Sidley Austin
-
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Updates and Addenda
In the world of Biglaw, the subject of bonuses is a hot-button issue. People will disagree, often vehemently, on whether the bonuses paid by a particular firm are generous or cheap. Some of our recent bonus posts have generated salient updates and dissenting opinions. After the jump, we bring you postscripts regarding bonuses at several major law firms, including Cravath, Kaye Scholer, Quinn Emanuel, Sidley Austin, and Weil Gotshal.... -
Associate Bonus Watch 2011, Biglaw, Bonuses, Money
Associate Bonus Watch: Sidley's Bonus Match Draws Yawns From Associates
Elie has a disproportionate amount of lawyer friends who work at Sidley Austin. Their bonuses have caused all sorts of fun to happen in his inbox. The firm appears to be matching the market bonus in New York and D.C. We haven't seen the memo, but we understand that Sidley is matching the Cravath scale instead of the higher Sullivan & Cromwell mark.... - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Advertising, Biglaw, Career Center, Partner Issues, Reader Polls, Shameless Plugs, Texas, This Is an Ad, United Kingdom / Great Britain
Career Center Survey Results: Top Partners to Work For – Smaller Legal Markets (Part 2)
We hope you’ve enjoyed following the Career Center’s Top Partners series through which we’ve recognized Biglaw partners from around the country who exemplify what it means to be an exceptional partner who associates are actually happy to work for. Thanks to all the readers who took the time to submit such glowing nominations and give […]
-
Advertising, Arent Fox, Biglaw, California, Career Center, Partner Issues, Reader Polls, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center Survey Results: Top Partners to Work For – California (Part 1)
Welcome to the West Coast edition of the Career Center’s Top Partners to Work For. For the past few weeks, we have revealed the best partners to work for in New York and Washington, D.C., as nominated by you, our readers. Now we make our way across the country to present you with the first […] -
Amy Schulman, Biglaw, Conferences / Symposia, Feminism, Gender, General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Minority Issues, Partner Issues, Women's Issues
Her Stories: The Evolving Role of Women in Business and Law
At the Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference, sponsored by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), there was a great lunchtime discussion called “Her Stories: The Evolving Role of Women in Business and Law.” It featured a panel of heavy hitters: two women currently serving as general counsel to Fortune 500 companies, and a third who […] -
Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners, Sports
Size Matters: Sport-Minded Solo Success Story
Small firm columnist Valerie Katz would like you to meet Jessica Fairchild of Fairchild Law Offices, LLC. Fairchild, a University of Chicago graduate and former Sidley Austin attorney, started her own firm in May 2010. Fairchild’s path to solo success was the result of this lady making things happen. How can you achieve similar success? Try for yourself by following these steps.... -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Family Law, Litigators, Litigatrix, Loyola Law School, Romance and Dating, Small Law Firms, Weddings
An Update on Chicago's Runaway Bridegroom and Jilted Bride
In a Chicago lawsuit, a lovely young lawyer, Lauren Serafin, sued her handsome ex-fiancé, Sidley Austin associate Robert Leighton, for "breach of promise" to marry. Serafin alleged that Leighton cheated on her during his Las Vegas bachelor party, with a woman named "Danielle," and then broke off the engagement -- saddling Serafin with almost $63,000 in wedding- and honeymoon-related expenses. We now bring you an update on this saga.... -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Clerkships, Fabulosity, Money, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Bonuses Are Heading Higher
As in past years, many of the October Term 2010 Supreme Court law clerks are joining private law firms -- which welcome them with six-figure signing bonuses. These bonuses are paid on top of base salaries reflecting their seniority, as well as the usual year-end bonuses. For the past few years, law firm signing bonuses for members of The Elect have hovered around $250,000. But this year, at least a few firms are offering even more. So how much are we talking about? - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Biglaw, Small Law Firms
Size Matters: Beauty Contests
How can you make your small law firm stand out in a Biglaw beauty pageant? Valerie Katz has got some tips so you can put on your evening gown, wish for world peace, and go get that client.... -
9/11, Crime, Drinking, Screw-Ups, Sentencing Law
Could a Harvard Law Grad Go to Jail for Failing to Pay What He Owes?
