Yvette Ostolaza: Leading expansion of global firm Sidley Austin in Miami

Yvette Ostolaza is a partner at Sidley Austin, one of the largest law firms in the world by revenue. She’s also chair of the management committee, member of the executive committee, and has spent almost 32 years as a successful litigator, specializing in commercial litigation and disputes, crisis management and strategic response, energy companies, securities and shareholder litigation, and government litigation and investigations.

As chair, she led the expansion of the firm to Miami, where it will occupy 60,000 square feet at 830 Brickell next year. The Miami office, which now has 40 lawyers, is seeking to hire more.

Ms. Ostolaza graduated from the University of Miami and worked almost 22 years at law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges, where she also became member of the management committee. In 2013, she became managing partner at Sidley, and in April 2021 she was appointed chair of its management committee.

She is the first woman chair of the firm, and among a small number of women holding such high roles at a global law firm. “I’m honored and humble to have the position that I have, and to be one of the first,” she said. “To the extent that I can be a role model for men and women, I’m very excited about that.”

Ms. Ostolaza has been ranked a leading general commercial litigator by Chamber USA every year since 2009. She has also received the Thought Leadership Award from Corporate Counsel, and the Inside Counsel’s 2019 Women, Influence and Power in Law Award.

In 2016, she received the Girls Inc. Women of Achievement Award; the Larry Schoenbrun Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League in Dallas; the Mari Carmen Aponte Award by the Hispanic National Bar Association; and has been named one of 20 women of excellence by Hispanic Business Magazine.

Her hope is to continue growing the Miami office, and to spearhead the recruitment of Miami talent in this growing city, she said. Ms. Ostolaza is only admitted to practice law in New York and Texas, but said she is open to taking the Florida bar.

“During the pandemic, we saw the talent move to South Florida,” she said. “So, you move where your talent moves to. We had attorneys that were already living in South Florida and wanted to stay here.”

Ms. Ostolaza spoke with Miami Today reporter Monica Correa.

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