Benchmark Litigation is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Key practice areas
PTAB litigation
Life sciences IP
Intellectual property
ITC litigation
Patent disputes
Trade mark
Patent
IP transactions
IP transactions
Bankruptcy
Labor and employment
Insurance
Intellectual property
Dispute resolution
International arbitration
White collar crime
Securities
Competition/antitrust
Appellate
Product liability
Product liability and recall
Commercial
Constitutional
Firm overview

Sidley is an elite global law firm. Harnessing 158 years of legal heritage, we provide strong representation on behalf of clients in more than 70 countries. Our lawyers apply a Built to WinSM client service model to their legal strategies, ensuring the best possible outcomes in complex transactional, restructuring, regulatory, and litigation matters. With 21 offices strategically situated in key commercial and financial hubs across the world, our perspective and our reach are truly global. Our 2,300 lawyers, fluent in more than 80 languages, possess the cultural awareness and cross-border legal acumen needed to bring clarity to a dynamic business landscape.

Follow Sidley on Twitter @SidleyLaw.

Appellate: Sidley is widely recognized as one of the premier appellate firms in the country, and as a trailblazer — regularly addressing intricate, precedent-setting issues in federal and state law in the Supreme Court, the federal courts of appeals, as well as state appellate and supreme courts across the nation. Since the inception of the practice in 1985, the team, including more than 20 former Supreme Court clerks, has briefed over 220 cases on the merits and argued more than 150 cases before the Court.

Bankruptcy: Sidley’s global Restructuring group is regularly involved in the largest restructurings throughout the world. The team represents companies facing in-court or out-of-court restructurings, official and ad hoc committees of creditors, agent lenders, and participants in distressed M&A processes. Sidley prides itself on the group’s ability to use innovative, bespoke approaches to obtain the best results in complex situations.

Commercial: Clients repeatedly turn to Sidley’s Commercial Litigation team when their most important disputes must be tried. Sidley’s track record of successes is unparalleled in high-stakes, mission-critical cases against well-regarded opponents, no matter the forum. The team’s full-service litigation capabilities are relied upon by leading global companies with household names.

Competition/Antitrust: As a part of the firm’s global antitrust offering, Sidley has a strong and well-respected litigation practice. Sidley lawyers represent clients in their most complex cases, including matters involving antitrust enforcement, merger clearances, claims of collusion, and other alleged antitrust violations. The team has represented domestic and international corporations, trade associations, government entities, professional societies, and individuals in the full range of civil and criminal trials.

Insurance: Sidley’s Insurance Disputes practice advises on significant insurance litigation nationwide across a variety of areas, including regulatory compliance, insurance class actions, reinsurance disputes, ERISA litigation, general commercial litigation, securities and shareholder litigation, and Supreme Court and appellate courts, among other areas.

Intellectual Property: Sidley boasts one of the most distinguished and highly regarded Intellectual Property litigation practices in the U.S., with approximately 80 lawyers and a deep bench of trial lawyers. Handling matters for innovation-driven clients ranging from global Fortune 500 companies to groundbreaking startups, the team develops winning strategies for high-stakes IP litigation involving patents, trade secret and unfair competition, false advertising, copyright infringement, and trademarks.

International Arbitration: Sidley’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice exemplifies a superior depth of knowledge of the law, regulatory challenges, and culture of the jurisdictions in which the team practices. Operating from the U.S., Europe, and Asia, the team works as a tightly integrated team of practitioners with different cultural and legal backgrounds and broad language capabilities.

Labor and Employment: Sidley is at the forefront of representing employers in major high-profile class and collective action litigation against many of the biggest and most aggressive plaintiffs’ firms in the country. The team is known for winning bet-the-company cases and deftly handling high-value discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, executive disputes, whistle-blower claims, restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation, and investigations involving matters of the utmost importance to companies.

Product Liability and Recall: Sidley’s Product Liability and Mass Torts practice has played key roles in many of the most significant product liability litigations. The team has decades of experience handling claims associated with products, the facilities that manufacture them, and the companies that sell them. We defend clients in state and federal courts and are typically lead counsel in multidistrict litigations and state coordinated proceedings.

Securities: Sidley’s Securities and Shareholder Litigation team stands out for the strength of its work, winning complex securities matters at the trial level and on appeal across a variety of sectors. The team’s deep bench and extensive experience allows Sidley to represent a wide range of clients. This includes major corporations and private companies, boards of directors and board committees, senior executives, financial advisers, investment banks, and auditors.

White Collar Crime: Sidley lawyers have handled investigations in more than 130 countries, collaborating seamlessly across borders and practice groups to offer a cohesive approach to white collar crime and corporate investigations matters. The firm can mobilize teams quickly to swiftly deploy the critical legal support needed to manage sensitive, high-profile investigations and litigation.

