Michael Schlessinger, former Tax Director of Genworth Financial, Joins Sidley Austin LLP as Partner

Michael Schlessinger re-joins Sidley Austin LLP as a Partner. Schlessinger left Sidley in 2000 to join GE as the Tax Director of its life insurance business, then assumed the same role for Genworth Financial following its spin-off in 2004. He will be resident in the Chicago office.

“We are delighted to have Mike back,” said Thomas A. Cole, chair of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Sharp Sorensen, Firm-wide co-head of the tax group added, “The combination of Mike’s in-depth understanding of the insurance industry, and his superb talents as a tax lawyer, will add significant strength to our national tax practice and enhance our ability to serve the multi-faceted needs of our insurance and other clients.”

Sidley is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,600 lawyers practicing in 15 U.S. and international cities including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Sidley was named the Number One-Ranked U.S. Law Firm for Overall Client Service in 2002 and 2004 in surveys of Fortune 1000 executives by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm. In 2005, BTI 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 five years in a row. Sidley received the 2005 Catalyst Award in recognition of the firm’s initiative to recruit, retain and advance diverse talent.