Kai co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice. He has approximately 25 years of experience in corporate law and spends 100% of his time on shareholder activism campaigns, proxy fights and hostile takeovers. In the past five years, Kai has defended approximately 150 proxy contests globally and more than 25% of all U.S. late-stage proxy fights, more than any other defense attorney in the world.

Under Kai’s leadership, Sidley rose to the No. 1 in all activism and corporate defense league tables since 2020, including No. 1 rankings by Bloomberg, FactSet, Diligent, and LSEG. Chambers USA ranks Sidley in Band 1 in New York for Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense. Sidley is also ranked in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500.

The American Lawyer named Kai “Dealmaker of the Year” for his proxy contest work in 2019. Chambers USA has recognized Kai as leading lawyer in Band 1 for “Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense” in New York, noting that “Kai is a pioneer in the field of shareholder activism defense.” Kai has also been named one of the leading lawyers for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500, calling him and his partner Derek Zaba “two of the best lawyers in America.” He was elected for the NACD Directorship 100 as a “Governance Professional” each year since 2022. Kai was also named in the Lawdragon 500 “Leading Dealmakers in America” each year since 2021. Kai was elected to the American College of Governance Counsel, the honorary association of lawyers widely recognized for their achievements in governance, in 2020.

Kai serves on the board of the New York Chapter of the NACD and served on the Law360 Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Board for several years. He speaks regularly on panels and at universities around the world (including Harvard and Frankfurt). He is frequently interviewed and quoted as a thought leader by the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Economist, TIME, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, CNN, USA Today, Forbes, Law360, and The Deal.

Kai holds a Ph.D., magna cum laude, from Freiburg University; an Executive MBA, summa cum laude (best of class), from Muenster Business School; and an LL.M., James Kent Scholar, from Columbia Law School. He was in the top 0.1% nationwide in his First Legal State Exam (J.D. equivalent) and in the top 1.5% nationwide in his Second Legal State Exam in Germany.