Crain's Chicago Business named Corporate department Global Chair Kimberly Smith and Financial Markets and Funds practice Global Chair Lance Zinman to the "Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law" list, which profiles Gen X attorneys at the peak of their careers, managing offices, chairing legal groups or running their own lucrative practices.
Kimberly was named Global Chair of Katten's Corporate practice in spring 2021, and leads more than 125 attorneys based in offices throughout the United States and in London and Shanghai. She was selected as one of Mergers & Acquisitions' 2021 Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, recognized for her leadership and innovation in the dealmaking community and her advocacy for equity, diversity and inclusion. She has also been designated as a National Law Journal Mergers & Acquisitions Trailblazer and is regularly included in the Crain's Chicago Business list of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago. In addition to maintaining her M&A practice counseling private equity funds, family offices and other clients on leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, joint ventures and other investments across multiple industries, Kimberly is on the corporate board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
Lance Zinman serves as Global Chair of Katten's Financial Markets and Funds practice, leading a diverse team of 80-plus lawyers based throughout the US and in London and China. While his practice includes corporate, regulatory, intellectual property and tax law, Lance is most noted for his top-shelf experience representing leaders in the hedge fund industry as well as other asset managers and many of the largest quantitative and proprietary trading firms, having provided counsel to some of them since their companies were start-ups. Due in large part to this work, Lance has received several editorial distinctions, including a highly coveted spot on a past Crain's Chicago Business 40 Under 40 list and among the 2021 American Lawyer Trailblazers, where he was called a financial services "agent of change." Lance is a member of the Northwestern University Law Board and on the board of Help For Children, which has raised millions to help prevent child abuse.
To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in the Chicago area and be part of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), and must have shown the ability or power to effect change and have assumed a leadership position inside and outside their organization.
Learn more about the "Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law" list.