Sidley Austin Celebrates with $1M Donation

New York — Sidley Austin LLP is commemorating 100 years in New York by giving back to the community with a $1 million donation to benefit New York Cares and United Way of New York City, two of New York City’s most important not-for-profit organizations. Each organization will receive $500,000.

“Sidley has thrived in New York, and our 400 lawyers make us one of the largest law offices in the City,” said Michael J. Schmidtberger, managing partner of Sidley’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “Our successful merger with the venerable firm of Brown & Wood in 2001 propelled Sidley forward in a powerful combination – at the time dubbed ‘Wall Street meets Main Street’ – and set the stage for our continued global growth. Today, we are more than 1,800 lawyers in 18 offices throughout the global commercial, financial and regulatory centers. We are grateful to be in a position to give back to the community where we live and work.”

In the heart of the world’s financial center, the Sidley New York office has been recognized as serving the global financial community with innovative legal solutions for a century. It is also recognized for investing in the city’s broader community through public service.

The firm has long provided leadership on the boards of both New York Cares and United Way of New York City, two prominent organizations in New York. Through New York Cares, the firm has championed Adult Education and Job Readiness programs that provide thousands of unemployed and underemployed with tools to find well-paying jobs, and has supported Winter Wishes for Kids and Families, answering holiday gift requests from those in need, among numerous other activities. The firm’s lawyers and staff also volunteer their time for many of the organization’s programs including assembling care kits for veterans, refurbishing challenged public schools and many others.

Sidley and United Way of New York City have built a strong and vital pro bono partnership and worked to further expand the organization’s ability to deliver support and service where it is most needed in the community. In particular, Sidley and the United Way of New York have worked for low-income New Yorkers, ensuring short-term needs are met while simultaneously working on long-term solutions to problems through multiple programs.

“New York Cares is so grateful to Sidley for this incredibly generous gift,” said Paul J. Taubman, President, Board of Directors of New York Cares. “We have a strong history of both financial and volunteer support from Sidley, and this new gift reaffirms Sidley’s long-standing commitment to the New York community. Their support and hands-on commitment to our programs for the less fortunate have been, and continue to be, overwhelming.”

“Sidley Austin's presence is deeply woven into the fabric of New York City, and we are extremely grateful for this incredible gift,” said Sheena Wright, President and CEO, United Way of New York City. “We appreciate the significance of UWNYC being recognized during their centennial as a leading organization in our city. Sidley has been a valued partner and we are looking forward to the opportunity to deepen our relationship with a business that is as committed to benefitting all New Yorkers as we are. This donation is a testament to their generosity, and will enable UWNYC to move our programs forward in a meaningful way to affect change in the city we both share and care for deeply.”

“Sidley has continually built a tradition of service, excellence and experience in New York over the past 100 years,” said Carter Phillips, chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “It is gratifying to take a step back and see the importance in what we have achieved in this vital global center and the deep roots we have laid down through our place in the community. We have long believed that our efforts to help solve problems in each of the communities in which we practice are integrally related to our ability to assist our clients with their global legal needs, and that is why we take pride in being both local and global at the same time.”

The largest portion of the firm's capital markets practice is based in New York and the Office has been broadly recognized in the areas of securitization, structured finance, debt and equity offerings and derivatives. In addition, Sidley’s New York lawyers have broad experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and commercial finance, investment funds, insurance, securities regulatory and enforcement, broker dealer regulation, bankruptcy and restructuring, commodities, real estate and REITs, intellectual property, project finance and tax. The New York office also features a strong international practice, representing domestic and global clients in cross-border transactions involving the European Union, China, Japan, India, Canada, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific.

Sidley has a substantial litigation practice in New York, with approximately 100 lawyers focused on all aspects of civil litigation, arbitrations and investigations. Sidley New York lawyers currently serve or have served in senior positions with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and FINRA, and as Assistant U.S. Attorneys. 

About New York Cares:

New York Cares is New York City’s largest volunteer management organization.  Founded more than 25 years ago, New York Cares runs volunteer programs for 1,300 New York City nonprofits, city agencies, and public schools across the five boroughs.  Last year, 59,000 New York Cares volunteers served on hands-on volunteer projects helping 400,000 New Yorkers in need.  For more information, visit www.newyorkcares.org.

About United Way of New York City:

United Way of New York City mobilizes communities to eradicate barriers and create opportunities that improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers for the benefit of all.  They envision caring communities where all individuals and families have access to quality education and the opportunity to lead healthy and financially secure lives. Learn more at unitedwaynyc.org.

About Sidley Austin LLP:

With more than 1,800 lawyers in 18 offices worldwide, Sidley has built a reputation as a premier legal adviser for global businesses and financial institutions. For the fourth consecutive year, and every year since the survey’s inception, Sidley received the most first-tier national rankings of any U.S. law firm in the 2014 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” survey. On Law360’s list of Global 20 Firms, Sidley was ranked among the top law firms “with the greatest global reach and expertise.” To stay up-to-date with the latest Sidley news, please follow us on Twitter at @SidleyNewsroom or download the Sidley Mobile App.