praise his work: "Josh is amazing. He is very, very responsive, it doesn't matter what hour of the day I call." "What's super impressive about him is that he is able to think outside of the box and he is very open to new ideas" (Chambers HNW 2022).In any craft, making it "look easy" only happens with considerable experience and talent. Josh, who has been practicing in the field for more than 35 years, has a unique ability to create sophisticated solutions that are also elegant and uncomplicated. Clients praise his intelligence and experience, describing him as "a consummate professional," who "has a global view of things. He does not just try to solve the immediate problem but looks instead at the whole picture. His breadth of knowledge is second to none" (Chambers HNW 2022). In the area of estate administration, which can bring intense feelings to the surface for family members, Josh and his clients also benefit from his emotional intelligence. Representing the executor of a multibillion-dollar estate who was being sued by siblings over their treatment in their parents' will, Josh crafted a solution that satisfied all parties and restored family harmony. In that instance, and others, Josh has kept what would have been a high-profile dispute out of the news. Instead, it remained a private affair.Practice Focus- Estate, personal and tax planning- Estate, trust and entity administration- Resolving estate, trust, family and tax disputes in state, federal and foreign courts- Cross-border trust and estate issues

Saul Rudo

When middle-market businesses or PE firms structure mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spinoffs and management compensation agreements, their leaders call Saul Rudo. While Saul leads teams to efficiently and effectively get to closings, he focuses on the future as much as the present, designing deals that keep his clients in optimal after-tax positions for years to come.As the lead attorney on his matters, Saul offers his clients direct access to his structuring and "market" advice, without engaging in a game of "telephone" through layers of attorneys. Given his vast experience in the field, Saul delivers suggestions that are practical and "market" in nature, and that solve issues efficiently for all parties. As a result, his deals advance steadily toward closing.Saul represents middle-market private equity firms, family offices and closely held businesses typically of up to $1 billion in value. In addition to his extensive M&A work, Saul advises on the business structuring and tax implications of venture capital and start-up transactions, management compensation arrangements and fund formations.

Charlotte Sallabank

When multinational corporations consider major transactions, tax implications often make or break the deal. Charlotte Sallabank advises on those implications, advising clients on the direct and indirect tax consequences of their largest business decisions. Her creativity, persuasive power and close attention to her clients' business aspirations consistently result in solutions that make them a reality.A complete perspective on tax-planning issuesWith more than 30 years of experience advising on transactions valued in hundreds of millions of dollars or more, Charlotte understands that providing a technical tax analysis of a given transaction is not enough. Nor is it enough to gain a deep understanding of the business motives behind a deal, as Charlotte does. She goes further and considers all perspectives that can impact the success of a transaction. In her work for large public companies, for instance, she takes care to consider the sensitivities that directors and shareholders bring to tax issues, as well as the increasing importance of environmental, social and governance issues in tax related matters. That level of thinking can avoid adverse public opinion, strained relations with regulators and other unintended consequences of tax planning.Charlotte represents major banks, financial institutions, private equity houses and fund managers in addition to large corporations. Given the nature her clients, the transactions that she advises on often have a cross-border element. That was true of a multinational undergoing a global reorganization timed to coincide with a change in US tax law. With 24 hours left before the deadline, the client turned to Charlotte to solve a deal-breaking tax problem that was holding up UK tax approval. She did. It's just one of many major transactions in which her contribution made all the difference.Practice Focus- Tax, and Environmental, Social and Governance- Structured and asset-backed financings- Mergers and acquisitions- Cross-border transactions- Joint venture structuring- Financings of high-value assets such as aircraft, ships and power stations- Dispute resolution for tax controversiesRepresentative Experience - Represented private equity client on tax aspects of the acquisition of a fabless semiconductor company for $396 million and its acquisition financing.- Represented a cryptocurrency blockchain developer in respect of the tax aspects of its global reorganisation and establishment of a head office in the UK.- Successfully represented two taxpayers in a tax enquiry by the UK tax authority (HMRC) Fraud Investigation Service with the result that HMRC withdrew all allegations of fraudulent, tax evasive or tax avoidance behaviour.- Represented major global financial services provider in a leading UK tax anti-avoidance case before the House of Lords. *- Advised airlines and finance lessors on structured acquisitions of aircraft and engines. ** Experience prior to Katten

Fred Santo

For the past 40 years, Fred Santo has been advising asset managers and other financial services professionals on the federal securities and commodities laws. These professionals have turned to him to navigate the minefield of regulation that governs the structuring and operation of the financial services world, including the private investment fund community. He advises small investment professionals to large institutional clients on how regulations apply to their businesses. His six years of federal government service before joining Katten enables him to work effectively and smoothly with government officials to solve client problems. In all cases, his counsel empowers clients to make the best business decisions for them.Fred represents investment professionals and the private investment vehicles they form, including investment managers, investment funds (both domestic and international), broker-dealers, futures brokers and family offices. They often seek advice on whether they are legally permitted to engage in new ventures or specific transactions. Providing an answer often requires an understanding of multiple areas of the law, which Fred has accumulated over his career. His areas of experience include Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulations, state blue sky laws, as well as tax- and ERISA-related advice. He also has substantial experience in international financial services laws.Fred knows that his clients don't fit a single mold. He understands each of his client's businesses, and uses that understanding to suggest practical strategies that are commercial while minimizing the risk of regulatory violations. Those clients have rewarded him with their loyalty. In an industry where personal connections matter, Fred forges fast and long-standing relationships with clients large and small.More than once, Fred has convinced government bodies to redraw the line between legal and prohibited conduct in his clients' favor. For client with a private investment fund, he secured the first exemption allowing an entity to accept investments from the retirement accounts of its employees, which otherwise would have been prohibited by ERISA. He also convinced all 50 states to allow a broker-dealer to charge a fee that would have been prohibited under the guidelines of the North American Securities Administrators Association, creating a precedent in the futures industry that several other funds have followed.Earlier in his career, Fred served as a senior attorney in the SEC's Division of Corporate Finance. He later joined the CFTC, then a newly formed agency, as an assistant general counsel, where he wrote several foundational regulations that remain in effect today.

