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’s Yvette Ostolaza, Ian Ross, and Dianne (Dee Dee) Fischer and their team received a shout-out in The American Lawyer Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” column for their work fending off class certification for Univision in a case accusing the company of violating the Video Privacy Protection Act. The Sidley team also includes managing associates Carmen Ortega and Brian Trujillo.

Established in 2002, Sidley’s #Geneva office is a leader in shaping and enforcing international trade and investment rules and home to one of Europe’s foremost international arbitration and cross-border dispute teams. With top-ranked trade, international commercial arbitration, and life sciences practices, our Geneva lawyers and business professionals provide seamless services to our clients in Europe, the CIS countries, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia. Our Geneva office also serves as the hub of Sidley's Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program, which provides free legal support to micro, small-, and medium-sized enterprises and nonprofits with a clear social, economic, or environmental impact in developing countries. Read more on our office here, https://bit.ly/47MucpX.

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has ranked Sidley the No. 1 legal advisor for shareholder activism in its #shareholderactivism league tables for the first half of 2024. LSEG credited Sidley with 62 campaigns, with the No. 2-ranked company-side law firm having only 15 campaigns. In the first half of 2024, Sidley defended more campaigns than any other law firm in the history of the LSEG league tables, evidencing Sidley’s market-dominating position. In the past five years, Sidley has represented companies in approximately 150 proxy contests, several hundred activist campaigns, and dozens of settlements — more than any other legal defense practice in the world. Read more here, https://bit.ly/47Upjv0. 

Congratulations to Sidley’s Rachelle Soderstrom, who has been named a 2024 “Rising Star” by Managing IP. Based in our San Francisco office, Rachelle is a partner in the firm’s Technology and Life Sciences Transactions practice and advises world-leading technology companies on how to navigate their most critical IP needs. Read more on her practice here, https://bit.ly/3Bqbkky. 

Sidley has been ranked in 23 practice areas and received 23 lawyer rankings in the Legal 500 UK 2025 guide. Congratulations to Leonard Ng, Martin Membery, and Sam Hamilton on their inclusion in the Financial Services: Non-contentious/Regulatory Hall of Fame, Insurance: Corporate and Regulatory Hall of Fame, and Acquisition Hall of Fame, respectively; and to David Howe, James MacArthur, Jay Sadanandan, Jifree Cader, Marie Manley, Mark Knight, Matthew Shankland, Ramy J. Wahbeh, Robert Darwin, Rupert Wall, and Sara George on their recognition as “Leading Partners.” Read more here, https://bit.ly/3YihcW5.

October is #NationalDisabilityEmploymentAwarenessMonth in the United States, a monthlong celebration of America’s workers with disabilities. As we celebrate this year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” we proudly recognize and support the need for supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that ensure equal opportunities for everyone.

Sidley is pleased to announce that Jay Sadanandan, Sam Hamilton, Fergus O'Domhnaill, Joseph Kimberling, and Ben Wright have joined Sidley’s Global Finance practice as partners in London. Ms. Sadanandan and Mr. Hamilton will be global co-heads of Sidley’s Leveraged Finance practice. The addition of this market-leading team comes on the heels of Sidley recording an 11th consecutive year of revenue growth worldwide and its recruitment of a deep bench of outstanding private equity deal lawyers. It marks another milestone in Sidley’s pursuit of becoming the best-in-class financial sponsor legal service provider. Read more on their practices here, https://bit.ly/3zxkDP4.

Sidley represented Invitation Homes Operating Partnership LP, the operating partnership of Invitation Homes, in connection with their US$500 million senior notes offering. Invitation Homes is a real estate investment trust and a leading owner and operator of single-family homes for lease, with over 80,000 homes for lease. The Sidley team was led by partners Jason Friedhoff, Bart Sheehan, and Adam Gross. Read more here, https://bit.ly/3XQPfD2. 

Sidley welcomes Jay Sadanandan, Sam Hamilton, Fergus O'Domhnaill, Joseph Kimberling, and Ben Wright, who have joined Sidley’s Global Finance practice as partners in London. Ms. Sadanandan and Mr. Hamilton will be global co-heads of Sidley’s Leveraged Finance practice.   “By adding this high profile team of extremely accomplished lawyers to our Global Finance practice we have taken our premier platform for private equity clients, both in London and globally, to a new level,” said Brian Fahrney, chair-elect of the Executive Committee and global co-leader of Sidley’s M&A and Private Equity practice group. “Their collective legal firepower, knowledge, and demonstrated success in advising leading global sponsors and borrowers is second to none in the European market, and will considerably enhance the finance offering to our clients.” Read more on their practices here, https://bit.ly/3zxkDP4.