CAIRA WATSON HAYNES represents public and private companies as well as private equity clients in mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions, and general corporate matters.
Caira earned her J.D. from Duke Law School in 2024. While there, she served as president of the Black Law Students Association and was an admissions ambassador. Caira represented low-income children and parents on issues relating to education, public benefits, and access to adequate healthcare as a student clinician for Duke’s Children’s Law Clinic. Caira’s peers and professors awarded her the Justin T. Miller Award for Leadership. This annual award recognizes two graduating students for their commitment to Duke Law School and the Durham community.
Prior to joining Sidley, Caira worked as a judicial extern at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for The Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman. Caira was also a Public Interest Law Initiative fellow at Just The Beginnings – A Pipeline Organization.
Caira received her A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), where she double majored in educational studies and urban studies. At WashU, Caira was a three-time “NCAA D3 All-American” in track and field and founded the Washington University Black Letterwinning Athletes Coalition.
Caira is committed to community service, and she currently sits on the associate board of Urban Initiatives and maintains active involvement in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.