Jeffrey Scharff

For 35 years, Jeff Scharff has helped clients resolve their critical real estate and structured financing issues and close their deals. He handles all aspects of acquisitions, including drafting and negotiating purchase agreements, loan documents (both conventional and tax-exempt bond financing), and partnership agreements with large national equity investors. In 20 years, he has closed acquisitions totaling almost $20 billion for one of the largest national multi-family operators. Jeff also represents large New York City-based developers on the financing of major multi-family and mixed-use projects involving bond financing. Jeff also represents owners of senior living facilities on acquisition and financing matters.In addition to the acquisition work on multi-family and senior living facilities, Jeff also works regularly on the acquisition and sale of office buildings. Jeff has also handled restructuring and disposition of distressed assets (mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, asset-backed securities and other asset types), including representing the Resolution Trust Corporation, lenders, underwriters and developers over the course of his career. He has also represented large national banks and pension funds on construction and permanent lending as well as equity investments, as well as significant experience on commercial leasing matters representing both landlords and tenants on a wide range of leases, including headquarters leases, more traditional office leases and data center leases.

Howard Schickler

As co-head of Katten's highly ranked structured finance and securitization practice, Howard Schickler offers clients insights formed from more than 25 years of experience representing private equity funds, special situation funds, specialty finance companies and the full range of players in structured finance transactions. Howie takes care to understand his clients' businesses, having worked with some all the way from the launch of their businesses through their growth cycle, including mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and restructurings and liquidations. Understanding the full life cycle of client enterprises is part of the wide perspective that he maintains in his work.Practices evolve quickly in the highly competitive and heavily regulated world of structured finance and securitization. Howie helps clients stay on top of new regulations and investor requirements, as well as the latest strategies for structuring deals. His familiarity with industry standards allows him to alert clients to deal terms they should be considering and also avoiding. Private equity funds, special situation funds and specialty finance companies frequently turn to him for advice on complex lending and portfolio acquisition transactions, knowing that he avoids unnecessary conflict in difficult negotiations.In the specialty finance arena, Howie has worked with mortgage originators, auto loan originators, equipment lease originators and firms that finance litigation and medical receivables, and fintech companies. At times, these transactions span multiple jurisdictions, which demands compliance with varying regulatory and security interest rules. Howie has also advised clients on strategies to deal with borrowers in distress. In one matter, he assisted a private equity fund that had made a large loan to a specialty finance company in financial trouble. Working with Katten's restructuring and insolvency team, he helped devise a plan that allowed the borrower to restructure under a consensual plan and avoid protracted court proceedings.

Neil Shelton

Neil Shelton regularly represents administrative agents, arrangers, borrowers, investors, issuers and first lien, second lien and mezzanine lenders in connection with secured and unsecured cash flow and asset-based financings, including acquisition, leveraged buyout, recapitalization, restructuring and workout transactions. Neil's practice spans a wide variety of deal sizes and types, from single lender financings of lower-middle-market companies to broadly syndicated and unitranche credit facilities of more than $1 billion for equity sponsor backed transactions. He is known in the market for his extensive experience representing lenders to borrowers in the insurance, financial services and health care industries.Clients turn to Neil for his knowledge of the market and his pragmatic, business-like approach to the practice of law. Neil thinks creatively to find solutions that work for all parties. Whether representing a first lien lender, second lien lender, mezzanine lender or a borrower, he anticipates potential downsides and knows how to protect his client from unforeseen risks. He is comfortable navigating the applicable regulatory landscape and advising clients on all aspects of their transactions. His clients include the most active banks and non-bank financial institutions in the middle-market.Neil is also an active supporter of the Folds of Honor and sits on the board of directors of its Chicago chapter.

Peter Siddiqui

When advising creditors in bankruptcies and reorganizations, Peter Siddiqui knows that his job is to make the best of a bad situation. Banks, hedge funds and private equity investors, as well as borrowers, turn to him to find swift solutions that protect their interests with minimal distress. Because he understands his clients' business realities — whether they're in the automobile, real estate, financial services or hospitality and resort industries — he offers advice that's not just informed, but practical. Dealing with companies in financial distress requires a flexible mindset focused on practical solutions for problems that often involve a host of parties. Peter knows that his goal isn't to "win" every dispute. Instead, he keeps his eye on creating a framework that will produce the best result efficiently. He has worked with companies through all phases of the economic cycle, and understands that every restructuring, bankruptcy and other debt resolution must take into account the context of the financial environment. Peter also assists debtors in Chapter 11 cases, trustees in bankruptcy actions and secured creditors in mortgage foreclosures, sales and orderly wind downs.

Mark Simon

For more than 30 years, Mark Simon has helped lending institutions, real estate funds and developers on a wide range of real estate financings and investments. He combines deep technical knowledge and industry experience with an understanding of the legal and business needs of real estate funds, banks, insurance companies and private developers. Recognized as a leading lawyer for years by industry publications such as Chambers USA, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers, Mark brings market knowledge and judgment based on experience to each of his clients' deals.Ranked as a leading lawyer for real estate law in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Mark has been described by clients as "very knowledgeable" and "good at focusing on big-picture items." He brings to real estate financings an incisive focus on the financial issues and business risks that will matter most to his clients.Mark's well-rounded representation of lenders and borrowers, developers and fund investors allows him to help his clients understand the needs and objectives of opposing parties and bridge the differences. At the same time, although Mark prides himself on a high level of legal craftsmanship, he works with his clients to identify the true risk points and possible financial detriments worth attacking and negotiates effectively when needed to avoid adverse consequences to his clients.In his civic work, Mark represents nonprofit organizations in their efforts to improve Chicago's neighborhoods and is a board member of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Mark serves his home community as chairman of the Evanston Historic Preservation Commission.

