Chicago, August 8, 2007 – LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Sidley Austin LLP has announced that Gary Feinerman has joined as a partner with its Appellate and Litigation practices in the firm’s Chicago office. Feinerman was most recently Solicitor General of Illinois, where he managed more than 40 appellate lawyers in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. Feinerman will focus his practice on conducting appellate and trial court litigation in state and federal courts, as well as arbitrations.
A highly respected appellate lawyer, Feinerman has significant experience arguing and briefing notable matters before U.S. and Illinois courts. Recent representations include six of the Illinois Supreme Court Justices in Thomas v. Page, a state appellate court case that established the judicial deliberation privilege in Illinois, and presenting briefs and argument for the State of Illinois in Illinois v. Lidster in the United States Supreme Court and Bridges v State Board of Elections in the Illinois Supreme Court.
“Gary has a demonstrated ability to analyze the law and facts of a case in a way that is unusually persuasive before appellate courts,” said Carter Phillips, head of Sidley’s Appellate practice and managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. “His stellar record of effectively briefing and arguing complex issues will make him a wonderful resource for Sidley’s clients, but beyond that, Gary is a pleasure to work with, which makes him a perfect fit for the kind of collegial practice Sidley values.”
“I am joining Sidley because it will be especially rewarding to work with its talented team of appellate advocates, led by Carter Phillips, who I’ve long admired,” said Feinerman. “I am looking forward to helping to grow the Appellate practice nationwide and especially in Chicago, where I started my career as a summer associate.”
Feinerman received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his B.A. from Yale College. He clerked for Judge Joel M. Flaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court, and has served in the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Counsel to the President. Feinerman has also presented on numerous panels, including an appearance last month with Illinois Supreme Court Justices Rita Garman and Anne Burke for a presentation on appellate practice for the National Association of Women Lawyers. His numerous civic roles include serving as Secretary of the Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois and a board member for the Umoja Student Development Corporation.
One of the first law firms to have a dedicated appellate group, Sidley’s Appellate practice is national in scope, consisting of approximately 100 lawyers representing clients before the United States Supreme Court, state supreme courts, federal courts of appeals and other appellate forums. Sidley’s appellate lawyers have handled appeals in every United States Court of Appeals and in a majority of the state supreme courts. They also have significant experience in urging the United States to support actions taken by the firm’s clients in the Supreme Court and in other courts. One of the practice’s particular areas of experience is bringing law suits to challenge the constitutionality of state and federal laws and regulations.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,700 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. In 2006, Sidley was named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, their designation for “the 15 finest law firms in the world.” Sidley was again named the number one law firm for overall client service by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, in 2007. BTI has also 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 six years in a row.
