NQ Salary
£175,000
TC Salary
£60,000 / £65,000 (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
~17 per year (London), August intake
Seats
4 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check Sidley's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Sidley Austin is one of the largest US firms globally with a diversified practice that spans financial services, insurance, life sciences and technology. The London office is particularly known for its insurance and financial regulatory practices, and has a growing transactional capability in capital markets and M&A.
Culture & Values
Sidley recruits all its London trainees through the vacation scheme, drawing around 2,500 applications a year for a small intake. The seat list is broad for a US firm: global finance, litigation, restructuring, M&A and private equity, competition, capital markets, investment funds, data privacy, insurance, life sciences and tax. Chicago-founded, the firm is often described as demanding but less sharp-elbowed than its New York-headquartered peers.
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 6 September 2026
Folio is independent and not affiliated with any firm listed. Salary and deadline information is approximate. Always verify with the firm's official graduate recruitment page.
Winter Vacation Scheme 2026
1 Sept 2026 – 25 Sept 2026
Opens early September · Closes late September
Spring Vacation Scheme 2027
28 Sept 2026 – 8 Jan 2027
Opens mid-September · Closes early January
Summer Vacation Scheme 2027
28 Sept 2026 – 8 Jan 2027
Opens mid-September · Closes early January
Training Contract (via vacation scheme only)
28 Sept 2026 – 8 Jan 2027
Recruited exclusively through vacation schemes
Sidley Insight Day
Window not published by the firm
Undergraduate Bursary Programme
Window not published by the firm
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
Deals and announcements in the firm's own words. Naming a recent matter is the fastest way to show you have paid attention.
Sidley Austin newsroomUnlock the full interview pack for Sidley
Practice questions built around Sidley's actual assessment stages, with “Why this firm?” evidence traced to verified facts.
Sign up free →Vacation Scheme
No formal online assessments
For students from UK state schools with household income ≤£30,000 who are first-generation university attendees with predicted AAA at A-level. £3,500 bursary paid in three instalments across the first year of university.
Applications open March · closes May
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Sidley Austin. All information is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the most current data. Salary and deadline figures are approximate, based on prior recruitment cycles. Always check the firm's official graduate recruitment page for confirmed details.