Sidley Austin LLP > Houston, United States > Firm Profile

Sidley Austin LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism Tier 1

Clients appreciate the ‘extremely nuanced‘ advice from the team at Sidley Austin LLP, which handles the gamut of shareholder activism matters for board members. One client dubs leadership duo Kai Liekefett and Derek Zaba ‘two of the best lawyers in America‘, lauded for ‘their ability to see around all dangerous corners and guide corporate strategy to the most successful outcome‘. Liekefett is based in New York and focuses exclusively on shareholder activism and takeover defense. In two decades of practice, he has worked in the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, and Japan, and is one of the most prolific advisors on proxy contests, including a high percentage of the market’s late-stage contests. Zaba, who is based at the Palo Alto office, also fully dedicates his practice to shareholder activism and has quickly established himself as one of the go-to lawyers in the field. Beth Berg (Chicago) is a senior figure with broad corporate law expertise, younger partners Leonard Wood (Houston) and Jessica Wood (New York) are also active in the shareholder activism space, and the New York office was further bolstered in January 2024 by the promotion to partner of Reuben Zaramian, who focuses on shareholder activism and corporate governance.

Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)

Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco) Tier 3

Environment > Environment: transactional Tier 3

Finance > Structured finance: securitization Tier 3

Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) Tier 3

The privacy and cybersecurity team at Sidley Austin LLP leverages its data breach incident response experience to offer proactive breach counseling, compliance advice and support in government investigations. The Washington DC-based team is co-headed by David Lashway and Alan Charles Raul; Lashway is noted for his cybersecurity expertise, including crisis management, misinformation and trade secret theft, while Raul advises a range of tech, telecom, software and financial clients experiencing major cyber and privacy incidents, bolstered by his experience in government work. Colleen Theresa Brown is a go-to for litigation and regulatory defense, alongside assessing the privacy and cyber risk in data-heavy acquisitions. John Woods is recommended for cyber resilience advice and data governance matters. Sean Royall departed the team in August 2023.

Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings

Latin America: International firms > City Focus - Houston Tier 1

Sidley Austin LLP has a history in Latin America’s oil and gas, and offshore sectors. It has a growing presence in renewables, along with additional growth in mining and LNG. It has had a pivotal role in the development of Brazil’s offshore oil and gas sector. Brian Bradshaw is a fluent Spanish and Portuguese speaker and has extensive experience in oil and gas, LNG and power - especially in Brazil. Chile is another key market for the firm. Timothy Chandler is another fluent Portuguese speaker and is noted for oil and gas, power, mining and infrastructure transactions in Brazil.

Latin America: International firms > Projects and energy

Sidley Austin LLP’s Houston office is well connected to the Latin America region, particularly in the oil and gas, offshore and renewables segments. It also has strong LNG and renewables expertise in its New York and Washington DC offices. The firm remains especially active in the development of Brazil’s offshore oil and gas sector, along with mining projects in the jurisdiction and solar projects in Chile. A fluent Spanish and Portuguese speaker, Brian Bradshaw is a seasoned practitioner in the oil and gas, LNG and power sectors across the region. Timothy Chandler is a fluent Portuguese speaker and specialises in Brazil-related oil and gas, power, mining and infrastructure transactions.