Kimberly Smith

The global chair of Katten's Corporate department, Kimberly Smith helps her clients buy, sell and invest in businesses. Widely honored for her work across a range of industries, her true talent lies in structuring complex transactions and eliminating all road blocks to making them happen. Kim has vast experience in the deals she handles: leveraged buyouts and other acquisitions, sale transactions, joint ventures and other investments. It arms her with insight into current market terms as well as knowledge of challenges that commonly arise. At the same time, every deal involves unique considerations. Whether representing a private equity fund, family office, independent sponsor, strategic acquirer or business seller, Kim listens to what really matters to them in each transaction. Then, she strategizes accordingly and gets the deal done. Kim frequently counsels private equity funds and strategic acquirers buying and selling health care services businesses that use practice management models. She has also worked extensively on transactions involving search funds and independent sponsors and is a member of Katten's Board of Directors.

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith's practice focuses on all aspects of soft intellectual property and the protection, exploitation, monetization and enforcement of his clients' rights worldwide. His diverse client base covers a range of industries, including technology, financial services, telecommunications, fashion, entertainment, retail and life sciences.On the noncontentious side, Nathan advises public and private companies on global trademark clearance and provides trademark, copyright and design right counseling. He conducts multinational searches to advise on the availability of proposed brand names and works to secure necessary rights around the world.Nathan also has a wealth of experience advising on the acquisition, sale and licensing of intellectual property and technology assets, including the structuring, drafting and negotiating of international and domestic strategic licenses, joint ventures, franchise agreements, supply and distribution and sponsorship agreements. Additionally, Nathan advises clients on the IP and technology aspects of corporate transactions. He also represents clients in the life sciences industry in complex collaborations and licensing transactions.In his contentious practice, Nathan is a tenacious advocate for his client's global IP rights. He has extensive experience in domestic and international IP and commercial litigation and arbitration, including numerous high-profile cases before the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He also has a long history of success in contentious actions before the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Union Intellectual Property Office and in many domain name disputes before Nominet, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and other domain name bodies.Commercially sophisticated counsel with a personable touchPrior to joining Katten, Nathan worked at another global law firm. His proven track record, combined with his highly responsive and personable approach to client service, has earned him recognition as a leading practitioner in World IP Review's UK Trade Mark Rankings and Managing Intellectual Property's list of IP Stars. He provides innovative solutions to help his clients achieve their objectives through a combination of legal knowledge and commercial insight. With his comprehensive skill set, Nathan is a long-term trusted advisor to his clients.Representative ExperienceRepresentative Contentious Experience- Represented the corporate owner of one of the world's leading fashion brands in a trademark ownership and infringement dispute between its shareholders. *- Represented a well-known British retailer in successful trademark infringement and passing off proceedings in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. *- Represented a leading regulatory software platform in connection with a trademark infringement and passing off dispute. *- Represented an international telecommunications company in its trademark infringement and passing off the case against another major media company, in the first passing-off case to be heard by the UK Supreme Court in 30 years. *- Represented an international business in respect of a dispute with the heirs to the estate of a late-world chef and restauranteur regarding trademark ownership and use. *- Represented one of the world's leading online fashion retailers, in its successful defense, before both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, of trademark infringement cases brought against it by a Swiss cycling company. The dispute lasted five years and involved satellite litigation and trademark oppositions globally, including in France, Hong Kong, the US and Germany. *- Represented a well-known kitchen appliance brand in successfully defending against a rival’s allegations of passing off and trademark infringement relating to a new food mixer. *- Represented a fashion brand in a successful claim against a multinational retail chain in the ground-breaking trial in the Irish Commercial Court concerning design infringement of fashion designs. This was the first time the EU Community Design Regulation has been litigated in Ireland. *- Represented a foreign exchange company in their successful trademark infringement and passing off claim against a competitor. *- Represented a Singapore-based beauty and lifestyle company in defense of a trademark and passing off case brought against it by a leading UK waxing salon. *Representative Noncontentious Experience- Represented a leading technology firm in its acquisition of an AI-powered supply chain intelligence platform. *- Represented a global packaging company in a €2.25 billion transaction involving the sale of its European tinplate manufacturing business to an affiliate of a leading private equity firm. *- Represented a premier brand management company on the sale of a well-known apparel brand. *- Represented a sports company in a strategic merger with an AI sports technology company in an all-share merger valued at approximately US$100 million. *- Represented a prominent telecommunications organization in the sale of its stake in a European fixed telecommunications operator to another major telecommunications company. The transaction valued the target company at approximately €497 million. *- Represented a leading international vodka brand in connection with its distribution arrangements in the UK. *- Represented a global biopharmaceutical company in respect of its exclusive in-license, distribution and supply agreements with another pharmaceutical company for a suite of oncology-related products. *- Represented a digital intelligence company on its cross-border acquisition of a software company that provides a process intelligence platform empowering users to understand, optimize and monitor business processes. *- Represented a software development firm in connection with a definitive agreement for its acquisition by a private equity firm. The transaction had an enterprise value of approximately $2 billion. *- Represented a financial institution on the spin-out and sale of its electronic payments and card services business for US$185 million. ** Experience prior to Katten

