Sidley Austin’s Management Committee Elects First Female Chair

Sidley Austin’s Management Committee Elects First Female Chair

Sidley Austin has appointed Yvette Ostolaza as the first female chair of its management committee. Ostolaza will assume her new role in April 2022 and this is the first time in the firm’s 155-year old history that a woman will lead the firm’s management committee. She will replace Sidley’s management committee’s current chair, Larry Barden, who assumed the role in 2014 and is scheduled to step down from his position next year.

The nine-member management committee is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the firm and works with the 34-member Executive Committee chaired by Michael Schmidtberger. The management committee is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the law firm.

Yvette is also the managing partner of Sidley’s Dallas office and co-chairs its Global Litigation Practice. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. She specializes in complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and investigations and has significant experience in representing global clients in MDL, bankruptcy, arbitration, and securities litigation cases in U.S state/federal and appellate courts. She also assists companies and directors in defending shareholder and securities class actions and leads complex internal investigations on behalf of corporates, individual directors, and board committees. From 2009-2020, she has been ranked by Chambers USA as a leading General Commercial Litigator, noting that clients call her “a force of nature.” She received her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

Yvette said, “I am honored to be chosen to help lead one of the world’s premier law firms and look forward to working with Larry and the entire Management Committee over the next year as chair-elect. Larry has demonstrated incredibly successful, inspiring leadership since taking the reins in 2014, and I look forward to continuing Sidley’s 155-year legacy of growth and progress. I am deeply grateful for his mentorship throughout my career at Sidley and appreciate his steadfast commitment and many contributions to this great firm.”

Commenting on Yvette’s new role, Barden said, “This role is a natural for Yvette, who has proven to be a highly dynamic and effective leader, lawyer and partner. She is the kind of leader who brings out the best in those around her, the kind of lawyer who clients trust with their most important matters and the kind of partner who is completely dedicated to the success of the firm. In addition to her service on the firm’s Management and Executive Committees, Yvette currently co-chairs our Global Litigation Practice and is Managing Partner of our Dallas office. Those traits and experiences translate perfectly to the chair position and help ensure that Sidley’s future is bright.”

Last year, Sidley ranked as the sixth-largest law firm in the United States by revenue. Yvette joined Sidley from Weil, Gotshal & Manges where she led the firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation Group.