What Sidley Austin does

Sidley Austin is a global law firm founded in 1866 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, operating as a private limited liability partnership. It fields approximately 2,300 lawyers across 21 offices worldwide, with lawyers fluent in more than 75 languages serving clients in over 70 countries. The firm is organized around deep practice groups — including a Global Finance group of more than 200 lawyers and a Tax practice exceeding 60 lawyers — and has been recognized in Chambers USA 2026 with 153 practice rankings and 377 individual lawyer rankings.

The firm generates revenue through hourly and transactional fees on complex corporate, finance, tax, regulatory, litigation, and pro bono engagements. In 2025–26 it acted as lead counsel on marquee transactions such as Bio-Techne ($11.3B), South32 ($5.6B), Yum China ($1.2B), Hiab ($1.035B), GFH ($5B IPO), and Aspen Insurance, alongside large-scale government and trade matters including $175B in customs revenue refund cases. Leadership sits with Yvette Ostolaza (Management Committee Chair) and Brian J. Fahrney (Executive Committee Chair), following Mike Schmidtberger's April 2025 departure during a period in which firm revenue reportedly doubled to approximately $4 billion.

Sidley is investing in flagship real estate — anchoring the new 725 Randolph headquarters in Chicago's Fulton Market with 500,000+ square feet and expanding its Dallas office to 23Spring Tower with 60% more space for approximately 180 lawyers — and in talent, electing 52 new partners in June 2026 after promoting 29 partners and 15 counsel earlier that year. The firm launched the Sidley AI Monitor in 2026 and contributes more than 160,000 pro bono hours annually with 1,600+ lawyers involved. It was also identified as one of seven law firms named as a victim in a recent insider-trading investigation.

Name

Sidley Austin

Legal name

Sidley Austin LLP

Website

https://sidley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sidley Austin is a global law firm founded in 1866, headquartered in Chicago, with approximately 2,300 lawyers across 21 offices serving corporate, finance, tax, regulatory, and litigation clients in 70+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Cross-border transactions
• Regulatory compliance law
• Litigation and dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Sidley Austin generates revenue primarily through professional legal services fees charged to corporate clients, financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and government entities for complex transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sidley Austin LLP is a global law firm providing legal advisory services across complex transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters for corporations, financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and government entities. The firm delivers counsel through specialized practice groups spanning M&A, private equity, global finance, restructuring, securities, antitrust, healthcare, life sciences, privacy and cybersecurity, blockchain, tax, and white collar defense, supported by approximately 2,300 lawyers across 21 offices.

Product overview

Sidley Austin is a global law firm providing comprehensive legal services across transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters. The firm operates 21 offices worldwide with approximately 2,300 lawyers offering services including M&A and private equity, global finance, restructuring, securities law, antitrust and competition, healthcare, life sciences, privacy and cybersecurity, blockchain, tax, and white collar defense. The firm does not offer a technology product portfolio in the traditional SaaS sense; rather, it provides legal advisory services structured around practice groups addressing corporate transactions, disputes, investigations, and regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Sidley Podcast: A podcast series featuring perspectives on complex, newsworthy topics at the intersection of business and law.
• SidleyGives
• Built to Lead
• Sidley AI Monitor
• The Blockchain Legal Launch Pad

