Six Katten Partners Recognized as Leading Litigators by Benchmark

CHICAGO – Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that six of its partners have been recognized in the 2010 edition of Benchmark: A Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys. Chicago-based partners Steven L. Bashwiner, Ross O. Silverman and Sheldon T. Zenner, and New York partners Anthony L. Paccione and Bruce G. Vanyo are listed in the guide as “Local Litigation Stars” in their respective markets. In addition, Mr. Paccione is listed nationally as a “Litigation Star” in the General Commercial Litigation category, while Mr. Vanyo is recognized in the area of Securities Litigation. Karl R. Barnickol is also recognized as a “Future Litigation Star” in Illinois. In addition to these individual honors, Katten is recognized by Benchmark as a “recommended” firm for litigation in Illinois, and is nationally listed in the Securities Litigation and White Collar Crime categories. The firm has been listed in the guide since its inception in 2008.

Benchmark is published by Legal Media Group, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. In compiling the guide, Benchmark’s researchers conducted extensive 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. “Stars” are individuals who were consistently recommended as incontrovertible stars by clients and peers. The full list of firms included in the 2010 guide can be found at www.benchmarklitigation.com.

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 Katten’s Chicago Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice, as well as a member 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 chair of Katten’s National 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. Mr. Zenner regularly advises on compliance and corporate governance issues.

Anthony L. Paccione is co-chair of Katten’s New York Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. He concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on securities, banking and financial services related matters. He also has considerable experience in handling matters involving employee “raiding claims,” trade secrets and enforcement of restrictive covenants.

Bruce G. Vanyo has been called by many of his peers the “Dean of Securities Litigation.” During his 34 years in practice, he has defended more major securities cases (well over 300) than any other lawyer in America and has represented some of the most prominent U.S. companies. His practice consists of securities class action defense, derivative litigation defense, representation of clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission and representation of board committees in conducting internal investigations.

Karl R. Barnickol is a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. His practice generally addresses a wide range of commercial litigation matters with a particular focus on securities litigation, mergers and acquisitions litigation and counseling, and white-collar criminal defense work.

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 advocate and counselor, Katten succeeds by combining knowledge of its clients’ businesses 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.