Cathy Birkeland

Cathy Birkeland is a global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Capital Markets Practice and the Office Managing Partner of the Chicago office. Ms. Birkeland’s practice focuses on capital marketstransactions, public company representation, corporate governance, and advising boards of directors on corporate matters.

Over her 20 years at Latham, Ms. Birkeland has gained deep knowledge and substantial experience in a broad array of capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings (IPO), dual track IPO/M&A processes, spin-off transactions, follow-on offerings, and block trades. Her clients include public and private companies of all sizes across the globe, from Fortune 500 companies to emerging growthcompanies, investment banking firms, investors, and private equity firms. Ms. Birkeland’s experience isacross numerous industries, including hospitality, REITs, technology, consumer retail, financial services, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.

Drawing on her broad capital markets and securities law experience, as well as insights into the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and regulatory processes, Ms. Birkeland also routinelyadvises public companies and their boards of directors on ’34 Act reporting and compliance matters,complex disclosure issues, corporate governance “best practices,”

NYSE/Nasdaq listing compliance, and securities regulation matters, including tender offers, consent solicitations, private placements, Rule 144, Section 16, share repurchase programs, 10b5-1 trading plans, and financial reporting matters, among other corporate matters.

In addition to her active practice and leadership roles within the firm, Ms. Birkeland dedicates significanttime to mentoring junior lawyers and is passionate about supporting the firm’s commitment to diversity.She has served on the firm’s global Diversity Leadership Committee and was one of the founding partners of Latham’s annual Women’s Leadership Academy. She is also actively involved in the Chicagocommunity and serves on the Heart Leadership Council of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’sHospital of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Camp Kesem, a national organization that supportschildren through and beyond their parent’s cancer. Ms. Birkeland is highly regarded by her clients andpeers, and was recently named as one of Crain’s Chicago Business Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago, recognizing her as a “first-rate capital markets lawyer.”