Sidley Austin LLP

Congratulations to Brian Fahrney, who has been named Chair-Elect of Sidley’s Executive Committee. Currently, Mr. Fahrney is global co-leader of Sidley’s M&A and Private Equity practice and a member of the Management and Executive Committee, and represents both acquirers and sellers in a wide variety of public and private merger and acquisition transactions including complex carve-outs, take privates, cross-border transactions, spinoffs, and leveraged acquisitions. He will continue practicing law and serving clients while chairing the Executive Committee. Mr. Fahrney will succeed Mike Schmidtberger, who has served as a member of the Executive Committee since 2002 and as its Chair since January 2018. Mr. Schmidtberger is slated to transition from that position in April 2025 as required under the Firm’s partnership agreement. He will remain a partner in the Firm’s market-leading Investment Funds practice. Read more here, https://bit.ly/4engj49.

Sidley has been shortlisted for “Life Sciences and Healthcare: Foreign Firms Law Firm of the Year” at the Legal 500 China Awards 2024. Congratulations to Beijing-based partner Lei Li, co-head of Sidley’s China Life Sciences practice, who has been shortlisted for “Regulatory: Foreign Firms Lawyer of the Year.” Read more here, https://bit.ly/408lyAf.

Last night, the Texas Lawyer honored Sidley as the winner of two “Litigation Department of the Year” awards in the Class Actions and Finance categories at the 2024 Texas Legal Awards. The annual awards celebrate the trailblazing lawyers and law firms who have left “an indelible mark on the legal landscape of Texas,” honoring them for shaping the law and achieving extraordinary outcomes for their clients. #BuiltToWin

??We moved! Thank you to everyone who joined us last week to celebrate Sidley's new Downtown Los Angeles office. With 400 lawyers and business professionals across five California offices, Sidley has served the region for more than 50 years. Our new space hosted an evening of entertainment, office tours, and a special ribbon cutting ceremony – reaffirming our commitment to the region. A special thank you to Yvette Ostolaza, Dan Clivner, and Rollin Ransom for their commemorative remarks, and thank you to our many clients for their continued support in Los Angeles and beyond.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Miami for a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Co-hosted with FTI Consulting, the evening included delicious cuisine, lively tunes, and — in honor of this year’s theme “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together” — remarks from Sidley’s Yvette Ostolaza, the first woman and first Hispanic person to chair a top 7 AmLaw firm. It was a pleasure to share in this celebration with our valued clients, partners, and professionals.

Last week, Northwestern University hosted an event to formally dedicate the Carter G. Phillips Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy and the Carter G. Phillips/Sidley Austin LLP Supreme Court Clinic. Carter, who this week celebrates his 40th year at Sidley, was joined by his family and Sidley lawyers and alumni from across our offices to honor his exceptional career and outstanding service to the legal profession. Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading Supreme Court advocates, Carter has argued 81 cases before the Supreme Court since joining Sidley — more than any other lawyer in private practice. He cumulatively has 90 oral arguments before the Supreme Court. Carter has served as the co-director of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law's Supreme Court Clinic and an adjunct professor at the law school for more than 15 years. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3U3Bgc2.

Sidley represented ticketing technology platform Victory Live in its #acquisition of Logitix, a provider of comprehensive ticket inventory management solutions, from private equity firm ZMC. The Sidley team was led by partners Mehdi Khodadad and Aaron J. Rigby. Read more here, https://bit.ly/4eBVoKD.

"Courage is a defining trait in Tai-Heng Cheng’s career,” says Forbes. Co-managing partner of Sidley’s Singapore office and a co-leader of the firm’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice, Tai sat down with the publication to share insights into his career as an openly gay leader in the legal field, esteemed art collector, and global advocate. Read the full Forbes profile here: https://bit.ly/3MXDQw7.

As part of Sidley’s Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties Project, we work closely with many civil rights advocacy organizations across the U.S. to protect and defend the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all people, especially those most subjected to marginalization, persecution, or profiling. In 2023, Sidley’s pro bono practice worked through the courts, administrative agencies, and legislatures to safeguard, promote, and expand individual rights and civil liberties — including working with the ACLU to win a significant First Amendment victory on behalf of our client Aurora Pride; collaborating with firm clients to obtain compassionate release for medically vulnerable prisoners; and partnering with Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law as part of the Northwestern Supreme Court Clinic, which gives law students the opportunity to work on cases pending before the Supreme Court. #ProBono #ProBonoFriday

?? Cheers to 110 years of excellence in New York! Last week, Sidley’s New York office, home to more than 500 lawyers, hosted its biennial partner dinner in celebration of another year of success in the city and beyond. The evening featured a fireside chat with Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and new global CEO at Brunswick Group, and Nancy Chung, our NY office managing partner. They discussed innovation, leadership, AI, and the future of long-standing institutions. Special thanks to Mike Schmidtberger and Yvette Ostolaza for their inspiring welcome remarks.