Sidley Austin facts for kids
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| Headquarters | One South Dearborn Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| No. of offices | 21 Worldwide |
| No. of attorneys | 2,300 |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Revenue |  2.795 billion USD (2021) |
| Date founded | 1866 |
| Founder | Norman Williams John Leverett Thompson |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | www.sidley.com |
Sidley Austin LLP is a large law firm from the United States. It has offices all around the world. About 2,300 lawyers work for the firm in 21 different cities. It started in 1866 in Chicago, Illinois. Sidley Austin is one of the biggest law firms globally based on its earnings. Famous people like former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama once worked there.
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The Story of Sidley Austin
Sidley Austin has a long and interesting history. It grew from a small Chicago firm into a worldwide legal leader.
How It All Began
In 1866, two people named Norman Williams and John L. Thompson started a law firm. They called it Williams & Thompson. This was in Chicago, Illinois. Later, in 1892, William Pratt Sidley joined the firm. His name was added to the firm's name in 1900.
Some of the firm's very first clients were big companies. These included the Pullman Company, which made special train cars. They also worked for Western Electric and Illinois Steel.
Growing Across the Country
The firm began to grow beyond Chicago. In 1963, a former government official named J. Edward Day opened an office in Washington, D.C. This helped the firm work with clients all over the country. They became good at helping clients with government rules.
Joining Forces and Expanding
In 1972, Sidley Austin joined with another Chicago law firm. This added 50 more lawyers to their team. After this, they opened new offices in places like London, Los Angeles, Singapore, and New York.
In 2001, the firm merged with Brown & Wood. This was a large law firm from New York. Brown & Wood had 400 lawyers. They were known for their work with investments and money matters. This merger made Sidley Austin even bigger and stronger.
Helping with Big Court Cases
In 1985, a special group was created at Sidley Austin. It was called the Appellate Practice Group. This group helps clients with cases in higher courts. This includes the highest court in the United States, the United States Supreme Court. The group has argued many important cases there.
Top Rankings and Awards
Sidley Austin is known as one of the best law firms. It is one of the largest U.S.-based law firms. It has about 2,000 lawyers and earns billions of dollars each year. The firm pays its lawyers very well.
Sidley Austin has received many awards. It has been ranked as a top law firm many times. For example, U.S. News & World Report has often given it the most "First-Tier National Rankings." In 2020, they named Sidley the "Law Firm of the Year" for certain types of law.
The firm is also recognized for its great client service. It has been honored for helping lawyers with disabilities. This shows their commitment to being fair and inclusive.
Sidley Austin is especially famous for its work in two areas. One is dealing with investments and money. The other is international trade. They have helped big companies like Airbus in important global trade disputes. Their team for cases in the US Supreme Court is also very well-known.
In 2020, Sidley won several "Firm of the Year" awards in China. These were for areas like business law and healthcare. In 2018, they won an award in London for their work in competition law.
Helping the Community (Pro Bono)
Sidley Austin lawyers also do a lot of "pro bono" work. This means they help people for free. They do this for those who cannot afford legal help.
One important example is the Bruce's Beach case. A Sidley Austin lawyer, George Fatheree, worked for free to help a family. Their beachfront land had been taken by authorities in the 1920s. The lawyer helped the family get their land back in 2022. This effort took over 1,000 hours of free legal work.
Famous People Who Worked Here
Many notable people have worked at Sidley Austin. Some went on to achieve great things in government and business.
- Barack Obama, former President of the United States
- Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States
- Katherine Adams, a top leader at Apple, Inc.
- J. Edward Day, a former government official
- James M. Cole, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States
- Mike Lee, a United States Senator
- Rex E. Lee, a former top lawyer for the U.S. government
- Chris Lu, a former government official and ambassador
- Victor Marrero, a judge in the United States
- Newton N. Minow, a former head of the Federal Communications Commission
- Peter Roskam, a former U.S. Representative
- Andy Strenio, a former member of the Federal Trade Commission
- David S. Tatel, a judge in the United States
- J. D. Vance, a United States Senator
- John D. Zeglis, a former CEO of AT&T Wireless
See also
- List of largest United States-based law firms by profits per partner
