Sidley Austin: More Than a Law Firm

Their mission is simple: to provide the highest quality of professional service to their clients; to adhere to the highest ethical standards; to offer their skills and talents for the betterment of the legal profession and the diverse communities in which they practice; to maintain a culture of collegiality in which they help each other to best serve their clients, their profession and their communities; and to develop, support and encourage new generations of lawyers to carry on their commitment to excellence, integrity, diversity and collegiality.

Following through on these values can often get lost in the day to day workload, but not for Sidley Austin attorneys.

Sidley Austin, LLC, is a string of law firms that span North America, Europe and Asia, and regularly ranks highly on best litigation firm lists. Today, more than 150 years after the founding of the firm, Sidley Austin is comprised of a diverse group of legal professionals from many cultures. Sidley employees are all dedicated to teamwork, collaboration and superior client service.

Diving Into the Values at Sidley Austin

Diversity, Diversity, Diversity

Sidley is all about championing diversity and inclusion in their firms, and has been a pioneer in creating opportunities for lawyers of all backgrounds.

It says it right in their mission: "to develop, support and encourage new generations of lawyers to carry on their commitment to excellence, integrity, diversity and collegiality," and that mission is something they take seriously. They are committed to achieving greater diversity and inclusivity, not just for those in their firms, but for the legal profession as a whole.

One way that Sidley Austin ensures that they are doing everything that they can to maintain and champion diversity is with the implementation of a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which makes sure that diverse groups are being represented like they should be.

The Sidley Austin Type

A Responsibility to Give Back

The company strongly believes in creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds by retaining and promoting outstanding lawyers who reflect the Sidley Austin values in the communities that they serve.

Through four firmwide pro bono projects, Sidley Austin lawyers and staff devote more than 100,000 hours annually to pro bono work, playing a vital role in people's lives around the world. In addition, they partner with several charitable organizations as part of their corporate responsibility program, enabling their professionals to contribute their talents to a variety of volunteer projects that benefit communities in need.

Benefits Abound with Sidley Austin

A Stellar Plan for a Stellar Employee

Sidley Austin offers full healthcare coverage with medical, dental, vision and life insurance, 401k retirement plans, and paid maternity and paternity leave. They offer extra help with things to create the perfect working and personal lives for their employees. They offer things such as child and elder care, employee assistance programs, and wellness advocacy.

They also have perks like free access to gyms and fertility testing. The salaries offered are competitive if not on the high end of the spectrum for the market and employees can rely on regularly scheduled bonuses. They also have a strong PTO policy, which they recommend their employees utilize to the fullest.

Another great thing about Sidley is that you don't have to wait for these benefits to kick in. All benefits start on your first day with the company. With commuter benefits such as paid parking in city garages and free coffee, the Sidley benefits package ranks up there with the best.

Interviewing With Sidley

The interview process with Sidley Austin can be described as straightforward. On average, the process takes around two weeks. A large majority of applicants have said that their experience interviewing with Sidley Austin was a positive one.

While the interviewers are warm and friendly, they are all about finding the right person for the position and getting right down to it. Sidely Austin is a no-nonsense firm that focuses on finding the right person to fit their culture and needs.

What Sidley Austin Firms Offers Clients

A wide range of services for all your legal needs

Forging enduring relationships with the business community, while remaining attuned to the dynamic legal landscape, they understand and work to fulfill the needs of their global clients.

Sidley Austin law firms offer more than forty types of services over 11 different industries such as Agribusiness and Food, Energy, Tech, Global Life Sciences and Financial Services.

Sidley Austin Around the World

Sidley Austin has become a worldwide firm, opening locations in South America Europe and Asia. Countries the Sidley does work in are

Sidley Austin offices value energy efficiency and practice a number of sustainable techniques, including:

Sidley Austin for the World

Putting Social Responsibility and Sustainability at the forefront

There is a common understanding amongst associates and partners with Sidley Austin, that being a Sidley Austin employee is more than just doing great work for the client, but also about giving back to the community. The firm encourages such work through the Corporate Responsibility Program.

By building strong local relationships, in the communities that they work in, Sidley Austin employees help create better, stronger communities. Sidley provides a robust volunteer program that has helped so many people get back on their feet.

Whether it's volunteering at a food pantry, reading to underserved children or feeding seniors at a senior center, there are so many ways in which Sidley lawyers and professionals get involved in their communities.

Sidley Austin is also dedicated to environmental sustainability, and work towards creating a more sustainable future both in their offices along with places in the world where sustainable processes are still relatively primitive but highly necessary.

The company also contributes to world-wide sustainability through projects such as Water Access Rwanda and the Solar Electric Light Fund, to name a few.

Pre-law Pipeline Program

Creating a better future for prospective attorneys

Sidley Austin recognizes the realistic challenges that people from diverse backgrounds face when thinking about pursuing law as a career. That is why they instituted the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Program.

The costs associated with pursuing law can be daunting and a significant factor in the hindrance of the application process to law school by diverse students. The Sidley Prelaw Scholars Program aims to increase diversity in law schools and, eventually, in the legal profession.

It is set up to offer long term solutions to the diversity issue by helping with expenses for diverse and high performing college students who have difficulty paying the expenses associated with applying to law school.