Northwestern Pritzker Law receives nearly $5 million to benefit Supreme Court and appellate advocacy

Press release: August 5, 2024

CHICAGO --- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law has received nearly $5 million in gifts to expand the Carter G. Phillips Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Center’s programs. The funds will be used for Supreme Court programming and related events across the Law School, as well as the Center’s two clinics: the newly named Carter G. Phillips/Sidley Austin LLP Supreme Court Clinic, where students work under the direction of faculty members who have collectively argued nearly 100 cases before the Supreme Court; and the Federal Appellate Clinic, in which students research, brief and argue cases in federal appellate courts across the country.  

Inspired by major contributions from Northwestern Law alums Sue J. Henry (JD ’77), Carter G. Phillips (JD ’77), Jessica E. Phillips (JD ’06) and the Sidley Austin Foundation, more than 50 friends, family and colleagues contributed to the donation in honor of Carter Phillips’ career and contributions to the legal profession as one of the most influential and successful Supreme Court and appellate litigators in the country. This act of generosity marks the latest commitment to education, research and scholarship at the Law School on the part of Sidley Austin and the Phillips family. Sidley Austin attorneys have operated in partnership with the Carter G. Phillips Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy since its founding.  

“We are tremendously grateful to Sue J. Henry, Carter G. Phillips, Jessica Phillips, Sidley Austin and all those who generously helped to establish these new funds to support Supreme Court and appellate programming at the Law School,” Dean Hari Osofsky said. “Carter Phillips has made an extraordinary difference through his incredible legal career and advocacy before the Supreme Court, and his leadership in our Carter G. Phillips Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Center and on our Law Board has made such a difference. This gift is a fitting and well-deserved tribute to his tremendous impact.” 

Carter Phillips currently serves as an adjunct professor at Northwestern Pritzker Law and has been director of the Supreme Court Clinic since its founding. Sue J. Henry and Jessica Phillips, Carter’s wife and daughter, have joined him and the Sidley Austin Foundation to make this latest, significant contribution to inspire others to donate in support of appellate advocacy at the Law School. 

“I am honored to be recognized by my family and colleagues through this extremely generous gift, which will help provide Northwestern Law students with the best possible tools in preparation for a career in appellate law,” Phillips said. “This new fund will contribute to the Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy’s vital work in representing clients in federal courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court while also providing crucial practical experiences for students.” 

“Sidley is proud to contribute to this outstanding institution, the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and to honor Carter for all he has done throughout his highly accomplished career,” said Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s management committee chair. “Throughout the 158-year history of our firm, we have been committed to strengthening the education of the next generation of leaders and will always remain dedicated to that pursuit.”

The Carter G. Phillips Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy has been a core part of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic for nearly 20 years. The Center, which is directed by Professor Danielle Hamilton and operated in partnership with attorneys from Sidley Austin LLP, serves the Northwestern Pritzker Law community and the general public through three primary avenues: two year-long clinical courses; a moot program; and a variety of research, policy and other events for the Northwestern Pritzker Law community. This includes supervising students pursuing an Appellate Concentration; inviting guest speakers to Chicago, including Justices of the Supreme Court; and publishing relevant scholarship in law reviews. 

Sidley Austin, LLP, is an elite global law firm. With 2,300 lawyers, the firm represents clients from more than 70 countries, with 21 offices strategically situated in key commercial and financial hubs across the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Lawyers at the firm have operated in partnership with the Carter G. Phillips Center for Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy for nearly 20 years, providing hands-on education and mentorship for students as they research, brief and argue federal cases across the country, including before the Supreme Court. Through its latest financial contribution to the Center, Sidley Austin Foundation hopes to continue supporting students in pursuit of appellate careers far into the future.