By CommPRO Editorial StaffMorgan Lewis was ranked No. 1 among all law firms for legal defense of public companies against activist shareholders in the Thomson Reuters Global Shareholder Activism Scorecard for the first half of 2016. The ranking is as of August 22, 2016 and is based on the number of publicly-disclosed activism defense matters that Morgan Lewis has advised on.The firm retains its No. 1 ranking among all law firms for legal defense of public companies against activist shareholders in the 2016 year-to-date activism defense league tables compiled by FactSet SharkRepellent and included in the Wall Street Journal-FactSet Activism Scorecard. That ranking is as of August 18, 2016 and is based on the number of publicly-disclosed activism defense matters that Morgan Lewis has advised on.In the past two years, the firm’s market-leading shareholder activism defense practice, led by partner Keith Gottfried, has advised more than two dozen global public companies in a wide array of industries, including, among others, apparel, automotive, banking, casual dining, consumer goods, energy, life sciences, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail, shipping, software, technology and waste management, with respect to preparing for and/or responding to high-profile proxy contests, special meeting demands, withhold campaigns, shareholder proposals and other activist shareholder campaigns as well as contests for corporate control and contested M&A situations. The practice also advises public companies and their boards of directors on the latest techniques for making a company less vulnerable to activist shareholders, best practices for engaging with shareholders, corporate governance issues, and board advisory matters.