Katten

The firm: Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Established in 2005, Katten’s London team has grown since its inception with plans for continuing strategic growth. The team has broad-based capabilities covering: litigation, insolvency and restructuring real estate, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, asset management, fund formation, joint ventures, financial services regulatory, derivatives, intellectual property, commercial, data privacy, employment, tax, and finance. Our London-based lawyers, a number of whom are US qualified, are able to offer integrated legal advice for clients operating in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States and Asia. All of our London lawyers practise English law, with our lawyers coming from Magic Circle, Silver Circle or US/transatlantic firms.

Types of work undertaken
Asset management: In working with clients across the UK, Europe and elsewhere, Katten is known for being particularly skilled in structuring bespoke collective investment structures utilizing vehicles in a variety of jurisdictions to satisfy the specific requirements of investment managers and investors alike, whether in fund, joint venture or other arrangements.

Banking: Katten represents global banks, alternative/direct lenders, investors and sponsors across different levels of the debt capital stack, particularly on senior/mezzanine loan structures, which involve complex intercreditor arrangements. Lawyers advise on cross-border commercial finance transactions, often involving structured (leveraged) or general corporate lending, as well as traditional secured asset classes.

Corporate: Katten handles a broad range of corporate transactions, including the estab­lishment of companies and businesses in the UK and overseas; public and private mergers, acquisitions and disposals; cross-border joint ventures, strategic investments, partnerships and shareholder arrangements; restructuring, re-financings and reconstructions; private equity and venture capital; takeovers; buyouts and exit strategies.

Disputes: Katten is able to offer assistance to clients at all stages of a dispute: from drafting dispute resolution clauses or sophisticated arbitration agreements, through to arbitration or arbitration-related litigation, such as enforcement actions or conflict of laws litigation.

Employment litigation and counseling: Katten acts for employers or senior individuals across a range of industries, with a particular focus on the financial services, professional services, technology, media and hospitality/retail sectors. Katten lawyers handle beyond traditional employment law and human resource compliance issues that may arise to encompass broader areas, including data privacy and pensions, as well as traditional areas such as holiday pay, performance management, and advising on family-friendly rights.

Financial markets and funds: Katten addresses the financial markets as a whole — from infrastructure to market participants to the entire trading cycle — offering an unmatched holistic view. Clients span the entire trading continuum, from end users such as proprietary traders, commodity firms, crypto assets investors, alternative asset managers and hedge funds to brokers, investment banks and swaps dealers, as well as trading venues, clearing houses and settlement banks. Lawyers advise clients regarding derivatives and capital markets as well as the cross-border effects of US regulations and how this compares and interacts with European and UK regulatory and compliance requirements.

Hospitality: From representing large international conglomerates to small boutique hotels, to investors and lenders in US, European and other international markets, Katten lawyers understand the unique legal needs and challenges within the hospitality sector. Their deep experience enables them to provide legal services in the industry’s main areas of transactions, crisis management and operations.

Insolvency and restructuring: Katten guides office holders, creditors, debtors, banks and distressed companies through transactional corporate and personal insolvency matters, and handles disputes and procedures with cross-border aspects, including administrations, liquidations and bankruptcy, as well as overseas asset tracing and recovery.

Privacy, data and cybersecurity: Katten lawyers understand the potential areas of risk associated with the collection, use and disclosure of customer and employee information, and they work with clients to effectively resolve or prevent potential problems. The practice encompasses the development of privacy protection policies, privacy and security law counselling and compliance, and the application of privacy laws to data use and information sharing.

Real estate: Whether it involves major development projects, buying and selling assets, channelling capital into London from around the globe, managing complex occupier arrangements, or putting together intricate finance packages, Katten supports clients across the entire real estate asset class and life cycle. With a 360-view of the market, lawyers are especially adept at deals that are complex, require speedy execution and closing, or involve coordinating multiple stakeholders with competing interests.

Transactional tax planning: Katten advises major banks, financial institutions, private equity houses, fund managers and large corporations on the direct tax implications and indirect tax consequences of major transactions.