A Dozen Katten Partners Recognized in Chambers High Net Worth Guide

7/10/20

Katten announced today that the firm’s Private Wealth practice and 12 partners were praised in the Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) 2020 guide, a publication that ranks the top attorneys and law firms for international private wealth.

The firm was recognized nationally as an industry leader in the area of Private Wealth Law and distinguished regionally in Illinois, New York and Southern California. Katten also was commended for its outstanding legal services in Private Wealth Disputes in New York.

Katten Private Wealth practice national head Joshua S. Rubenstein received the highest individual ranking possible in the Private Wealth Law practice category in the Eastern Region – USA. Partners Bonnie Lynn Chmil, Adam M. Damerow, Ronni G. Davidowitz, Abby Feinman, Charles Harris, Michael O. Hartz, Carol A. Johnston, Tye J. Klooster, Matthew Sperry and Kathryn von Matthiessen were singled out for their excellence and touted as leading attorneys in the field. Additionally, Timothy J. Lynes, managing partner of Katten’s Washington, DC office and chair of the firm’s Aviation practice, was recognized in the Private Aircraft-Global-Wide category.

Katten partners received glowing praise from industry insiders, peers and clients, assessing technical legal ability, client service, commercial vision and business understanding, diligence, value and depth. According to Chambers HNW sources:

  • “[Rubenstein] is a guru on foreign treaties and tax systems, and has a clear market-leading role in this space…. He radiates the personal charm you need [to] be a top private client lawyer.”
  • Chmil is “respected”in this market and she is “very, very good for trusts and estates litigation.”
  • “[Damerow] is just extremely bright with a very good temperament and personality.”
  • Of Davidowitz, who heads Katten’s New York Private Wealth practice, it was said that,“Her bedside manner is excellent and she also has a very, very high level of knowledge. She has lots of experience and has always been very effective.”
  • Feinman, who leads Katten’s Los Angeles Private Wealth practice, was called, “extremely strong technically, probably the best I have worked with and I have worked with many, but she also explains things in a simple and easy to understand manner.”
  • Industry insiders and clients said of Harris, co-head of Katten’sChicago Private Wealth practice:“He’s a very good practitioner…He’s great at developing a strategy.”
  • Of Hartz, co-head of Katten’s Chicago Private Wealth practice:“He has a very good and solid client base and is top in the entrepreneurial space.”
  • Of Johnston, who also was recognized in Private Wealth Law: Western Region – USA: “She is highly competent technically, she knows the ins and outs of the dynamic world of tax and estate planning. The best thing I like about her is her high degree of emotional intelligence; she gets along with individuals and can read people really well.”
  • “[Klooster] is very technical and has a great team approach.”
  • “[Lynes] has expertise and works with a calm sense of urgency. He is very good at dealing with all parties involved in the deal.”
  • “[Sperry] is pragmatic in looking for workable solutions to client problems and has a good knowledge of how the US and non-US pieces of a structure need to work.”
  • “[von Matthiessen] is a phenomenal young attorney and I am really glad I found her…She always does an exceptional job and I have been very, very impressed with her recently.”


Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include commercial finance, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, and trusts and estates. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com.

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