Gil Soffer

Gil Soffer, managing partner of Katten's Chicago office, has made his mark on both sides of white-collar actions. As a former federal prosecutor and senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official, he thoroughly understands the government's enforcement strategies and tactics. As an experienced white-collar defense lawyer and national co-chair of the firm's litigation practice, he devotes his practice to keeping clients out of trouble and navigating them safely through government investigations and enforcement actions.Gil believes that the best strategy is prevention. He focuses on identifying risks and addressing them before the government does. He helps clients draw up compliance plans and codes of corporate conduct that are sensible and as business-friendly as possible within the bounds of the law. And where a government investigation has already begun, Gil devises ways to guide his clients — including corporations, their board members, their executives and employees — out of harm's way.His rare mix of experience gives Gil valuable insights into the government's enforcement strategies regarding corporate fraud. When he worked at DOJ, he managed the President's Corporate Fraud Task Force and was a key drafter of DOJ policies governing the charging of corporations and corporate monitorships. In private practice, Gil has served as independent corporate compliance monitor for a major international pharmaceutical company — a role few attorneys have performed — in one of the most substantial FCPA resolutions to date. And in the past three years alone, Gil has served as counsel to three public company boards or their special committees, investigating shareholder allegations of misconduct and reporting his findings to the board.Gil defends executives and other individuals no less than corporations. Among other victories, he has convinced the DOJ to drop its case against the CEO of an international entertainment company, and persuaded the Securities and Exchange Commission to decline charges against top executives of a mortgage banking firm.

Mark Solomon

When private equity firms and business owners need an attorney who can command the respect of a room and cut through roadblocks to achieve their goals, they call on Mark Solomon. Mark, managing partner of Katten's Dallas office, immerses himself in his client's businesses, treats their problems as his own and leads transactions to the finish line. His clients are his partners and his familiarity with his client's goals and operations keeps him one step ahead of the competition.Mark and his team don't need a learning curve, which gives his clients an advantage in the fast-paced world of M&A. Clients rely on him to negotiate effectively to get optimal pricing and terms, and they appreciate his personal touch on matters large and small. He also handles securities and corporate finance work for businesses of all sizes, including public companies.As managing partner of Katten's Dallas office and former national managing partner and CEO of an AmLaw 100 firm, Mark is a business lawyer who understands the needs of his clients. He has been on both sides of the table and understands the unique business environment of North Texas, while representing clients with operations all over the world. His personal relationships with leaders throughout the community give him further insights into relevant business forces in the region and beyond.

Joseph Topolski

For more than 25 years, Joe Topolski has helped banks, captive finance companies, independent specialty finance companies, private equity and hedge funds, and other financial entities obtain financing for their portfolios of consumer and commercial loans and other financial assets. Finance companies in a wide range of industries, including automotive, commercial equipment, marketplace lending and small business lending, rely on Joe's broad knowledge of the market to help them obtain cost effective, efficient and innovative solutions to their financing needs.Joe understands the importance to all parties in getting the deal done, and is well-known for his ability to come up with practical solutions and proactively manage the process to ensure smooth transaction execution. In addition to spending over two decades as outside counsel, Joe also spent a portion of his career as in-house counsel for a leading captive finance company. As a result, he has unique insights into issues facing finance companies beyond the immediate financing transaction, as well as the issues that concern their counterparties in the transaction. These insights, coupled with his years of experience, mean he can spot and avoid roadblocks that could otherwise cause delays.Joe's clients range from large public companies doing $1 to $2 billion financings to smaller private companies doing $50 to $100 million financings, involving a wide range of asset classes, including auto loans and leases, dealer floorplan finance loans, equipment loans and leases, small business loans and merchant cash advances, litigation and medical finance loans, and personal loans. Because he has worked with a wide variety of asset classes, Joe is able to use concepts for different sectors of the structured finance market to develop innovative solutions for his clients.

Edward Tran

Edward advises clients worldwide on corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, joint ventures, fund investments, co-investments and other direct investment transactions, equity and debt financings, and corporate governance matters. He is based in the London office and has practiced law in New York and Silicon Valley. Edward regularly counsels clients on cross-border matters involving the UK, the broader EMEA region, the United States and Asia.International advisor to clients across industriesEdward represents a range of clients including institutional investors, private equity firms, real estate private equity funds, venture capital funds, hedge funds, sponsors, investment managers, family offices, financial institutions and corporations across a wide range of sectors, including real estate, financial services, technology, manufacturing, oil and gas, and logistics.Edward regularly advises investors on fund investments, co-investments and indirect investments in real estate assets. He frequently assists clients on joint venture arrangements, club deals, closed-end funds, separate managed accounts and other investments where real estate is the underlying asset.Edward also counsels charities on cross-border structuring and governance matters.Practice Focus- M&A- Private equity- Joint ventures- Real estate private equity- Corporate governanceRepresentative Experience- Represented pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors on a range of investment transactions.- Represented Areim AB on SAGA Joint Venture which plans to have a gross asset value of €1.5 billion and will focus exclusively on key European markets, including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and the related acquisition of assets.- Represented a US asset manager in connection with the restructuring of certain aspects of its European private equity business and other corporate matters.- Represented a US pension fund in connection with debt and equity investments in US real estate assets and other asset management matters.- Represented joint venture partners in connection with acquisition of the JV interests held by a third partner, the restructuring of the JV and the sale and leaseback of the JV’s real estate assets.- Represented a family office in connection with the sale of a global shipping and harbor terminals business.- Represented a UK-based manager in connection with the structuring of an investment vehicle, formation of a joint venture entity and related acquisition of a £300 million hospitality business.- Represented a UK-based investment firm in connection with the acquisition of various hotel and leisure businesses in the UK, including structuring the arrangements for the consortium funding the transaction.- Representing an Asian private equity fund in connection with its joint venture with a UK partner.- Representing a joint venture vehicle backed by a consortium of Asia-based investors in connection with the purchase of a data centre by the JV and the negotiation of the related joint venture arrangements.- Represented Niya Partners as the lead investor in a $20 million Series A financing of Kapital, a Mexican fintech company providing a platform for small- and medium-sized businesses to support their financial needs in terms of capital solutions, cash flow considerations, investments and credit facilities.- Representing a US fund investor in connection with an investment in a UK-based emerging growth business in the retail sector.- Represented global real estate fund sponsor, asset manager and developer in various real estate investments, disposals, joint ventures, syndications and recapitalisations in Europe. *- Represented investor in the sale and leaseback of hospital properties in the United Kingdom. *- Represented sovereign wealth funds and pension funds in investments in private equity funds, real estate funds, co-investment vehicles and joint ventures. *- Represented a cross-border credit fund in the acquisition of a portfolio comprised of non-performing loans. *- Represented a REIT in its capacity as a financing provider and development partner in the management buy-out of a developer/operator of senior care homes in the United Kingdom. *- Represented a Middle East-based family office in acquisitions, dispositions, investments and corporate structuring matters. *- Represented marine terminal service provider in the acquisition of global ports and terminals business, as well as various other acquisitions and joint ventures. *- Represented a Fortune 500 company in the acquisition of a business based in the Middle East and the buyout of its joint venture partner's stake in a joint venture. *- Represented satellite company on various matters including its debt and equity investments in, and acquisition of, a satellite-based communications system. *- Represented US asset manager in its European private equity funds, including structuring and joint venture matters. *- Represented an international fund in its acquisition of a school assessment business. *- Represented a Middle East-based business group and its shareholders in a strategic transaction involving a private equity fund. ** Experience prior to Katten

