Sidley Austin likes to brag that it was the first law firm to establish a stand-alone U.S. Supreme Court appellate practice—back in 1985. It’s kind of like a middle-aged man reliving his high school football days, except that in Sidley’s case, the boast still carries a lot of weight.
That’s because Sidley is consistently involved—directly or indirectly through amicus filings—in approximately 40 percent of the cases the Supreme Court hears each term. Since the firm founded its Supreme Court practice more than 25 years ago, its lawyers have argued 106 high court cases. In the 2010 term, they argued six and briefed three more on the merits. Included in its recent Supreme Court wins is one of the most important global warming cases to date, American Electric Power v. Connecticut . Sidley’s victory for utilities in that matter staved off what could have been an onslaught of lawsuits against industries seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions under federal common law.
