Draft:Kai H.E. Liekefett

Kai H.E. Liekefett
Born
Kai Haakon E. Liekefett
EducationL.L.M.
Alma materColumbia Law School
OccupationAttorney
Known forShareholder Activism Defense

Kai H. E. Liekefett is a German-American attorney known for his expertise in Shareholder activism and Corporate defence.[1][2] He is a partner and co-chair of the shareholder activism and corporate defense practice of Sidley Austin LLP.[3][4][5]

Early life and education

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Liekefett grew up in Germany. He passed his German first legal state exam (J.D. equivalent) in 2000.[6] In 2003, he received an Executive MBA degree in Mergers and Acquisitions from University of Münster. In 2004, he received Ph.D. in law from Freiburg University. He took his German second legal state exam in 2004 at the Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf, Germany. Liekefett earned an LL.M. from Columbia Law School in 2006.[7][8]

Career

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Liekefett started his legal career as a legal trainee at Linklaters LLP in Germany in 2000. His time with Linklaters included stints to the firm’s offices in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo in 2003 and 2004. After graduating from Columbia Law School, Liekefett joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York as an associate in 2006 and worked there for more than 4 years until 2011.[9]

In 2011, Liekefett joined Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston and later in New York, where he became a partner and founded the firm’s shareholder activism practice.[10][11][12][13] Liekefett left Vinson & Elkins LLP in 2018 and joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner to lead the firm’s shareholder activism practice.[14][15] Under his leadership, Sidley Austin LLP rose to the top of the activism and corporate defense league tables of Bloomberg[16], FactSet, and Refinitiv.[17] The firm was also ranked in Band 1 for “Takeover Defense” by Chambers USA[18] and in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500.[19] Sidley Austin LLP was also recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” in 2021 and 2022.[20]

Publications and works

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Due Diligence bei M&A Transaktionen
AuthorLiekefett, Kai Haakon
LanguageGerman
PublisherDuncker & Humblot
Publication date
2005
ISBN978-3-428-11702-4

Liekefett has been frequently mentioned by media outlets including Bloomberg[21][22], Business Insider[23], Time Magazine[24], CNBC, The Financial Times[25], The Economist[26] and The New York Times.[27][28]

In 2005, Liekefett published a book, Due Diligence bei M&A Transaktionen[29].[30]

References

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  1. ^ "Sidley's Liekefett on Activist Surge". Bloomberg. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  2. ^ "Bloomberg Markets: The Close" (02/16/2023), 2023-02-17, retrieved 2023-12-01
  3. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (2021-10-18). "How Accurate Is 'Succession?' We Asked Corporate Lawyers". Time. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  4. ^ Pancak, Annie (2018-02-18). "Sidley Austin Lures Proxy Pro From Vinson & Elkins - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  5. ^ Picker, Leslie (2018-10-02). "Hedge funds in the business of breaking up deals see big payoff, study finds". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  6. ^ Sundar, Sindhu. "Corporate America is bracing for a rise in activist investing. Meet the 13 lawyers on speed-dial when companies and investors fight for boardroom control". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  7. ^ LLPPartner, Dr Kai Haakon LiekefettSidley Austin; Activism, Co-Chair of Shareholder; York, Corporate Defense PracticeNew. "Dr Kai Haakon Liekefett - Partner, Co-Chair of Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice - Sidley Austin LLP". XING. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  8. ^ Grieshaber, Kirsten (2006-02-16). "Junge Top-Juristen: Jagdszenen am Times Square". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  9. ^ "Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP". Cravath - Magnesita's Acquisition of LWB Refractories. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  10. ^ Orol, Ronald (2017-11-18). "Why Activist Hedge Funds Would Get Hit The Worst By Latest Tax Plan". TheStreet. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  11. ^ "Kai Haakon Liekefett". Clear Law Institute - CE. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  12. ^ Bloomberg Markets: The Close (4/14/2022), 2022-04-14, retrieved 2023-12-01
  13. ^ Elbaum, Lawrence (2016-12-22). "Think Twice Before Settling With An Activist". The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  14. ^ Barnes, Harrison (2018-02-09). "Sidley Austin Adds to New York Group". BCGSearch.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  15. ^ "Sidley Raids Vinson & Elkins for Shareholder Activism Head". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  16. ^ "Sidley Leads Big Law Pack in Fighting Activist Investor Bids". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  17. ^ Herbst-Bayliss, Svea (2023-09-07). "Bank of America most favored for activism defense in first half of 2023, LSEG data show". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  18. ^ "Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense, New York, USA | Chambers Rankings". chambers.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  19. ^ "Shareholder activism in United States | Law firm and lawyer rankings from The Legal 500 United States guide". www.legal500.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  20. ^ "The Deal Awards 2021". The Deal. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  21. ^ "Activists Eyeing Special Meetings, Written Consent in 2016". news.bloomberglaw.com. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  22. ^ Why More Companies Are Fighting Back Against Activist Investors, 30 September 2019, retrieved 2023-12-28
  23. ^ Sundar, Sindhu. "Corporate America is bracing for a rise in activist investing. Meet the 13 lawyers on speed-dial when companies and investors fight for boardroom control". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  24. ^ Chow, Andrew (2021-10-18). "Corporate Lawyers Discuss The Accuracy of Succession and The Roy Family's Brewing Legal Battle". Time. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  25. ^ "Fund managers turn activist in bid to prove their worth". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  26. ^ "Why activist investors are going to have a busy year". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  27. ^ Tsang, Amie (2016-04-01). "Morning Agenda: The Bidding War for Starwood Ends". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  28. ^ Chronicle, Houston (2015-01-31). "People in Business". Chron. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  29. ^ "Hedge funds dig deep in energy company bets". CNBC. 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  30. ^ "Due Diligence bei M&A-Transaktionen | Duncker & Humblot". www.duncker-humblot.de. Retrieved 2023-12-01.