Derek Zaba

Derek Zaba is an American attorney and advisor known for his expertise in shareholder activism and takeover defense. He is a partner and co-chair of the shareholder activism and corporate defense practice at Sidley Austin LLP.

Early life and education

Derek Zaba was raised in Downers Grove, IL. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in applied math from Washington University in St. Louis Later in 1998, he received his MBA degree from the Olin School of Business. In 2004, Zaba graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School with a J.D. degree.

Zaba started his career as a business analyst at Capital One Financial Corporation in 1998. He worked as a legal intern for Linklaters LLP and Cravath and Swaine & Moore LLP, before joining Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as an associate in 2004. In 2006, Zaba joined Scoggin Capital as a senior associate and analyst making event-driven investments in the global equity markets. He joined Voce Capital Management, an investment firm, in 2012, where he made activist investments in U.S. equities and became a Partner. In 2015, he joined PJT CamberView Partners, a shareholder engagement advisory firm, and served in various capacities, including as the head of the shareholder activism and takeover defense team. After CamberView Partners was acquired by PJT Partners, he joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner and co-chair of shareholder activism and corporate defense practice. His area of expertise includes corporate takeover defense and shareholder activism practice.

Zaba has published on shareholder activism and corporate governance through platforms such as the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Columbia Law School’s Blue Sky Blog. He has published articles regarding the impact of the evolution shareholder base on shareholder activism, how national and global trends impact shareholder activism, and relevant changes to the legal landscape.
Zaba is a frequent speaker at international conferences, forums, summits, webinars, and podcasts.
Zaba teaches a class at Stanford Law School regarding Shareholder Activism, Hostile M&A, and Control of the Company.

His area of expertise includes corporate takeover defense and shareholder activism practice. In 2021, Derek was recognized by Chambers USA as the leading lawyer in mergers and acquisitions takeover defense. During Zaba’s tenure, Sidley Austin LLP rose to the top of the activism and corporate defense league tables of Bloomberg, FactSet and Refinitiv. The firm was also ranked in Band 1 for “Takeover Defense” by Chambers USA and in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500. Sidley Austin LLP has been recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” multiple times.