Sidley Austin

About the firm

No matter what kind of law firm it is, there will be certain preconceptions about what life is like, and it’s as true of US firms as any other. You’ll come across your fair share of fears about long hours and stern partners, but as is often the case, reality can come with a little more cause for optimism. While a typical 9-5 might be a bit of a stretch anywhere in the legal world, Sidley is a firm that “favours self-starters,” and those that are will find a welcoming environment - “compared to other vacation schemes people were a bit more down to earth!” Here, “you can get involved in what you want to get involved in, there’s more flexibility with seat choices,” without any need to compromise on the quality of the work.

“People were a bit more down to earth…”

Sidley’s expertise is well documented in its native US (check out its Chambers USA rankings for more on that), but the firm is also held in high regard on the global stage; Chambers Global marks it out as global market leaders in agribusiness and international trade (WTO). More locally, our sister guide Chambers UK acknowledges the firm’s strength in life sciences (regulatory), as well as debt capital markets, data protection, financial services (non-contentious regulatory), infrastructure and insurance (non-contentious).

Why trainees joined the firm

Strong international practice

Sidley Austin has extended significantly beyond its US origins, with 21 overseas offices. Trainees felt that working at a top US firm would satisfy their “ambition in the corporate areas.”

Cohort sizes

Although the office is growing, trainee intake remains on the smaller side; “I wanted somewhere where the teams were super lean – I couldn’t think of anything worse than being one of 100 trainees.”

Prestige

“I knew I needed a big name to do big work,” one trainee explained, “a big name that would give me opportunity going forward.” Well, if it worked for the Obamas…

Trainee satisfaction rankings

Training contract structure

Seat allocation

Sidley Austin’s training contract comprises four six-month seats. A recent change now means that the seat allocation system at the firm “doesn’t use a weird ranking system. You just put a first, second and third choice.” Trainees also discuss the choices with the early careers team and the firm tries to accommodate preferences where possible. There are no compulsory seats, but it is worth noting that, because corporate and global finance are the biggest teams, “you should be prepared to do a seat in one of these – if you don’t want to do any of those this might not be the right firm for you.”

Client secondments

Trainees interested in either client or international secondments follow a similar process whereby “it’s done more on partner recommendations.” Some secondments require trainees to have spent time in a specific seat, though this is not a blanket requirement. For example, a recently added secondment to a bank required trainees to have sat in leveraged finance prior to joining.

International secondments

As for international secondments, the firm currently has one which takes place for three months of the competition seat; here, trainees must apply with a cover letter before being allocated a stint at Sidley’s Brussels office.

Seat Experiences

Trainee life

Culture and environment

Data from our annual trainee survey

“I only have positive things to say about the culture,” was the consensus among trainees at the firm, “people are very lovely, very welcoming, supportive and keen for us to learn!” One word that kept cropping up was “approachable,” something that was brought up particularly in reference to trainees’ interactions with partners: “I’ve always felt like I can pop in and talk through something with a partner, so I’m always in constant communication with them.” The office layout promotes interaction with fee-earners too: “It’s a square with two kitchens in the middle, so you’re always bumping into someone and know everyone on the floor.”

“It’s a square with two kitchens in the middle, so you’re always bumping into someone and know everyone on the floor.”

As for the social side, “I think the vibe is surprisingly good for the stereotypes US firms get,” one insider pointed out – “everyone works super hard but is super social as well.” Trainees, for example, get a budget for quarterly socials, which has included things like a sip and paint in the office and going out for dinner and drinks. Other office events include events where teams like corporate will host associate and trainee drinks: “People are always up for a coffee and grabbing lunch, which gives you a nice break in the day.”

Working patterns

Data from our annual trainee survey

The in-office requirement is largely team-dependent. In some cases, trainees are expected in the office four days a week, but others will be required in the full five days: “I genuinely do really like coming in to work!” one insider told us regarding their in-office experience, “we have a tap connected to an iPad where you can tap what coffee you want and it makes it?!” – very snazzy – along with a communal area where the trainees have lunch, and a room on the top floor “with glass all the way around which we use for meetings and monthly Pilates!”

We heard that “there’s not really an average” when it comes to hours, which is fairly typical for transactional practices subject to the whims of the deal. The cut and thrust of this kind of work probably isn’t the right fit for anyone expecting a 9-5, particularly in teams like corporate and leveraged finance which “can get quite busy.” One trainee estimated “10am to maybe 7pm in the office. If I have stuff to finish, I might do some when I get home, but if there’s a big deadline, I’m probably in until midnight.” With later finishes, our interviewees still felt taken care of though, with supervisors conducting regular check-ins, “making sure you’re not being overworked.”

Pay

Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey

One of the trainees we spoke with was very happy with the salary, feeling that “as a first-year job it is pretty fair.” Another noted that when you get into the fourth seat, “you’re basically doing NQ work on a trainee salary,” but compensation quickly jumps up to an impressive £107,500 upon qualification.

Supervision and training

Data from our annual trainee survey

Trainees are generally assigned one supervisor per seat – “in the corporate team, you have two” – and sit in an office with that supervisor who acts as a mentor. “The supervisor approach always varies,” one trainee mused, “but the consistent point is that they’re very relaxed.” Aside from the feedback given during the mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews, “in terms of more informal feedback some people will send you a redline or a markup. Some people you have to go to and ask for that, but they’re always happy to help.”

“They’re always happy to help.”

On the training front “it’s more of a US approach,” one told us, meaning that the belief is that trainees learn more on the job than they could through seminars. That’s not to say that there isn’t training on offer to bolster trainees’ knowledge however - the M&A team, for example, have a weekly training session where “you are walked through things like a particular part of an SPA or other procedure.” In addition, “we have more ad hoc trainings on things like ‘how to record your time well’.”

Pro bono & CSR

Trainees were incredibly positive about the pro bono opportunities at Sidley. Not only are newbies expected to meet at least 50 hours of pro bono per year, but it’s also “something you can take full ownership with, so everyone does it.” Getting onto matters is pretty smooth given the “dedicated pro bono counsel who is the nicest person ever!” Trainees can get involved with everything from practice-specific matters like helping startups in corporate, to assisting with PIP appeals.

“…it’s a great opportunity to push things forward yourself, so it’s a big part of trainee life. It helps with skills like advocacy, because where will you get another opportunity to do oral advocacy as a trainee?”

Trainees are typically staffed with a qualified lawyer, with the setup allowing “you to run the matter but send everything through them.” Overall, “it’s a great opportunity to push things forward yourself, so it’s a big part of trainee life. It helps with skills like advocacy, because where will you get another opportunity to do oral advocacy as a trainee? People have gone up against qualified barristers!”

Other opportunities include:

• Work with KIND, helping children with British citizenship applications and visas

• Collaboration with Not Beyond Redemption, where “you do quite a bit of work reunifying children with their imprisoned mothers, so really meaningful work.”

Inclusion

Sidley Austin’s London office hosts its own active affinity groups. We heard that the women’s group - Sidley Women - was particularly active, putting on quarterly meetings and group socials – “we went for dinner and drinks with a tasting menu!”

Qualification

In the past, qualification at Sidley has been fairly informal, and while that remains the case, “they have added a level of formality to improve outcomes. So, people are kept in the loop earlier as to which teams want them.” The process itself consists of submitting a CV to the department before an interview, but the process really starts earlier than that. The general consensus was that it’s a good idea to use the lead-up to qualification to chat to partners, which “gives you a sense of whether you should apply for a department or consider other options.”

Snack time…

Sidley Austin hosts a snack day in the office every Wednesday.