Leading A Biglaw Firm Through Interesting Times: Yvette Ostolaza

Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here.

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We live in an interesting time for Biglaw—in the ironic sense that “interesting” is used in the famous saying, “may you live in interesting times” (whose origin is disputed). Today is a time of unique challenges and opportunities for the world of large law firms.

What does it feel like to sit in the chair of a Biglaw leader right now? To find out, I welcomed a guest I’ve been wanting to have on the podcast for a while: Yvette Ostolaza, chair of the management committee at Sidley Austin.

I was hoping to ask Yvette about, shall we say, current events. But at the outset of our interview, she explained that she couldn’t comment on recent news developments involving the firm. (She didn’t name specific subjects, but an obvious one would be the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sending letters to 20 law firms—including Sidley—to obtain information about their DEI-related employment practices.)

Nevertheless, we still covered a lot of ground. We discussed her journey to the top job at Sidley, the nation’s #6 firm in terms of revenue; her vision for the future of the firm; and how she juggles running a Biglaw firm, litigating on behalf of her clients, and parenting three children. Thanks so much to Yvette for joining me.

Show Notes:

• Yvette Ostolaza bio, Sidley Austin LLP

• Leader, Luminary, Role Model: Yvette Ostolaza Breaks Ceilings And Brings The Rain, by Liane Jackson for Forbes

Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.

Sponsored by:

NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment at nexfirm dot com.

Yvette Ostolaza (courtesy photo via Sidley Austin)