Law360 Pulse Interviews Peter Siddiqui on Katten Award Memorializing Former Insolvency & Restructuring Chair

In an article featuring Katten's recent announcement that the firm has established the John P. Sieger Excellence in Mentoring Award, Law360 Pulse spoke with Insolvency and Restructuring practice co-chair Peter Siddiqui about the award’s namesake.

"John was a unique human being – super smart, knew how to have a good time, knew how to be serious, had very firm and clear morals and lifestyle. And those assets, those attributes, are part of what made him such a good mentor," Peter told Law360 Pulse.

A longtime partner and former chair of Katten's Insolvency and Restructuring practice, John passed away in 2021. Looking back on the days following his passing, Peter recalled a Zoom call during which several Katten attorneys shared their deep appreciation for John's tireless commitment to supporting colleagues' development and success. "It was amazing how many different people – probably eight or 10 different people on the call – said John was a huge mentor to me, and helped me with my career and helped teach me how to be a lawyer and how to be a lawyer at Katten," Peter said.

After joining Katten in 2005, John acted as a mentor and sponsor to numerous attorneys and business professionals across the firm. In honor of his legacy, the award will be presented each year to a Katten attorney who demonstrates the same dedication to mentorship. Award nominees will be evaluated by an internal selection committee, consisting of firm leaders and representation from Katten affinity groups and other firm committees.

Discussing the genesis of the award with Law360 Pulse, Peter explained that mentorship is an integral part of Katten's culture, particularly after the firm instituted remote work and focused on motivating employees and fostering their professional growth in a new work setting. Katten Chairman Roger Furey and another colleague recognized "it was a perfect opportunity to take John's effect, which was so vast and wide among us folks at Katten, and to turn that into an award like this," Peter said.

"Katten Mentoring Award Honors Late Practice Chair," Law360 Pulse, October 14, 2022

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