CHICAGO – Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that four of its partners have been recognized in the 2009 edition of Benchmark: A Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys.  Partners Steven L. Bashwiner, Ross O. Silverman and Sheldon T. Zenner are listed as “Litigation Stars,” and partner Karl R. Barnickol has been selected as a “Future Star.”  All four attorneys practice in Katten’s Chicago office.  Additionally, Katten is recognized by Benchmark as a “highly recommended” firm for litigation in the state of Illinois. 

Benchmark is published by Legal Media Group, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.  In compiling its guide, Benchmark’s researchers conducted extensive face-to-face and telephone interviews with leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel to determine the top firms and attorneys for litigation in the United States.  The firms selected for the list are renowned within the business and legal communities for the quality of their trial work and their litigation professionals.  “Litigation Stars” are individuals who were consistently recommended as incontrovertible stars by clients and peers.

Karl R. Barnickol focuses his practice on a wide range of commercial litigation matters with a particular emphasis on securities litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and counseling, as well as white collar criminal defense work.

Steven L. Bashwiner focuses his practice on complex litigation and arbitration with an emphasis on class actions and complex commercial disputes.  He frequently serves as lead trial counsel for class action matters involving securities, fraud and arbitration matters.

Ross O. Silverman serves as chair of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice in Katten’s Chicago office, as well as co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Criminal and Civil Litigation Practice.  He concentrates much of his practice on counseling insurers on best claims handling practices and litigation strategies designed to attack internal and external fraud. 

Sheldon T. Zenner is the national chair of Katten’s White Collar Criminal and Civil Litigation Practice, and concentrates his practice in white collar and fraud litigation.  He is involved in a wide range of investigations involving securities, health care, customs, antitrust, education and tax issues.  He regularly advises on compliance and corporate governance issues. 

Katten’s trial lawyers are adept at achieving the business objectives of their clients in cases ranging from contract disputes and regulatory matters to securities class action lawsuits and other complex commercial litigation.  They serve clients with a broad, national litigation practice staffed in each of the firm’s offices by attorneys whose backgrounds and experience are as varied as the clients they serve.  As advocates and counselors, Katten succeeds by combining knowledge of its clients’ business with expertise in the law and the art of advocacy.  Its experience and foresight lead to sound assessments of business and legal risks, accurate estimates of costs of defense, and, when necessary, favorable settlements.  As a result, the firm can deliver cost-effective services on multimillion-dollar cases and efficiently respond to smaller matters.