Sidley Austin Vacation Scheme – November 2024

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

3. Assessment centre

4. Vacation scheme

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

The firm's London office

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Case study and motivation interview: reading through a Financial Times article followed by an interview with a partner (15 minutes reading and preparation time, 1 hour interview with 1 partner)

2. Trainee Q&A: conversation with one trainee after the interview (30 minutes)

Case study and interview         

I was first given a news article from the Financial Times on two PE firms joining forces on a public-private credit fund. I had 15 minutes to read the article ahead of the interview. 

At the start of my interview, I was asked a number of motivation and competency questions, such as:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why commercial law? I was pushed quite a bit on this and was asked Why law and not a businesswoman or investment banker?
• Why Sidley Austin? I was pushed quite a bit on this and was also asked why specifically Sidley compared to competitors?
• Tell me about a time you demonstrated initiative.
• Tell me about a time you managed competing interests.

There were various other questions asked regarding my CV and where else I have applied. 

The interviewer then launched into the news article discussion and initially asked me to summarise the article. The discussion flowed naturally from this point, but I was asked some follow-up questions, such as:

• What are retail investors?
• What is private credit?
• How is private credit different from private equity? 

There was an opportunity to ask a few questions at the end of the interview. 

Trainee Q&A

After the interview, I had a 1-1 conversation with a trainee. They began asking me why I wanted to work at Sidley Austin and why I wanted a career in law. I was then given an opportunity to ask them any questions I had so I asked about the training at the firm and how they have found it working there.

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm emailed me one month after the assessment centre to tell me I had been unsuccessful.

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

The motivation interview is very conversational but do expect to be pushed at times. There are no specific set questions that are asked but it is important to know your motivations for applying and know your work experiences inside out. They just want to know you as a person but also see how you can manage under pressure. 

The case study can be tricky to understand and quite time pressured. I would recommend reading around the subject of Private Capital to understand how it works. It will also help to begin reading various Financial Times articles to get an understanding of what is happening in the market and become familiar with the language used in the articles. 

Sidley Austin Vacation Scheme – January 2024

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: 3 questions, ~250 words each.

2. Vacation scheme assessment centre: article discussion and competency/motivation questions

3. Vacation scheme: assessed work assignment, negotiation exercise and family law pro bono moot court

4. Training contract interview: interview with 1 associate and 1 partner during the scheme

Which aspect does this report cover?

Partner interview (pre-vacation scheme) and training contract interview.

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

In-person (but Zoom was available as an option)

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. News article preparation: reading through a Financial Times article (15 minutes)

2. Partner interview: motivation questions and a discussion relating to the article (~60 minutes with 1 partner) 

Vacation scheme assessment centre 

Before the interview, I was provided with a Financial Times article and given 15 minutes to read through it. 

In my interview, the partner interviewer launched straight into the article. He had an unconventional approach where he only asked one question which nit-picked the language in the article as it was not legally accurate. It said the firm sold XXX amount of shares but firms do not sell shares.

I was then asked "Tell me about yourself", as well as motivation questions including:

• Why commercial law?
• Why Sidley Austin?
• Where else have you applied? 
• What do you understand that we do?

The interviewer then combed through my CV and asked about specific experiences and what I learned from them, as well as competency/strength-based questions such as:

• What would you say is your biggest weakness?
• Can you describe a situation where you had disagreements with a teammate?
• How do you take feedback?
• How would you give negative feedback?

Training contract interview 

My training contract interview followed a similar format to the partner interview (pre-vacation scheme). Again, I was given an article, although this time I was asked to summarise it and explain how the firm could support on the deal that the article discussed. It was quite simple and non-technical, although I would recommend familiarising yourself with the steps involved in an M&A and a PE deal, and the role of law firms in this context.

I was also asked more general competency and motivation questions, including:

• Why commercial law?
• Where else did you apply besides Sidley and why?
• What work have you done over the week and what did you enjoy?
• What do you look for in a law firm and have you found that in Sidley?
• What are your long-term plans, especially given your non-UK citizenship?
• You receive negative feedback regarding a task. How would you respond?
• How would you correct your colleague who seems to have some incorrect information?

What was the outcome?

The firm called me a week after the interview to offer me a place on its vacation scheme.

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                           

The firm is very clear about what it is looking for. It expects candidates to have a strong interest in commercial law and a clear understanding of and motivation for the kind of work that Sidley does (private equity). Be specific, coherent and to the point while answering the motivational questions. They will try to sniff out if this is just a generic application or if you have a genuine passion for the firm. 

