1) Chicago, Illinois. The Gangsters. The Depression. Al Capone. The Prohibition. Dillinger. Thompson. The Untouchables. The Sting. The Blues. The 60's... And The Law Firm Sidley & Austin, Where 'Michelle' LaVaughn Robinson Met Barry Soetoro.

'Gentlemen Step Out In Your Fedora'

2) Sidley & Austin Traces Its Roots Back To Williams & Thompson, A Chicago Law Firm Founded In 1866 By John Leverett Thompson And Norman Williams.

3) The Name Sidley — From William Pratt Sidley, Who Started Working For The Firm As A Young Lawyer In 1892 — Entered The Firm's Title In 1900, When It Became Holt, Wheeler & Sidley.

Looking West On South Water Street, 1915.
Police Directing Downtown Traffic, 1917.

4) Edwin C. Austin Joined The Firm In 1914. By This Time, Clients Included Many Of Chicago's Largest Businesses, Including Pullman, Western Electric, Illinois Steel, American Bicycle Company And American Piano Company.

Illinois Steel Co., No Date.
American Piano Company, 1913.

5) In 1916, The Firm Consisted Of Nine Lawyers And Their Office Staff. By 1941, When The Firm Was Known As Sidley, McPherson, Austin & Burgess, It Employed 32 Lawyers.

Crowd Of Bathers, Lake Michigan Beach, 1925.
Mrs. Snyder's Candy Shop, South Michigan Avenue, 1927.

6) In the 1920's, The Firm Was Named Cutting, Moore & Sidley. Judge Charles S. Cutting Became Part Of The Firm In 1913, After Holding The Position Of Judge Of The Probate Court In Austin, Illinois, From 1899 to 1913.

7) From 1950 To 1967, The Firm Was Called Sidley, Austin, Burgess & Smith. In 1967, When It Changed Its Name To Sidley & Austin, It Consisted Of 80 Lawyers, Half Of Whom Were Partners.

Soup Kitchen Opened By Al Capone, 1931.
Al Capone Mugshot, Chicago PD, 1931.

8) A 1972 Merger With Liebman, Williams, Bennett, Baird & Minow, Another Large Chicago Law Firm, Created A Firm Of 150 Lawyers. Over The Next 25 Years Sidley & Austin Grew To Rank Consistently As One Of Chicago's Largest Law Firms.

Al Capone, Chicago Courtroom. 1931.

9) In 2001, It Merged With Competitor Brown & Wood To Become Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood. Under Its New Name, The Firm Claimed 400 Attorneys And 1,400 Staff In Its Chicago Headquarters Alone, With Fourteen Additional Offices Nationwide.

John Dillinger's Trial Hearing. 1930's.

10) "The Practice Of Brown & Wood Is One Of The Preeminent Practices On Wall Street," Said Chuck Douglas, Head Of Sidley & Austin's Management Committee. "Their Client Base Is Primarily Investment Banks And Other Financial Institutions."

Stateville Prison Riot, March 18, 1931.

11) "Our Historic Strength Is In The General Corporate Arena." Douglas Said. "Our Client Base Is Corporate America. Their Client Base Is Wall Street." Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood Has Annual Revenues Crossing One Billion Dollars.

Confiscated Liquor, 1925.

12) Out Of Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood's 600 Employees Who Worked In The World Trade Center At The Time Of The Attacks On 9/11, One Perished, A Switchboard Operator, Rosemary Smith.

13) Sidley & Austin's Merger With Powerhouse Wall Street Firm Brown & Wood, Founded In New York In 1914, Occurred Four Months Before The 9/11 Attacks, Creating What Would Be The Third-Largest Law Firm In The United States.

Outbound Locomotives, 1940.

14) Former Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood Partner, Raymond J. "R.J." Ruble, Was Among Nine Individuals Indicted August 2005 In Connection With Sale Of Fraudulent Tax Shelters That Helped Wealthy Individuals Avoid Paying Billions In Taxes.

St. Valentine"s Day Massacre, Thompsons.

15) The Question Is What Other Criminal Business Has Flowed Through This Law Firm Over The Years? Chicago's History And Sidley & Austin Must Have Had More Than An Occasional Bump-In On The Streets Of Chicago.

'Michelle' LaVaughn Robinson And Barry Soetoro.

16) Prohibition-Era Prescription For Whiskey.

17) 'Good Bye Hunter, So Long Scotch, Farewell Haig And Haig'

18) Sidley & Austin, Chicago, Thread Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidley_Austin
https://www.sidley.com/en/ourstory/ourstorieslanding/legacy
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-02-22/business/0102220061_1_sidley-austin-brown-wood-client-base
http://www.lawperiscope.com/firms/sidley-austin-brown-wood.php
http://palatinehistoricalsociety.com/2012/06/26/judge-charles-s-cutting/
https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/05/11/sidley-austin-when-barack-met-michelle/
https://www.archives.gov/research/american-cities
https://www.i-am-bored.com/2015/01/34-unseen-vintage-chicago-crime-photos-pix.html