Not all frontline litigators are trusted boardroom advisors. By all accounts, the incoming chair of the management committee at Sidley Austin is both.

The firm announced yesterday morning that Dallas litigator Yvette Ostolaza, who currently serves on the firm’s management and executive committees, will spend the next year working alongside current management committee chair Larry Barden, who will step down next April. Investment funds partner Michael Schmidtberger, who chairs the firm’s 34-member executive committee, is staying on in his role.