The article is quite easy to understand, and the questions are straightforward, so you can prepare for it. Knowing the basics of M&A and private equity, like the different stages of a deal or role of other practice areas in a deal, is important. Read up on basic concepts like a leveraged buyout, why PE firms use debt, a PE deal cycle, M&A transactions, and how firms are involved.

Sidley is also looking for a friendly demeanour and it is a big emphasis. Be kind, smile and hit a rapport with the partner. Based on my experience, personality matters to them more than technical perfection.

Sidley Austin Vacation Scheme – January 2023

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: four questions, ~250 words each.

2. Interview

3. Vacation scheme: assessed work assignment and negotiation exercise

4. Training contract interview: this took place at the end of the vacation scheme

Which aspect does this report cover?

Partner interview 

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Zoom

What did the vacation scheme assessment centre involve?

1. News article preparation: reading through a Financial Times article (15 minutes)

2. Partner interview: motivation questions and a discussion relating to the article (~60 minutes with 1 partner)

Vacation scheme assessment centre       

I was first asked "Tell me about yourself".

Motivation Questions

• Why commercial law?
• Why Sidley Austin?
• Where else have you applied? / Did you apply to Kirkland & Ellis?
• What do you understand that we do?

Article questions

Before the interview, I was sent a Financial Times article and given 15 minutes to read through it. My article focused upon a private equity deal, and I was asked the following:

• Summarise the article.
• Do you agree or disagree with the points raised?
• Which legal practice areas would be involved in the deal discussed?
• Why does the buyer want to acquire the target company?
• What are the different ways of raising money?
• How should the buyer finance the deal? 
• Why do PE firms use leverage?
• Breakdown what lawyers do during a private equity deal.
• What are the stages of an M&A deal? 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                

The firm is very clear about what it is looking for. It expects candidates to have a strong interest in commercial law and a clear understanding of and motivation for the kind of work that Sidley does (private equity). Be specific, coherent and to the point while answering the motivational questions. 

The article is quite easy to understand, and the questions are straightforward, so you can prepare for it. Knowing the basics of M&A and private equity like the different stages of a deal or role of other practice areas in a deal is important. 

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me an hour after the interview to offer me a place on their vac scheme.

Sidley Austin Vacation Scheme - November 2021

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: four questions of ~250 words each.

2. Vacation scheme assessment centre

3. Vacation scheme: assessed work assignment and negotiation exercise.

4. Training contract interview: this took place at the end of the vacation scheme.

Which aspect does this report cover?

Partner interview and training contract interview

Where did the vacation scheme assessment centre take place?            

Zoom

What did the vacation scheme assessment centre involve?      

1. News article preparation: reading through a Financial Times article (15 minutes)

2. Partner interview: motivation questions and a discussion relating to the article (~60 minutes with 1 partner)

Vacation scheme assessment centre       

I was first asked "Tell me about yourself".

Motivation Questions

• Why commercial law?
• Why Sidley Austin?
• Where else have you applied?
• What do you understand that we do?

Article questions

Before the interview, I was sent a Financial Times article and given 15 minutes to read through it. My article focused upon a private equity deal, and I was asked the following:

• Summarise the article.
• Do you agree or disagree with the points raised?
• Which legal practice areas would be involved in the deal discussed?
• Why does the buyer want to acquire the target company?
• What are the different ways of raising money?
• Breakdown what lawyers do during a private equity deal.

What did the training contract interview involve? 

1. News article preparation: reading through a Financial Times article (15 minutes)

2. Partner interview: motivation, competency and commercial awareness questions, plus article discussion (~60 minutes with 1 partner)

Training contract interview 

Motivation questions

• Why commercial law?
• What are the disadvantages of being a commercial lawyer?
• How would you sell the firm?
• Where else have you applied?
• How do you really know you want to be a lawyer?

Competency Questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• When have you failed?

Article questions

I was sent a (different) Financial Times article and given 15 minutes to read through it. This article also focused on a private equity deal, and I was asked the following:

• Summarise the article
• What interested you about the article?
• What is an asset sale?
• Which practice areas would you want to be represented when choosing lawyers to bring to the pitch for this deal?
• What are the advantages of being owned by a private equity firm, as opposed to being owned by a large conglomerate.
• Do corporate law firms fail to teach business/commercial awareness to their lawyers?

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me 3 days after the vacation scheme assessment centre to offer me a place on the vacation scheme. The firm then called me 3 weeks after the training contract interview to offer me a training contract.  

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                       

• Know the firm inside and out.
• Fully understand why you want to be a lawyer and why you want to work for an American firm.
• Be ready to explain why you are interested in the practice areas that the firm is building out/has strengths in.
• Read up on core commercial awareness concepts such as the difference between a share and asset sale, warranty vs. an indemnity and wider points about the advantages of economies of scale and why businesses acquire each other.