Sidley Austin LLP |

More than 150 years after the founding of our firm, Sidley today comprises a diverse group of legal professionals from many cultures who are dedicated to teamwork, collaboration and superior client service. Forging enduring relationships with the business community, while remaining attuned to the dynamic legal landscape, we understand and work to fulfill the needs of our global clients. We are proud to serve this varied and high-calibre group of market leaders, many of whom are pioneers in their respective industries and professions.

Leadership in Law

The firm has built a reputation for successfully representing clients on complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters spanning a range of legal areas. From our offices in the commercial, financial and regulatory centres of the world, we harness our knowledge to provide thoughtful advice for the myriad legal and business challenges that our clients face.

Committed to Positive Change

We strongly believe in creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds by retaining and promoting outstanding lawyers who reflect the global marketplace and communities that we serve. Our dedication to achieving greater diversity and inclusivity extends beyond our firm to the legal profession as a whole. We are passionate about making a meaningful impact by fostering positive change in many ways. Through our four firmwide pro bono projects, our lawyers and staff devote more than 125,000 hours annually to pro bono work, playing a vital role in people’s lives around the world. In addition, we partner with several charitable organizations as part of our corporate responsibility program, enabling our professionals to contribute their talents to a variety of volunteer projects that benefit communities in need.

Sidley’s London office offers students the best of both worlds — the experience of working in one of the largest international law firms along with the, down-to-earth friendliness of a smaller office. Here you will find high-quality work at a firm that offers an energetic, meritocratic, and supportive environment.

There is a world of opportunities for you to get involved and make your mark at Sidley, from trainee right through to partner. We have a reputation for working on innovative, complex transactions, which helps make life here all the more interesting and challenging.

Pro Bono
Pro bono is an integral part of Sidley’s culture and we regard pro bono service as an essential part of our professional responsibility. We encourage our trainee solicitors to get involved in pro bono matters from day one because we know that our trainees want to give back to communities and develop their skills as lawyers whilst doing so.

Under our London pro bono programme, we help individuals and families who face significant barriers in obtaining access to justice. We work with a range of organisations, from small charities to start-up social enterprises, focusing on enhancing community impact and strengthening human rights. We also support front-line legal service organisations by sponsoring a number of Pro Bono Fellowships. Each year, all final seat trainees are invited to apply to undertake a three-month fellowship secondment in a charity or non-profit, prior to commencing their roles as newly qualified associates.

Vacation scheme students will receive £500 per week. Candidates from less advantaged backgrounds can apply for additional support to support their vacation scheme.

Trainees receive a salary of £60,000 in their first year, which increases to £65,000 in the second year, alongside a selection of market-leading benefits. Upon progressing to a newly qualified associate, your annual salary rises to £175,000.

We aim to recruit all of our trainees from the vacation schemes. Each year, we take on around 17 recruits.
All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you are selected for the next stage of the process, we will invite you to a 1:1 interview with our partners/counsel. If successful, we will offer you a vacation scheme place.

As part of Sidley’s ongoing commitment to support the health and
wellness of all of our lawyers and staff, the firm offers a range of
health benefits, including:

• Private GP service
• Private medical insurance
• In-house counselling service
• Complimentary access to Headspace meditation app
• Employee assistance programme
• Gym membership subsidy
• Dental insurance
• Ongoing wellness activities as part of the firm’s “Living Well”

During your training contract, you will have many opportunities to learn and develop new skills. You will get involved in real work from day one, and will gain international experience by working on multijurisdictional matters with people from around the world.

Trainees spend time in at least four of our practice groups, which include: Banking and Financial Services, Capital Markets, Global Finance, Healthcare and FDA, Insurance, Investment Funds, Litigation, M&A and Private Equity, Regulatory and Enforcement, Restructuring, and Tax.

Trainees also have the opportunity to apply for international secondments, as well as ad hoc client secondments.

In each group, you will be supervised by a partner or associate to ensure that you receive individual training that is both effective and based on practical experience. In addition, there is a structured timetable of training on a cross-section of subjects.

We take a flexible approach that is driven by your ability and willingness to contribute and develop. As a result, you can get as much as you like out of a particular seat, depending on how much you invest in it.

Sustainability has always been a key priority for the London office and impacts the way we work on a daily basis. Externally, we ensure that all vendors who provide a service for our London office share our environmental values and are focused on limiting our impact and finding suitable eco-friendly alternatives. At Sidley, we are dedicated to doing our part to ensure a sustainable future, conducting business in a responsible and mindful way that creates long-term value for our people, clients, and communities. We aim to minimize our impact on the environment by setting ambitious climate commitments to reduce our carbon emissions, as well as by creating a more sustainable workplace and culture across our global firm. From routine but important acts — such as recycling paper and waste — to impactful legal and pro bono work that empowers businesses and social enterprises alike, sustainability is integral to our operations.