Chicago Partners Honored by Crain’s Chicago Business

Chicago partners Brandon Anderson, Cathy Birkeland, and Brad Faris have been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as 2021 Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting, and Law for their industry leadership, ability to effect change, and dedication to pro bono and civic work.

Brandon Anderson is the Deputy Chicago Office Managing Partner and a member of the firm’s Banking Practice – one of the largest banking practices globally. He represents both Chicago-based and global financial institutions, corporate borrowers, and private equity funds on complex, cross-border leveraged finance transactions, from middle-market to large-cap. He structures, negotiates and documents US and international financings, including asset-based loans, debtor-in-possession financings, senior secured credit facilities, Shari’ah-compliant structures, unitranche financing, unsecured lending, and working capital revolvers. Brandon helped to spearhead Latham’s Chicago Taskforce for the Commitment to Racial Justice and Equality and dedicates significant time to the firm’s pro bono program, regularly working on both immigration law cases for victims of domestic violence as well as wrongful convictions cases.

Cathy Birkeland is the Managing Partner of Latham’s Chicago Office and former Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice. She is recognized as one of the leading capital markets lawyers in Chicago and throughout the country, advising issuers, underwriters, and investors on sophisticated capital markets transactions – including IPOs, SPACs, dual track IPO/M&A processes, spin-offs, follow-on offerings, block trades, and ATM programs – as well as public companies and boards of directors on corporate governance and securities law matters. She leads Latham’s Chicago Taskforce for the Commitment to Racial Justice and Equality, previously served on the firm’s Global Diversity Leadership Committee, and helped found Latham’s annual Women’s Leadership Academy.

Brad Faris is the former Global Co-Chair of Latham’s Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and former Chair of the Chicago Corporate Department. He has built a preeminent M&A practice representing Chicago-based, national, and international corporate and private equity clients across industries in their highest-stakes public and private M&A transactions, including merger of equal and other business combinations, special committees and conflict of interest transactions, going-privates, private equity acquisitions and divestitures, carve-outs, cross-border M&A, and shareholder activism defense. Brad served as the lead partner in connection with establishing and implementing Latham’s cutting edge global Practice Services Team, the firm’s centralized due diligence center for excellence, and dedicates significant time to mentoring junior lawyers.