Derek Zaba > Sidley Austin LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile
Sidley Austin LLP Offices
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NEW YORK, NY 10019
NEW YORK
United States
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Derek Zaba
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Work Department
Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense
Position
Partner
Career
Derek co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense practice. He spends 100% of his time on shareholder activism, contested and complex M&A, and corporate governance matters. With more than two decades of experience, Derek has been involved in hundreds of activist campaigns and contested M&A situations. Prior to Sidley, Derek was the head of the activism and corporate defense practice at a leading shareholder engagement and corporate governance advisory firm. He also served as a partner and investment professional at activist and event-driven hedge funds. Derek is a highly sought after speaker on the topics of investor activism, contested M&A and ESIG/corporate governance at panels and universities and teaches a class on shareholder activism, contested M&A and corporate governance at Stanford University Law School.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
(Next Generation Partners: Advice to boards)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.
Lawyer Rankings
- Next Generation Partners: Advice to boards United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Shareholder activism United States > M&A/corporate and commercial
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism