Draft:Kai H.E. Liekefett

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

Early life and education
Liekefett grew up in Germany. He passed his German first legal state exam (J.D. equivalent) in 2000. 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.

Career
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.

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. Liekefett left Vinson & Elkins LLP in 2018 and joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner to lead the firm’s shareholder activism practice. Under his leadership, 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 was also recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” in 2021 and 2022.

Publications and works
Liekefett has been frequently mentioned by media outlets including Bloomberg, Business Insider , Time Magazine , CNBC, The Financial Times , The Economist and The New York Times.

In 2005, Liekefett published a book, Due Diligence bei M&A Transaktionen .