Insights

(CHICAGO) Katten announced that the firm was recognized as a leader in 42 practice areas and 108 attorneys were individually ranked in the 2026 edition of the Chambers USA guide.

Katten's highest rankings were in the categories of Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Corporate/M&A, Healthcare, Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, Public Finance, Real Estate and Real Estate: Finance.

(LONDON) Katten Muchin Rosenman UK LLP announced that two partners have joined in London, launching the Structured Products and Derivatives practice and advancing the firm's strategic growth.

Joining the firm to lead the new practice is Jennifer Kafcas, working alongside Alvino van Schalkwyk, to enhance the firm's capabilities in the structured finance and financial markets space. Together, they bring comprehensive strengths across high-value, complex derivatives and structured products transactions, covering the full range of structuring, legal and documentation considerations across all major asset classes.

Katten announced that Kimberly Smith, partner and global chair of the firm's Corporate department, has been selected to the inaugural Forbes America's Top Women Lawyers list for 2026. The list and accompanying feature story spotlight a rarefied group of elite attorneys in private practice and is based on a rigorous, multi-stage process of editorial research and analysis designed to identify the finest in the profession.

CHICAGO) Katten announced that 23 practice areas were recognized in the Legal 500 United States 2026 guide. In addition, seven attorneys earned individual distinctions — three in the Hall of Fame and four as Leading Partners — while 79 attorneys were highlighted as recommended individuals in the guide's editorial commentary.

California has enacted the nation’s first extended producer responsibility (EPR) law specifically targeting textiles. SB 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (the Act), imposes direct compliance obligations on brands, manufacturers, importers and retailers selling covered textile products in the state. By July 1, 2026, all producers must join the approved Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). This alert summarizes the Act’s key requirements, identifies which entities bear compliance responsibility, and outlines the practical steps that fashion and luxury brands must take before the deadline.

(CHICAGO) Intellectual Property Partners Floyd A. Mandell and Karen Artz Ash, national co-chairs of the firm's Trademark/Copyright/Privacy Group, have once again been recognized among World Trademark Review's (WTR) Global Leaders 2026, marking another consecutive year on the prestigious list. This distinction highlights the world's preeminent law firm and corporate attorneys in trademark law, drawing on WTR's market-leading research initiatives, including the WTR 1000 and the WTR 300, to honor the "best of the best" in trademark practice.

(NEW YORK) Katten is proud to announce that the firm and five of its distinguished patent attorneys have been recognized in the IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2026, the premier guide identifying top patent practitioners worldwide.

Intellectual Property (IP) Partner Nathan Smith has been recognized among World IP Review's (WIPR) Leaders 2026, a list that recognizes IP counsel in more than 80 countries and six continents who are at the forefront of shaping the future of IP law. The list serves as a trusted resource for leading in-house and referral lawyers to identify reliable lawyers who can advise on their most significant IP matters, according to the WIPR announcement. Leaders are named based on peer-to-peer recognition, alongside the WIPR Rankings team's assessments of each nominee’s credentials.

The private credit market is navigating a complex environment, one in which artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a potentially transformative force in how private credit transactions are sourced, evaluated, documented and managed throughout the investment lifecycle. The increased focus on AI coincides with continued growth across the private credit industry, driven by demand for non-bank financing solutions and the deepening sophistication of private debt platforms. Geopolitical and economic dynamics have reinforced the importance of disciplined underwriting, particularly with respect to highly leveraged issuers facing margin compression and refinancing pressure. Meanwhile, deal flow has been uneven, documentation terms are showing early signs of recalibration in favor of lenders, and market participants are balancing substantial available capital against heightened concerns regarding credit quality and enterprise valuations. As these market dynamics intensify, AI adoption is accelerating across the private credit landscape, raising important legal, regulatory, and risk-management considerations for lenders, sponsors and borrowers alike.

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is celebrating Financial Markets and Funds Associate Robert Bourret as a 2026 Rising Star, which recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated "an extraordinary commitment to ensuring access to justice for immigrants by devoting substantial time to NIJC pro bono work." Robert is among 16 attorneys honored out of over 2,000 volunteers that NIJC works with each year.

On May 18, a federal jury in Massachusetts returned a $885 million verdict against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, finding that Takeda entered into an anticompetitive patent settlement that compensated a generic manufacturer to delay launching a generic version of its IBS drug, Amitiza® (lubiprostone). In re Amitiza Antitrust Litigation, No. 1:21-cv-11057 (D. Mass.). The suit consolidated complaints filed by a class of direct purchasers (wholesalers), five individual retailers (pharmacy chains), and a class of indirect purchasers (end payors). The outcome is significant because it is the first jury trial win for private antitrust plaintiffs in a suit challenging a patent settlement reverse payment. Previous suits have either settled or gone to trial and lost. For Brand and Generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, this may lead to further scrutiny of past settlements.