Mar. 23, 2012

Former mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley visited the Los Angeles branch of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP on Monday to discuss the recent opening of its Shanghai branch. Mayor of Chicago for 22 years, the longest such tenure in the city’s history, Daley joined Katten Muchin Rosenman in June 2011 as of counsel to the firm after retiring from office. Daley spoke about the importance of opening a branch in Shanghai, something that his near-celebrity status played no small part in accomplishing. Daley visited China five times while mayor of Chicago, This included a trip in early 2011, just two months before he left office, and a 2004 trip when he was presented with a key to the city of Wuhan by Yang Guogiang, China’s consul general in Chicago. “During the past few years, we have laid the foundation, but the mayor joining us is a big boost,” said Feng Xue, managing partner of the Shanghai office. “Mayor Daley is well-known in China.” Among those in attendance were Vincent A.F. Sergi, national managing partner, Gail Title, partner and chair of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Litigation Practice, and Joshua Wayser, managing partner of Katten’s Los Angeles office. -Ryne Hodkowski