 

Updated Sep 2024

Address:
One South Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60603
Tel:+1 312 853 7000 Web Address:https://www.sidley.com/en/us/
2027 Edition
Appellate
22 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Bankruptcy
20 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Commercial
38 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Competition/antitrust
43 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Constitutional
11 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Consumer class actions
14 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Health/Life sciences
7 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Insurance
22 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Intellectual property
44 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
International arbitration
15 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Privacy and data protection
8 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Product liability and recall
29 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Securities
28 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
White collar crime
48 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1 ...


Unlock this content.

These rankings will be officially released on November 30. Subscribers can view the rankings now through exclusive early access.

Request Early Access Login to continue
Linked Reviews
Dispute Resolution
Sidley Austin’s US disputes practice combines formidable national reach with depth across commercial litigation, securities, antitrust, restructuring, product liability and intellectual property. With more than 500 litigators across California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Washington, DC, the firm maintains a broad national platform. Clients describe Sidley as “a great firm with enormous reach, expertise and resources” and praise its ability to manage “big, complicated, multi-jurisdictional and multi-dimensional litigation scenarios.” Another reports, “Sidley delivers and provides excellent value on bet-the-company matters.”

New York provides a particularly deep concentration of Sidley’s disputes talent. New York antitrust partner Benjamin “Ben” Nagin led Cantor Fitzgerald’s defense against former limited partners challenging forfeiture-for-competition provisions under the Sherman Act. In December 2025, the Third Circuit issued a precedential opinion rejecting the claims and affirming an earlier dismissal. A client describes Nagin for providing “Very practical advice,” describing him as “Commercially savvy” And “Agile on his feet in court.”

The New York office also houses a formidable restructuring practice. Steve Hessler is credited with his “Leadership and board presence” and is characterized by one client as “one of the most brilliant and capable lawyers I have every worked with,” as well as “extremely strategic, responsive, and pragmatic.” Patrick “Pat” Venter similarly earns praise for his strategic approach and “calm, steady presence” under an “extremely compressed and high-pressure timeline.” Anthony Grossi is hailed by a client as “a brilliant strategist” whose “results are exceptional.”

Further New York depth comes from securities and corporate-governance work. Charlotte Newell is identified by one client as “the young star of Sidley's corporate governance practice” who is “laser sharp, writes beautifully and keeps her finger on the pulse of the practice.” Securities lawyer Alex Kaplan is similarly described as “creative, aggressive, thoughtful and all over the details,” while product-liability partner Heidi Levine is credited with “[taking] client service to a supreme level.”

Texas provides another important center of strength. Securities litigator Yolanda Garcia is characterized as “an outstanding advocate and leader” who is “absolutely relentless in her pursuit of clients goals” while retaining the ability to “charm judges and witnesses with her courtroom presence.” Her management of complicated multijurisdictional litigation involving an oil and gas company in late 2025 was singled out as particularly effective. Commercial litigators Angela Zambrano and Penny Reid, alongside labor and employment lawyer Margaret Allen, are collectively credited with combining “sophisticated legal analysis with practical business judgment” by a client. The three are also praised as “strategic, well prepared, and effective advocates who quickly identify the issues that matter most.”

California houses another broad disputes bench. Nima Mohebbi is described by a client as “our outside inside counsel who quarterbacks us across all global disputes,” with an understanding of the client's business comparable to that of in-house counsel. Jack Yeh led a trial team to a unanimous verdict on every count in a complex, multiyear commercial dispute, recovering the full amount sought and defeating all opposing cross-claims. His client singles out his strategy, courtroom communication and leadership, calling him “steady, intense, and unflappable under pressure.” Emerging partner Rara Kang also earns notice for her role in dismantling the foundation of a multimillion-dollar damages model, neutralizing damaging testimony and preserving key objections for appeal.

Washington, DC remains an important base for Sidley’s appellate and intellectual-property capabilities. Carter Phillips is among the firm’s most prominent appellate advocates, supported by Paul Zidlicky and the wider national appellate team. Their work receives an emphatic endorsement from one source: “Fantastic appellate work. Highly recommended!” Jeff Kushan adds substantial patent-litigation experience to the office as well.

For all its scale, clients repeatedly emphasize the hands-on nature of Sidley’s representation. One reports that the firm “prepares for trial from day one,” “protects the record and our appellate rights at every step,” and “treats the case as if the firm's own interests were on the line.” Another says the team pairs challenges with “thoughtful, practical options and strategic recommendations.” It is perhaps this combination that most neatly captures Sidley’s position in the market: in one client’s words, the resources of “the global powerhouse of [Sidley Austin]” coupled with the attention of “a small firm hands on partner.”




Updated October 2026
10 results10 results
Sponsored