NEW YORK — Sidley Austin LLP has announced that the law firm has been named to BTI Consulting Group’s BTI Power Elite for the fourth consecutive year, one of only seven firms to do so, in the 2008 BTI Power Rankings: The BTI Client Relationship Scorecard.

The BTI Power Elite is a select group of law firms “outperforming competitors in building powerful primary relationships, winning client recommendations and positioning themselves as the go-to firm.” Sidley, which has consistently ranked among the top law firms in the BTI Power Rankings, was named the number three law firm in the 2008 survey. Sidley was named the number two law firm in the 2007 survey and the number one law firm in the 2006 survey.

The BTI Power Rankings reports those law firms with the strongest market position based on six central elements that define client relationships. The 2008 rankings are based on interviews with more than 400 corporate counsel at Fortune 1000 and large organizations that determine number, strength and quality of client relationships.

Sidley tops the list as the most recommended law firm and leads the short list of clients in the pharmaceuticals industry. The report notes that Sidley’s client relationships “run deepest with pharmaceutical, investment banking and manufacturing clients.”

Sidley Austin is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,800 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.