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 core team of experienced Latin America specialists in Houston, primarily with a focus on oil and gas, LNG, power, renewables and energy transition, benefitting further from the firm’s efforts to grow its presence in LNG and renewables in New York and Washington DC. The team is particularly known for project development and M&A, most notably in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Mexico. The firm’s reach in Latin America extends beyond the broader energy sphere, into segments such as aviation and digital infrastructure transactions. It is also noted for its increasing presence in private equity deals, including high-value investments in a variety of jurisdictions. Experienced partner Brian Bradshaw is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and has an extensive background in project development and finance, along with M&A in the oil-and-gas, LNG and power sectors; more recently he has worked on a series of energy transition projects, including hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG). Timothy Chandler also has a major focus on Latin America, particularly oil and gas, power, infrastructure and minerals projects, along with asset acquisitions and disposals. Licensed to practice in Mexico and Texas, counsel Eduardo Marquez Certucha has a history of working on conventional and renewable energy, mining, and transportation transactions.

Latin America: International firms > Projects and energy

Sidley Austin LLP's global presence in the energy sector, along with its strong focus on Latin America, has brought it a wealth of headline engagements. The senior Latin America-focused team has a background in project development, project finance and M&A, including in the renewables, conventional power, LNG terminals, oil and gas, drilling rigs and other energy and infrastructure market segments; the firm has recently expanded its renewables and LNG teams in New York and Washington DC. The practice is particularly active in Brazil projects and transactions, and has also worked on a number of headline renewable power projects in Chile, Argentina and elsewhere. Brian Bradshaw is hugely experienced in project development, project finance and M&A in the oil and gas, LNG, and power and renewables sectors, including in Latin America; he is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Timothy Chandler has a background in Brazil energy transactions and is a fluent Portuguese speaker. Counsel Eduardo Marquez Certucha is a native Spanish speaker, is licensed to practice in Texas and Mexico, and has a focus on M&A and joint-ventures in the conventional and renewable energy, mining, and transportation sectors. All named individuals are based in Houston.