Sidley Austin LLP Names Nadine M. Lacombe Director of Diversity

LawFuel.com - August 21, 2009 - Chicago -- Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Nadine M. Lacombe has joined the firm as the global Director of Diversity, effective August 17, 2009. Ms. Lacombe is a lawyer with years of experience in developing and administering policies and programs designed to promote and maintain a diverse and inclusive environment. Ms. Lacombe will work in partnership with the firm’s Diversity Committee and the Committee on Retention and Promotion of Women to advance Sidley’s firmwide diversity initiatives, designed to achieve greater diversity not only for the firm but within the legal profession as a whole. She will be based in Chicago but will be actively working across Sidley’s offices while performing her firmwide role. “We are thrilled to welcome Nadine to our firm,” said Stanley B. Stallworth, a Chicago-based real estate partner and firmwide co-chair of the Diversity Committee. “We have taken great strides to create and foster a diverse and inclusive work environment at Sidley, but we always strive to do better. We welcome Nadine’s ideas, experience and enthusiasm in these efforts.” “I am very excited about this opportunity,” Ms. Lacombe said. “Sidley is a leader in the promotion of law firm diversity. The firm’s dedication to upholding its high standards for the advancement of women, people of color and the LGBT community demonstrates its commitment to excellence. I look forward to working with the team here to ensure that this tradition continues.” Ms. Lacombe joins Sidley from Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell, LLP, where she served as Director of Diversity and led their development and implementation of diversity policies. She was also the Deputy Director of the Office of Business and Workforce Diversity for the Illinois Department of Transportation, where she supervised the Small Business Enterprise and Civil Rights Bureaus. Prior to this, Ms. Lacombe was an Assistant State’s Attorney and progressed to a position of Deputy Supervisor in the Public Interest Bureau at the State’s Attorney’s Office. Ms. Lacombe received a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.S. from the University of Illinois. She is a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, the American Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association and the Haitian American Lawyers Association. “It is our mission to attract and retain outstanding lawyers who reflect the global marketplace that we serve,” said Thomas Cole, Chairman of the firm’s Executive Committee. “In order to nurture this mission, we have recruited top talent by hiring Nadine, who we are confident will be instrumental in helping the firm to reach the next stage of our diversity goals.“ Sidley’s commitment to diversity has included the creation of the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative, launched in 2006, which seeks to encourage greater diversity in law schools by providing financial support during the law school application process to racially and ethnically diverse undergraduate students. Sidley has received several honors for its diversity efforts, including being named a Best Law Firm for Women by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers, a national consulting firm advising lawyers and legal employers on work-life balance and the retention and advancement of women, in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Sidley received a ‘perfect’ 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2008 and 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a report card on LGBT equality in corporate America. In 2005, the firm was honored with the Catalyst Award presented by Catalyst, the leading research and advisory organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women and business. For more information on Sidley’s commitment to diversity, visit http://www.sidley.com/ourfirm/highlights/diversity/. Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with approximately 1700 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, its designation for the 18 firms “that define the pinnacle of the legal profession.” BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, has named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for seven years in a row, and to the BTI Power Elite as one of only seven law firms demonstrating the best client relationships for the fourth consecutive year. For purposes of the New York State Bar rules, this press release may be considered Attorney Advertising and the headquarters of the firm are Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and Sidley Austin LLP One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Sidley Austin LLP Names Nadine M. Lacombe Director of Diversity

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