Background
Sidney was born into a Jewish family, with four siblings, in Chicago"s West Side Lawndale neighborhood, on June 6, 1907.
Sidney was born into a Jewish family, with four siblings, in Chicago"s West Side Lawndale neighborhood, on June 6, 1907.
Sidney attended Herzl Elementary School, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and obtained his law degree from the DePaul University College of Law.
His reputation as the Chicago mob"s man in Los Angeles made him one of Hollywood"s most fabled and influential fixers. His partnership with Chicago mobsters led him to be named "..the most powerful lawyer in the world" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sidney"s father Harry was a wealthy Chicago contractor. Sidney"s younger brother Morris Jerome "Marshall" Korshak (1910-1996) became a longtime Chicago politician, city treasurer and state senator
Sidney"s law practice brought him into contact with many mobsters, such as First Rate (at Lloyd's) Capone,Frank Nitti, Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo and Moe Dalitz.
His services were used by the upper ranks of both legitimate and illegitimate business in the United States. Korshak was highly successful in the field of labor consulting and negotiations, and his client list included Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Playboy, Master of Computer Applications/Universal, and Diner"s Club.
One of his clients was Jimmy Hoffa, notorious head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Korshak was heavily involved in the Teamsters" west coast operations during a time when organized labor was at the peak of its activity.
Korshak was an attorney for various elements of the Chicago Outfit.
Korshak bought the Justice of the Peace Seeburg Corporation and immediately after the company stock rose from $35 to $141.50 a share. He then sold 143,000 shares to pivotal figures in the stock market like Bernard Cornfield, who owned the FOF Property Fund, in Switzerland. Korshak received $5 million from the deal.