Alvino Van Schalkwyk

Alvino van Schalkwyk is a results-oriented lawyer with a broad and sophisticated practice at the intersection of derivatives, structured products and complex financial transactions. He regularly represents major investment banks, private equity funds and corporate clients across UK, European and US markets, advising on the structuring of derivatives products and related transactions involving derivatives and other financial instruments. As a member of our Structured Products and Derivatives team, which is ranked by Chambers and The Legal 500 United Kingdom, Alvino has the know-how to execute high-quality derivatives transactions across a spectrum of product types and asset classes.A trusted derivatives advisorClients turn to Alvino not only for his technical command of derivatives law, but also for the practical and commercial perspective he brings to every engagement. Having been on secondment with two major financial institutions, coupled with the independent relationships he’s developed with legal and business teams at some of the largest financial institutions, Alvino understands how clients think, how their internal teams operate and what they need from outside counsel. His practice is grounded in delivering strategic, commercially driven counsel, allowing him to function as a true extension of his clients' legal and business teams.Alvino is recognized for his work advising on derivatives that are integral to leveraged finance transactions, high‑yield bond issuances, and major project and infrastructure deals. He also advises major financial institutions on the fund-level hedging transactions with major fund sponsors. He has particular experience in fixed income and foreign exchange, fund hedging, and holding company (Holdco) and private equity-level derivatives transactions.In addition, Alvino actively participates in the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) and stays current with its latest documentation and developments.Focus AreasDerivatives and structured productsFixed income, foreign exchange and commoditiesRepurchase transactionsSecurities lendingStandalone ISDA negotiationsPrime broker documentationFund sponsor hedgingRepresentative ExperienceAssisted a major investment bank in providing hedging for a $5 billion multi-credit fund relating to the issuance of $3 billion senior secured notes and $1 billion junior secured notes. *Assisted major financial institutions in providing a fund-level hedging solution to sponsors. *Assisted a major financial institution in the review of hedge counterparty’s terms in Intercreditor Agreements and Facilities Agreements and prepared and negotiated loan-linked ISDA master agreements. *Advised a major investment bank in its capacity as hedge coordinator on two finance packages worth approximately EUR 1 billion relating to the construction and maintenance of 15 stations on the Barcelona Metro. *Advised a major investment bank in connection with a complex deal contingent transaction in relation to a take-private transaction of a consortium of private equity funds’ £1.4 billion recommended cash offer for a major PLC. *Advised a major investment bank in its capacity as mandated hedge provider in relation to the financing aspects of a £4.2 billion acquisition. The deal was one of the largest European private equity buyouts since the coronavirus pandemic. *Advised a major financial institution in respect of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) transactions. *Advised a major financial institution with respect to its LIBOR remediation process as a result of the discountenance of LIBOR. *Assisted various financial institutions and corporate clients in negotiating ISDA Master Agreements and swap transactions. *Advised clients with respect to the application of UK EMIR and associated derivative regulations to their derivative transactions. *Advised a US investment firm in the launch of its ca. $1.2 billion fund with respect to derivatives documentation. *Assisted an Islamic central bank in creating securities lending agreement templates for local bank counterparties. ** Experience prior to Katten

Bruce Vanyo

There is a reason Bruce Vanyo's peers call him the "dean of securities litigation." He has spent more than 40 years handling securities fraud and corporate governance lawsuits for clients such as Amarin Corporation, Amdocs, Inc., Angie's List, Boeing Company, Cree, Inc. and GW Pharmaceuticals — and succeeding on their behalf. Leading the firm's securities litigation and enforcement practice, Bruce represents clients across a number of industries, particularly technology and life sciences.Bruce has "defended more major securities cases than any other lawyer in America," as the National Association of Corporate Directors has said. He represents clients who are in the midst of high-profile, sensitive cases that demand a deft approach and swift resolution. He makes it a priority to stop these lawsuits at the earliest opportunity, and regularly achieves this outcome. Of the more than 60 securities class actions Bruce has resolved over the past two decades, he has obtained complete dismissal at or before the pleading stage in more than three-quarters of them.By resolving cases efficiently, Bruce minimizes distractions for his clients and allows them to focus on running their businesses. His approach also controls the potentially burdensome costs of litigation.A number of Bruce's victories have favorably influenced securities law for defendants. He recently earned the dismissal of an $800 million securities class action, for instance, that clarified and limited a company's disclosure requirements with regard to the FDA's drug approval process. When the technology industry was besieged by class actions, he was tapped to lead its securities litigation reform efforts, creating the pleading and safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Scott Vetri

Scott Vetri serves as the co-head of the New York Real Estate practice. He has spent his career assembling and closing sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. In his national practice, he represents owners, funds and developers in financings, acquisitions, dispositions, leases and joint ventures.Scott is in his element when working on a complex, time-sensitive transaction. Clients rely on his years of experience to drive their important deals from initial negotiations through to a successful closing. Having previously served as chief legal officer of Ark Investment Partners, an international, institutionally capitalized real estate fund and property management company, Scott views each matter from a client's perspective. He also has past lender-side experience.In deals that present unusual challenges, Scott is an asset to his clients. They include operators and managers of multifamily, office, industrial and hotel properties; in one instance, he successfully completed the sale of a hotel while it was still under construction. Whatever the complications on a particular deal, Scott frequently anticipates the challenges ahead and finds creative solutions to them. His goal for every matter is to close the deal efficiently and within his client's time constraints.

