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Sidley Austin LLP Jobs

Sidley Austin recruit aspiring solicitors for their training contracts and vacation schemes on an annual basis. If there are open vacancies at the firm, these will be listed below. 

About Sidley’s Programme

We aim to recruit all of our trainees from the vacation schemes. Each year, we hire approximately 19 future trainees. 

From day one, you’ll work alongside lawyers and clients across the firm, contribute to multijurisdictional matters and start building the skills and judgment you’ll need as a lawyer.

Over your two-year training contract, you’ll complete six four-month seats within our practice groups, with one rotation being completed within our AI Knowledge Lab. Six seats give you broader exposure to our work, our people and our clients - and more perspective when the time comes to decide where you want to qualify.

Your practice group seats may include Banking and Financial Services, Capital Markets, Antitrust and Competition, Energy and Infrastructure, Global Finance, Healthcare and FDA, Insurance, Investment Funds, Litigation, M&A and Private Equity, Regulatory and Enforcement, Restructuring, and Tax.

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

The AI Knowledge Lab

AI is changing legal practice. We think your training should prepare you to use it well - and to understand where legal judgment matters most.

Every trainee completes one of their four-month practice group rotations while sitting in the AI Knowledge Lab. This will be available to trainees as their third, fourth, fifth or sixth seat, after spending their first two seats building a grounding in legal work and professional practice.

The AI Knowledge Lab is not a training exercise. It is a working environment designed to build practical AI capability - for you, for your practice group and, over time, across the firm. You'll work alongside our Knowledge Management, Research and Data & AI teams, as well as experienced lawyers in your practice group, testing approaches and helping develop tools, templates and ways of working that can be used again. You'll learn to assess AI output critically, recognise its limitations and develop the judgment to know when AI can add value and when a lawyer needs to take over.

We take a flexible approach to your development, shaped by your ability and willingness to contribute. The more you put into each seat, the more opportunity you will have to learn, take on responsibility and develop your skills.

Vacation Scheme

Students will spend time in at least two different departments and will be supervised by an Associate and mentored by a Trainee. You will experience the day-to-day life of a lawyer at the firm and will have the opportunity to undertake real work rather than just observing or shadowing. This practical experience will be supplemented by a programme of presentations and workshops that will ensure you get to know as much about the firm as you possibly can during the placement. There will also be some organised social events to help you get to know our current trainees.

Students will receive £500 per week.

The applications for the firm's 2026 winter vacation scheme open on 1 September 2026, with a closing date of 25 September 2026. Applications for the 2027 spring/summer vacation scheme open on 28 September 2026 and close on 8 January 2027. The 2026 winter vacation scheme will run from 7 to 11 December 2026, the 2027 spring scheme from 5 to 16 April 2027, and the 2027 summer scheme from 21 June to 2 July 2027.

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