Sidley Austin has hired Robert Carlson as a partner in its corporate practice.

Carlson, who was most recently a partner at Paul Hastings, will be based in Sidley's Palo Alto, California, office.

In addition to handling mergers and acquisitions, Carlson works on matters involving private equity and private investment funds­—areas in which he hopes to help Sidley grow. Carlson said he was also attracted to Sidley by its emphasis on technology and life sciences. They are “the areas I care about the most,” he said.