Brian Fahrney

About Brian Fahrney

Brian Fahrney is the chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee, a member of the firm\'s Management Committee, and previously served as a global co-leader of the M&A and Private Equity group. He has more than 30 years of experience working on M&A, Capital Markets, IPOs, SEC and Corporate Governance matters for a wide range of companies, including GE, ServiceMaster, Churchill Downs, Glencore, McDonald\'s, Arthur J. Gallagher, Tribune Company, AFLAC, Synchrony Financial, Gogo, Careerbuilder.com and Masonite. He also regularly advises investment banking firms in connection with capital markets and M&A transactions, and has many years of experience working in the insurance and financial services sectors. Brian is often retained by special committees of boards of directors to advise on transaction, litigation and conflict matters. He Chairs the Executive Committee of the Garrett Institute of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, is a members of the Civic Committee of Chicago and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School.

Experience

1. Executive Committee Chair

   Sidley Austin LLP

   Apr 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Bachelor's Degree, Accounting, With Honors

  1985 — 1988

• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

  Juris Doctor (J.D.), Law Graduate, Northwestern University Law Review

  1989 — 1992

Skills

• Insurance Law
• Corporate Governance
• Cross-Border M&a
• Capital Markets
• Financial Institutions
• Joint Ventures
• Mergers & Acqusitions