Gavin Vollans

Gavin Vollans helps and supports clients with a wide range of real estate investment matters. Working with multi-family offices, pension funds, hotel groups, apart-hotel operators, national property investment companies, high net worth individuals, collective investors and asset/fund managers, Gavin advises on investment acquisitions and sales, development, joint ventures, forward funding, borrower-side finance as well as corporate occupier landlord and tenant matters. Furthermore, Gavin has represented building societies and banks with regards to disposal of distressed assets, as well as represented investors purchasing distressed assets from receivers or administrators.A collaborative, efficient approach to real estate investmentsBy offering excellent deal management, working with the whole team — including third parties — assessing issues early and closing them off quickly, Gavin moves his clients' transactions through to close more quickly and with an approach that clients trust. Gavin's recent work has included a number of pension fund forward fundings and investment acquisitions (some of which are from receivers or administrators), central London office acquisitions, hotel financings and portfolio acquisitions.Practice Focus- Real estate investment- Real estate development- Asset management- Finance- Landlord and tenant- Hotel and leisure industries

Charles Wakiwaka

Leveraging strong technical skills and sharp business insight, Charles Wakiwaka guides clients across the London and broader European markets through sophisticated derivatives and complex financing structures, including bespoke collateral and insurance arrangements.A sophisticated approach to derivatives and structured financeWith deep experience across the derivatives and structured finance landscape, Charles advises buy-side and sell-side market participants on cash and synthetic transactions spanning numerous asset classes, including fixed income, equities, credit and commodities. His work includes finance-linked hedging, deal‑contingent instruments, fund syndication and structured notes, and his practice also extends across repackaging transactions, credit-linked deposits, bespoke fund investments and related collateral or insurance arrangements.Charles's perspective is further enriched by his prior secondment with Goldman Sachs, where he provided senior‑level support to multiple trading desks, an experience that continues to add meaningful value to client relationships. His client base includes investment banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, issuers and investors in funds and other structured products, all of whom rely on his ability to navigate intricate matters ranging from securitization structures and structured note programs to margin loans, equity derivatives, collateral arrangements and regulatory compliance initiatives.Practice Focus- Derivatives and structured finance, including finance-linked hedging and deal-contingent transactions- Cash and synthetic transactions across major asset classes, including fixed income, equities, credit and commodities- Complex structured products, including structured notes, credit-linked deposits, repackaging transactions and bespoke fund investments- Equity derivatives, margin loans and collateralised financing structures- Securitisation structures, structured note programmes and fund syndication arrangements- Collateral, insurance and reinsurance arrangements for structured finance and intermediation transactionsRepresentative Experience- Represented a consortium of investment banks in structuring a deal contingent hedging in relation to $12 billion debt financing for the 49% acquisition of a national oil and energy corporation's pipelines. *- Represented several leading investment banks in structuring deal contingent hedging in both M&A and project finance, and related syndication to hedge funds and inter-dealer trades. *- Represented originators and hedge providers on various securitization structures including RMBS, CMBS, master trust and whole business securitizations. *- Represented issuers on the establishment and update of structured note programmes and advised both issuers and investors in relation to numerous issuances and listings of structured notes, including equity-linked notes, credit-linked notes and bespoke rates issuances. *- Represented the arranger on the structuring and repackaging of a partial guarantee of Ecuador's social bond, the first-ever sovereign social bond, which provides affordable housing for medium to low-income families. *- Represented a consortium of investment banks on a margin loan structured as funded equity derivatives over a basket of listed shares in Spain. *- Represented a major investment bank on funded collar transactions over listed shares in South Africa. *- Represented a major insurance company on collateral arrangements for intermediation and pass-through structures in relation to a large longevity insurance project. *- Represented a major investment bank on structured repo transactions referencing Japanese government bonds, and GMSLA netting opinion for Korean and Taiwan product annexes. *- Represented a major insurance broker on structured fund investments by reinsurers and related collateral and retrocession arrangements. *- Represented a global trade finance technology firm on the establishment of a funding programme for the origination and distribution of trade receivables. *- Advising on various equity and index-linked products, including a synthetic ETF fully funded swap arrangement, sub-participation and security arrangements, and CPPI trades referencing a proprietary index as the premium asset. *- Advising on various credit-linked deposit arrangements, including self-referencing reciprocal or cross-deposit extinguisher arrangements. *- Advising on various commodities-linked arrangements, including asset-backed metals programmes for both issuer and FX/repo counterparties, and off-taker oil price hedging. *- Advising major financial institutions on various regulatory projects and industry-wide initiatives, including EMIR compliance, Brexit and IBOR transition. ** Experience prior to Katten

Walter Weinberg

For more than 30 years, Walter Weinberg has been advising private equity funds and other corporate clients as well as private equity professionals and executives. He represents sponsors in forming private equity and other funds as well as institutional investors and high-net-worth families who invest in this asset class. His years of experience and sound judgment in guiding clients through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, financings and other transactions allow him to offer practical solutions to common as well as novel or complex issues that invariably arise in transactions.Walter's practice covers the major activities of private funds, starting with their formation. He counsels sponsors of private equity, venture capital and real estate funds in the formation process, and advises all types of investors on investments in all types of funds. Walter represents funds as they invest in and exit portfolio companies. He also represents private equity professionals as they join and leave sponsors, and counsels management groups in their compensation and equity arrangements. He also spends significant time advising companies — many controlled or sponsored by private investment funds — in equity financings, M&A and other transactions. He has represented companies from start-ups to large-cap public companies in M&A across a variety of industries, and is quick to identify and understand the sensitive points and key issues in a given transaction.Walter offers clients timely, clear and practical advice. He aims to execute the legal part of deals in such a way that achieves clients' aims and, to the extent possible, lead to no post-closing surprises.