Brian Schroeder, the Harvard Law School graduate who set fire to a memorial housing the remains of 9/11 victims, could be looking at jail time if he can't make restitution. He needs to come up with $50,000 -- ASAP. -
Gay, Military / Military Law, Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 07.15.11
* DADT may be back on the table after yesterday’s DOJ request. For real? Whoever wants to serve our country should be able to do so. End of story. [Bloomberg] * @JoseBaez’s trial strategy in the #CaseyAnthony case was based on the opinions of Tweeps and bloggers. #knowhowiknowurdumb [Palm Beach Post] * This Emory Law […]
-
Biglaw, Deaths
In Re The Passing Of A Skadden Associate
In this sobering post about an associate's death, we encourage lawyers to assess their lives, as well as their mental and physical well being. If as a result of this tragic death somebody else out there can find a moment to recalibrate his or her life, that can be a good thing. -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Email Scandals, Exercise, Travel / Vacation
Into the Wild: Where In the World Is Tyler Coulson?
Do you remember our Lawyer of the Month for March, Tyler Coulson? He’s the former Sidley Austin Chicago associate who decided that he’d rather walk from Delaware to California than do another day of lawyering. Is he still alive, or did he get eaten by a bear?
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
-
General Counsel, In-House Counsel, Money
Inside Straight: Be An In-House Hero: Escheat Audits!
It’s not just the federal government that’s desperate for money. The states are, too. One way that states are looking to fill their coffers is by auditing unclaimed property on companies’ books — so-called “escheat audits.” This isn’t the world’s sexiest topic, but an in-house lawyer might serve a valuable purpose by double-checking corporate escheat […] -
Biglaw, Contests, Lawyer of the Day, Reader Polls
Lawyer of the Month: We Like It When People Just Walk Away
So this month, we went out of our way to nominate potential Lawyers of the Month who were still breathing. The desire of our readers to bestow this honor posthumously is laudable, but we don’t want to this feature to end up like the “dead people” reel at the Oscars, where folks bet on which […] -
Associate Bonus Watch 2010, Bonuses
Associate Bonus Watch: Sidley Austin Matches on Spring Bonuses
Well, Sidley Austin turned that around more quickly than I thought. Last night I pointed out that any further delay from Sidley Austin regarding spring bonuses would just be causing pain and anguish for Sidley associates for no reason. The firm was going to have to match anyway, so why drag it out? Well, today […] -
Biglaw, Contests, Lawyer of the Day, Reader Polls
Lawyer of the Month: March Reader Poll (Still Breathing Edition)
Our first two lawyer of the month polls in 2011 were dominated by death and despair. Several high-profile, wonderful attorneys died in the month of March — e.g., Warren Christopher, Bill Stuntz — but we’re not including them in this month’s contest. This month, the lawyer of the month reader poll is 100% alive. And […] -
Biglaw, Boutique Law Firms, Lawsuit of the Day, Litigators, Litigatrix, Loyola Law School, Romance and Dating, Small Law Firms, Weddings
Lawsuit of the Day: Jilted Lawyer Bride Sues Sidley Associate for Wedding Expenses
Associates in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin seem to be doing a lot of walking these days. Last week, for example, bankruptcy associate Tyler Coulson announced that he was leaving the firm in order to walk across the country with his dog. Today we bring you the tale of Sidley IP associate Robert Leighton, […] -
Biglaw, Career Alternatives, Email Scandals, Exercise, Travel / Vacation
Want Out of Biglaw? Take a Hike!
Reading law firm departure memos is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes you taste bitterness. Sometimes the flavor is spicy hot. Sometimes you get a little Costa Rica crunch. And sometimes you get… this, which was sent to everyone at Sidley Austin yesterday by an associate leaving […] -
Morning Docket
Morning Docket: 02.15.11
* Clarence Thomas is now being criticized for attending a Koch party. Koch, not Coke. [New York Times] * Chevron gets hit with a record-setting judgment in the Ecuadorian environmental case — and it has to apologize. [Wall Street Journal] * Musical chairs: David Hoffman — a former Rehnquist clerk and Kash-certified hottie, who previously […]