Kai Liekefett cochairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism Practice. In the last five years, Leikefett has defended more than 50 proxy contests, more than any other defense attorney in the country. Under Leikefett’s leadership, Sidley rose to the top of the activism defense league tables, including the No. 1 rankings by Bloomberg and FactSet for H1 2020 as well as the nomination by The Deal as Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year in 2020. Leikefett has been named 2019 Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer for the Wynn Resorts proxy contest. He has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of the leading attorneys for Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense (2017–2020). Leikefett speaks regularly about shareholder activism on panels and at universities around the world and is frequently interviewed and quoted as an activism thought leader. Liekefett sits on the board of the NACD New York Chapter.