Sidley Austin, formerly known as Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, is a general practice law firm based in the US focusing on expertise in transactional and litigation matters. The firm was formed as the result of the 2001 merger of Chicago-based Sidley & Austin, founded in 1866, and New York-based Brown & Wood, founded in 1914. The firm's headquarters is in Chicago. Its disciplines include corporate and securities, mergers and acquisitions, securitization, intellectual property, funds and other pooled investments, bankruptcy and corporate reorganization, bank and commercial lending, public finance, real estate, tax and employee benefits, and trusts and estates.