(LONDON) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP today announced that London-based Financial Services senior associate Nathaniel W. Lalone has been selected as a 2012 Rising Star of Derivatives by Derivatives Intelligence.

“This is a terrific and well-deserved accomplishment for Nathaniel. It underscores the depth of talent Katten has in the financial services and derivatives sectors,” said Vincent A. F. Sergi, Katten’s national managing partner.

The Derivatives Intelligence Rising Stars are chosen each year based on a series of criteria including experience in over-the counter (OTC) derivatives, market deals, firm performance and innovation in new market expansion, and new developments in operations and clearing.

As a US-qualified member of Katten’s Financial Services practice in London, Mr. Lalone has worked intensively with US and non-US clients on several of the most significant developments to the OTC derivatives markets, with a particular focus on addressing the cross-border effects of US financial services regulation. Since joining Katten, he has advised several non-US clearinghouses on the cross-border application of the Dodd-Frank Act and has also worked with a number of OTC trading platforms in preparing applications for registration as swap execution facilities and security-based swap execution facilities. Additionally, he has advised a variety of different swaps market participants on the likely impact of Dodd-Frank Act registration and compliance requirements on their business models.

“Nathaniel has established himself as an invaluable resource to our clients regarding the changes to OTC derivatives regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act,” said Carolyn Jackson, US-qualified financial services partner in Katten’s London office.

Mr. Lalone recently moderated the “Extraterritoriality & the Impact of Dodd-Frank & MiFID” panel at the International Derivatives Expo co-sponsored by the Futures and Options Association (FOA) and the Futures Industry Association (FIA) and he previously spoke at the FOA’s October 2011 Compliance Forum on swap dealer conduct of business standards. He also regularly joins his colleague, Carolyn Jackson, in giving client briefings on the re-regulation of the OTC derivatives markets under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Mr. Lalone is admitted to the Bar of the State of New York and is a member of the Futures Law and Compliance Division of the FIA and is a member of the United States Reforms Working Group of the Alternative Investment Management Association. He earned his JD at Harvard Law School, holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge, and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Katten’s Financial Services practice advises a broad spectrum of domestic and international fund managers, trading advisors, banks, brokerages and proprietary trading firms in all aspects of exchange-traded and OTC commodities, securities and derivatives transactions. The firm’s lawyers have extensive experience in the financial markets and regulatory arena and understand the time-sensitive and market-driven nature of the issues clients face on a daily basis.