Derek Zaba

Derek Zaba is an American attorney and advisor known for his expertise in shareholder activism and takeover defence. He is a partner and co-chair of the shareholder activism and corporate defense practice at Sidley Austin LLP.

Early life and education
Derek Zaba was raised in Downers Grove, IL. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in applied math from Washington University in St. Louis Later in 1998, he received his MBA degree from the Olin School of Business. In 2004, Zaba graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School with a J.D. degree.

Career
Zaba started his career as a business analyst at Capital One Financial Corporation in 1998. He worked as a legal intern for Linklaters LLP and Cravath and Swaine & Moore LLP, before joining Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as an associate in 2004. In 2006, Zaba joined Scoggin Capital as a senior associate and analyst making event-driven investments in the global equity markets. He joined Voce Capital Management, an investment firm, in 2012, where he made activist investments in U.S. equities and became a Partner. In 2015, he joined PJT CamberView Partners, a shareholder engagement advisory firm, and served in various capacities, including as the head of the shareholder activism and takeover defence team. After CamberView Partners was acquired by PJT Partners, he joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner and co-chair of shareholder activism and corporate defence practice.

His area of expertise includes corporate takeover defence and shareholder activism practice. In 2021, Derek was recognized by Chambers USA as the leading lawyer in mergers and acquisitions takeover defence. During Zaba’s tenure, Sidley Austin LLP rose to the top of the activism and corporate defense league tables of Bloomberg, FactSet and Refinitiv. The firm was also ranked in Band 1 for “Takeover Defense” by Chambers USA and in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500. Sidley Austin LLP has been recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” multiple times.