Joel Weiner

Some of the most prominent companies in the entertainment business turn to Joel Weiner to handle disputes across a broad range of subject matter. With nearly 30 years of litigation experience and vast industry knowledge, he has been trusted by companies like NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Endemol Shine Group, Telemundo and Excel Sports Management with high-profile lawsuits involving series, films and other valuable entertainment properties. The entertainment industry is a magnet for creative disputes. Joel represents motion picture studios, television networks, production companies and talent on the full spectrum of litigation issues. He frequently handles cases involving copyright, contract, accounting, and business tort claims, as well as personal claims against high-profile entertainers, directors and professional athletes. Some of his recent matters have involved popular reality series such as "The Biggest Loser," "Keeping Up With the Kardiashians," and "Ghost Hunters," as well as scripted series like "Heroes," celebrity talk shows like "The Wendy Williams Show," and films like "Ted" and "Machete." Whether he's defending a studio accused of idea theft, interpreting an entertainment industry contract or asserting a producer's First Amendment rights, Joel adjusts his strategies to the particular business needs of his client. In some instances, those business needs call for avoiding the cost, risk and public attention that comes with taking a case to trial. He has won numerous anti-SLAPP motions with fee awards, motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, and has mediated or arbitrated many disputes confidentially. In other matters, Joel stands ready to take cases all through trial and beyond, drawing on his substantial appellate experience. Outside the entertainment industry, Joel represents clients in business litigation involving contract disputes, interference with contract, insurance issues, environmental claims, employment disputes and real estate investment fraud claims, among other areas.

Benzion Westreich

Benzion Westreich has helped bring to life some of the most complex real estate developments of recent years, including the construction of two multi-billion-dollar sports arena mixed-use complexes. In a business where events rarely unfold as planned, he anticipates potential problems and makes appropriate adjustments so that clients don't meet with unwelcome surprises. He counsels clients on all sides of transactions, including lenders and borrowers, developers and equity partners, buyers and sellers and landlords and tenants.Benny takes on a role for clients that goes well beyond just executing transactions and performing legal review. He keeps his eye open for opportunities, sensing the ones that will fit his clients' business goals. When high-profile problems arise, he advises clients on crisis management strategies. He views his role as a counselor in addition to being a lawyer. One of Benny's clients, in Chambers USA, described him as "…what I consider a business lawyer should be; he understands that it is key to find a compromise and not just be right." Private equity firms, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and individuals are among the investors that regularly turn to Benny for transactions involving all types of commercial and residential properties.In a complex real estate project, such as the financing and construction of mixed-use facilities, Benny knows how to coordinate interlocking deal pieces involving multiple properties and uses, keeping an eye out for the long-term prospects, including ownership restructurings and bifurcations, refinancing and exit strategies. His work has also included public-private financings, which require careful attention to public relations as well as legal issues.

Joseph Willey

Tracking the multitude of laws that govern the health care field can overwhelm any hospital system or other provider. As a former attorney with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Joseph Willey helps health care providers identify issues of concern and find workable solutions. When problems arise, he's skilled at litigating a range of claims, including reimbursement disputes. In recent years, he has recouped more than $320 million in additional Medicare reimbursement for hospitals.Reimbursements are the life blood of most hospital systems and health care providers. Joe's thorough understanding of the intricacies of the Medicare and Medicaid systems allows him to take aggressive yet grounded positions in disputes. He has convinced courts to dismiss enormous government claims against his clients and has settled other matters for a small fraction of the amount the government sought. His clients rely on him for guidance related to fraud and abuse matters, saying, "Joseph Willey is commended for his 'truly encyclopedic knowledge of Medicaid and Medicare law'" (Chambers USA). Joe's decades of experience allows him to provide clients with clear roadmaps through the complex regulatory landscape. He advises on federal anti-kickback and physician self-referral laws and represents providers in investigations and litigation under the False Claims Act. He also represents providers in federal and state government audits and before administrative tribunals, including the Provider Reimbursement Review Board. Clients also turn to him to help devise business strategies for their health care operations.

Peter Wilson

The financial services industry is under constant scrutiny from regulators. Peter Wilson’s familiarity with the business of financial services firms, as well as the regulatory landscape, allows him to quickly assess clients’ potential legal exposure and identify the best solutions. He represents financial firms in regulatory inquiries, criminal investigations and high-stakes litigation, advising them on how to effectively interact with the government and to bring an efficient end to proceedings.As a former attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Peter understands how regulators think and set priorities. He's guided clients through probes by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and options and futures exchanges. With his ability to speak the language of the financial world and his fluency with its most esoteric products, he doesn’t need time to understand the issues his clients are facing.Peter has represented clients accused of manipulating markets, defrauding investors and engaging in anticompetitive behavior. A significant part of his practice involves representing corporate boards and corporate monitors charged with investigating whether companies have installed sufficient controls to prevent misconduct.His government experience, including his work enforcing the Dodd-Frank Act, positions him to craft arguments that resonate with regulators. In numerous situations, he has persuaded regulators to refrain from taking any action against his client, whether based on inadequate training given to an executive, unfairness concerns with applying an obscure regulation or other compelling reasons. Whatever the issue, Peter seeks to bring about speedy resolutions that allow businesses to keep operating as profitably as possible.

