About Steven J.
Steven J. Horowitz graduated from Harvard Law School in 2006 after completing a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Temple University in 2002. His academic record placed him on a traditional path into the appellate world. The choice of schools and the subjects he studied signaled an interest in complex legal reasoning.
He served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2009 and then at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2010. Those clerkships exposed him to high-stakes appellate litigation and to briefs and arguments at the highest levels of the federal judiciary. Colleagues have noted that the experience sharpened his approach to appellate briefing and oral argument.
Horowitz has been a partner at Sidley Austin LLP since 2019. At a firm known for its national litigation practice, he has occupied roles that involve substantial appellate work. His career path includes long stretches in federal courts and appellate advocacy, reflecting the trajectory suggested by his clerkships.
He is admitted to practice in Illinois and holds admission to argue in multiple federal circuits, including the Second, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, Eleventh and Federal Circuits. He also is admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court and to several U.S. district courts, including the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Michigan and the Northern District of Florida. Those admissions allow him to carry matters through trial courts and into appellate review when necessary.
His professional affiliations include membership in the Illinois State Bar, which he retains as a current member. He participates in the routines of bar practice that accompany federal and appellate litigation, including filings and courtroom appearances across jurisdictions.
Observers describe his practice as centered on appellate litigation and federal-court matters. He prepares briefs, handles appeals and appears in argument before appellate panels. His background in philosophy and his clerkship experience inform a methodical approach to legal questions and to the craft of written advocacy.
He is based at Sidley Austin LLP and maintains an active docket of appeals and federal cases. He currently focuses his practice on appellate and federal litigation matters.