Products and services

• M&A and Private Equity Practice Counsel for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity transactions, and portfolio company matters for corporations and financial sponsors.
• Global Finance Practice Counsel on cross-border lending, leveraged finance, and structured finance transactions for financial institutions, sponsors, and corporates.
• Restructuring Practice Counsel for corporate restructurings, bankruptcies, and insolvency matters for distressed companies, creditors, and investors.
• Securities and Capital Markets Practice Counsel on securities offerings, capital markets transactions, and SEC regulatory matters for public and private issuers.
• Antitrust and Competition Practice Counsel on antitrust, competition, foreign subsidies regulation, and merger review matters.
• Life Sciences Practice Counsel for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies on FDA regulatory matters, M&A, capital markets, and litigation.
• Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Counsel on privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, and incident response matters for corporations.
• Blockchain and Digital Assets Practice Counsel on blockchain, digital assets, stablecoins, capital markets, institutional adoption, corporate strategy, M&A, and regulatory change in digital assets.
• Tax Practice Counsel on corporate, international, and transactional tax matters.
• White Collar Defense Practice Counsel on investigations, enforcement defense, and white collar criminal matters for corporations and individuals.
• Healthcare Practice Counsel for healthcare providers, payers, and life sciences companies on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters.
• E-Discovery and Data Analytics Practice Counsel and technical services for e-discovery, data analytics, and technology-assisted review in litigation and investigations.
• Energy and Infrastructure Practice Counsel on energy transactions, project finance, energy transition, and infrastructure regulatory matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 153 practice rankings and 377 lawyer rankings in Chambers USA 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• KABOOM!minorOthers · 24 March 2024Sidley has partnered with nonprofit KABOOM! to donate and build new play spaces across the United States. Recent builds include new playgrounds in Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston, and San Francisco. The playgrounds are designed by children themselves and help ensure every child has a safe place to play regardless of background or where they live.
• Prep for PrepminorOthersSidley participates in career mentoring events with Prep for Prep and KKR, supporting educational opportunities and professional development for students.
• Morgan StanleyminorOthersSidley participates in New York Cares School Supplies Drive alongside Morgan Stanley, supporting community education initiatives in New York.
• University of Miami School of LawminorOthersThe Sidley Austin Foundation has provided an endowed gift to establish the Sidley Austin Foundation Endowed Book Award in Constitutional Law at the University of Miami School of Law, providing equal awards annually to the top three students excelling in constitutional law.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kirkland & Ellis: The world's largest law firm by revenue and the dominant force in private-fund formation, M&A, and PE-portfolio work. Directly competes with Sidley on the largest cross-border PE and complex M&A mandates.
• Latham & Watkins: Global elite firm with comparable scale (similar headcount, similar international footprint) and overlapping practices in M&A, finance, securities, and litigation. Direct competitor for the same Fortune 500 and PE-sponsor clients.
• Skadden Arps: Historic M&A and securities-law powerhouse with deep institutional relationships. Competes head-to-head with Sidley on M&A, capital markets, and complex transactions.
• Davis Polk: Premier U.S. law firm with concentrated strength in M&A, securities, and finance—areas overlapping directly with Sidley's strongest practices. Bids against Sidley on large-cap public-deal mandates.
• Wachtell Lipton: Elite M&A and corporate-law specialist. Sidley's primary competitor on the largest public-company M&A and takeover-defense matters where Sidley's recent South32 and Bio-Techne mandates compete.
• Sullivan & Cromwell: Long-established global firm with similar profile—strong M&A, securities, and cross-border capabilities anchored in New York and major financial capitals. Direct competitor on the same type of complex transactional mandates.
• Cleary Gottlieb: Internationally focused elite firm renowned for cross-border M&A, antitrust, and regulatory work. Competes with Sidley for the largest cross-border and EU/U.S. regulatory-driven matters.
• Cravath Swaine & Moore: Premier New York-headquartered firm with concentrated strength in M&A, securities, and litigation. Regularly competes with Sidley on the highest-stakes public-company deals and securities matters.
• Gibson Dunn: Global full-service firm of similar scale and breadth, with strong M&A, securities, litigation, and PE practices. Frequent counterpart and bid rival on large-cap transactions and disputes.
• White & Case: Heavy international and PE-sponsor focus that mirrors Sidley's cross-border deal flow in Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Direct competitor on global M&A, finance, and energy/infrastructure matters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SidleyNewsroom
• Facebookfacebook.com/sidleyaustinllpofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidley-austin
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidleyaustin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sidley Austin