Sidley Austin

Sidley Austin LLP Profile & Stats

Chicago based Sidley Austin first opened in London as a US law office, in 1974. After converting into a multinational practice in 1994, it merged with New York firm Brown & Wood, in 2001. The alliance gave Sidley a combined 222 years of experience and some 80 lawyers, many of whom worked in structured finance and securitisation – making the firm a real competitor to the Magic Circle in this sector. However, compared to its UK rivals, Sidley has a relatively small City headcount with 110 English and US-qualified lawyers currently practising in the firm’s London office.

Since the merger, Sidley Austin LLP has expanded into Europe and beyond its comfort zone in finance – which is an impressive undertaking given the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on the industry. Apart from international finance, the firm’s major work also includes M&A, capital markets, corporate reorganisation and bankruptcy, regulatory, insurance, funds and dispute resolution.

Sidley’s corporate practice in London doesn’t enjoy the reputation of its US counterpart, mainly due to the lack of headline-grabbing M&A deals. Owing to this, Sidley is often wrongly overlooked on the list of successful US firms in the City. The London office has worked on high profile M&A deals, such as acting for FLIR Systems Inc. in relation to the acquisition of Raymarine, listed on the London Stock Exchange, and can boast involvement in highly intricate transactions and some of its domestic and cross-border legal advice enjoys international renown. Particularly the firm’s corporate reorganisation and bankruptcy department has established itself prominently in the market. Other City work includes tax, real estate, competition, employment, intellectual property and commercial.

While Sidley’s presence in Europe extends to Brussels, Frankfurt and Geneva, the London outpost is the firm’s largest in Europe. In spite of the firm’s US roots, its approach to London is distinctly Anglophile. The management is all British over here, and has a say in every crucial decision. London lawyers focus on domestic and cross-border matters, and have been involved in major transactions, such as acting for Western Union in relation to its acquisition of Travelex Global Business Payments division, a leading specialist provider of international business payments, for £606 million in cash. The global outlook of the firm is reflected across all of its practices. London’s structured debt finance group, for instance, forms part of an international team of 200 lawyers who operate across Europe, Asia and the US.

Apart from offering world-class legal services, Sidley Austin LLP is also involved in pro bono work with the firm’s employees dedicating more than 86,000 hours to pro bono projects in 2010. Current US initiatives involve the Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project and the Veterans Benefits Project. In the UK, London lawyers have been involved in providing legal advice to not-for-profit organisations such as the Community Youth Provisions Association, the Hawkesbury After School Club and Watford Women’s Centre.

Apply Now