Jennifer Wolfe

Clients turn to Jennifer Wolfe for her knowledge of the market and pragmatic, business-like approach to the practice of law. She represents administrative agents, arrangers, first and second lien lenders and mezzanine lenders in an array of secured and unsecured cash flow and asset-based financings. Jennifer helps her clients, which include banks and non-bank financial institutions in the middle‑market, navigate the regulatory landscape and find creative solutions that work for all parties. Recognized by industry publications such as Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers in Business, The Legal 500 US and The Best Lawyers in America, Jennifer advises on acquisition, leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions, and her practice spans a wide variety of deal sizes and types, from single-lender financings of lower-middle-market companies to broadly syndicated and unitranche credit facilities of more than $1 billion for equity sponsor-backed transactions. Jennifer also advises clients on restructurings and troubled-credit workouts. Jennifer is known in the market for her experience representing lenders to borrowers in a variety of industries, including the health care industry. Jennifer is a member of the firm's board of directors.

Brigitte Wood

Brigitte Wood (née Weaver) focuses on employment and partnership matters predominately in the financial services sector. Brigitte's contentious experience covers commercial disputes, Employment Tribunal claims and High Court litigation with extensive experience in restrictive covenant disputes. Her noncontentious experience comprises international employment and partnership structuring and governance advice, data protection, employee relations advisory matters, including statutory employment rights, incentivization and benefits, complex Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory conduct issues as well as corporate support on private equity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions.Employment counsel that complements a company's culture and brandBrigitte handles the full range of partnership and employment law issues from day-to-day human resources (HR) queries to tribunal and high court litigation, corporate transactions (both M&A and private equity), incentivization, limited liability partnership (LLP) agreements and data privacy. While predominantly working with financial services clients (investment banking, trading and funds) who operate in the UK and internationally, her clients come from a wide range of industries, including property, hospitality and leisure.Brigitte encourages clients to consider what motivates someone to pursue a claim and how it impacts the wider workforce. Other considerations are the effect on a company's reputation as an employer in their market as well as overall employee productivity and incentivization.Practice Focus- Employment law and litigation- Privacy, data and cybersecurity

Joshua Yablonski

Joshua Yablonski offers large banks and other clients extensive experience in transactions involving commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). He coordinates all facets of the loan-to-securitization process, building relationships of trust with his clients as well as a detailed knowledge of their documents and procedures. Josh is also a valued resource on transactions involving a variety of asset types, frequently designing innovative deals that are new to his clients or the market at large.Josh guides a variety of clients through structured finance transactions, with the experience to close deals efficiently and effectively. He assists loan sellers, issuers and underwriters with public and private offerings of CMBS. Additionally, he advises purchasers and servicers of asset-backed securities, warehouse facilities and commercial paper. Lenders also turn to him to help with loan originations and sales.Comfortable working with various asset types and deal structures, Josh often helps clients identify innovative deal structures to meet their goals. He handled the first Regulation AB II offering of a CMBS for the issuer on the transaction. Clients also trust Josh to steer them through transaction types that they do not handle regularly. Recently, for instance, he helped a client close its first "re-REMIC" in a decade, and conducted due diligence on a type of CLO deal that another client hadn't seen in just as long.

Sheldon Zenner

Drawing on nearly 40 years of combined experience as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, Sheldon Zenner expertly navigates his clients through high-stakes matters, including government and internal investigations, regulatory proceedings, all phases of criminal matters and related civil litigation. Sheldon's diverse client base is made up of corporations, high-ranking executives and company owners across a wide range of industries, including financial services, health care and entertainment. Importantly, his representation of clients goes beyond advising on purely legal issues; it encompasses practical business implications, operational issues, public scrutiny, reputational damage and other considerations relevant to corporate and individual clients with businesses or livelihoods on the line.The foundation of Sheldon's white-collar defense practice is the seven years he served as an assistant US attorney in Chicago, prosecuting hundreds of high-profile criminal matters and supervising the work of junior line prosecutors. Having a prosecutorial background gives Sheldon critical insights into, and the ability to anticipate, the government's strategic decision-making. It also informs Sheldon's approach as a defense lawyer. Although never anything short of zealous, he favors a search for common ground and reasonableness, whenever possible, over unproductive displays of aggression.That defense style has proven effective even when the government has opted for dramatic action. In one matter of note, 100 federal agents were deployed to execute a massive search of a client company's headquarter offices, seizing millions of dollars of products and attempting to interview executives. Sheldon immediately showed up on the scene to help control the situation, calm the employees and negotiate with the government and to address the press, which had been alerted by law enforcement to the raid. He then engaged with federal prosecutors in a year-long effort to persuade them that the company had engaged in no criminal conduct. Ultimately, after numerous meetings with the prosecutors and the submission of a lengthy legal analysis, the government was persuaded to decline any prosecution and return all of the seized products without any charges being filed.Although it is a paramount goal of any potential criminal matter to avoid prosecution, Sheldon is equally prepared to, and equally skilled at, trying cases. Among other victories, he convinced the government to abandon the first federal criminal computer-hacking prosecution after his damaging cross-examination of the government's expert at trial.Many of Sheldon’s matters involve alleged violations of antitrust, securities, tax, FCPA or anti-fraud laws. Given the international nature of his clients' businesses, his work takes him to many foreign jurisdictions, including China, Japan, Brazil and South Africa, as well as many European countries. In addition to advising on government inquiries, Sheldon also helps clients conduct internal investigations into suspected wrongdoing and respond when they have been victimized by white-collar crime.The breadth and depth of Sheldon's experience provides his clients with great assurance and comfort that they have counsel on board who can assist them to meet whatever challenges they may be facing.