Sidley Austin LLP

• “I enjoyed having my own office. We had an assignment portal and were assigned two projects at the start of the summer. Attorneys could post assignments in the portal, and you could assign it to yourself if it seemed interesting. They also allowed corporate summers to take on litigation assignments and vice versa. By mid-summer, fewer and fewer people were posting on the portal, and most assignments were staffed directly from the assigning attorney to a summer they had previously worked with. ...”
• “I received assignments from a variety of transactional practice areas. This included reviewing, marking up, and drafting contracts. Following these assignments, I was able to direct questions and receive feedback from associates and partners staffed on the project. Additionally, I had opportunities to shadow or participate in calls with clients and exchange notes and thoughts with the lawyers staffed on the project afterward.”
• “During the summer program, partners and associates made sure that we received substantive assignments in our practice areas of interest. Upon completion of each assignment, associates would sit down with us to review our work product and provide feedback to help us improve. Everyone was kind and really seemed to want to get the summer associates involved as much as possible.”
• “Our practice group had a weekly work coordinator meeting with an associate in the group. They ensured we had meaningful matters to work on, provided mini-training sessions and best practice tips, and gave us a comfortable space to ask questions.”

• “So many fun social events! Summers were allocated a significant amount of money to take lawyers out to lunch every day! I was surprised how eager all the attorneys (including partners) were to invest in the summers and spend time meeting us.”
• “The summer associate program included two to three social events per week. One was oriented towards the entire summer class, and the others were generally framed around particular practice or identity groups. My favorite event was seeing West Side Story at the Lyric Opera.”
• “There was such a wide range of summer activities, ranging from pickleball, ping pong, and darts to cocktail lounges and group fitness classes. These events really helped our summer class bond, and I found that most of us [who] were friends would spend our free time together.”
• Summer events fostered group camaraderie and allowed me to learn more about the firm and the attorneys who worked there. We went to a number of nice dinners as well as various activities like pickle ball, a Chicago Cubs game and other fun events.”

• “I was surprised by how many opportunities there were to work on both litigation and transactional matters. I really got to know many of the attorneys, and they were very approachable and willing to go to lunch/coffee.”
• “As a summer associate, I had access to an online assignment board in addition to receiving work through conversations with partners and associates. As a practicing associate, however, securing work can be significantly more difficult, as there is no centralized staffing system comparable to what existed during the summer program, and the distribution of work is often not equitable.”
• “I didn't expect that we would have to rank practice groups we wanted to join by the end of the summer. Ten weeks felt like not enough time to make such an important decision. That being said, I'm very happy with where I ended up, and I enjoy what I do. I was also surprised by how much work I had to do as a summer associate.”
• “Higher quantity of work than expected and more collegial atmosphere than expected.”

People are the driving force behind every success story at Sidley. We attract top legal talent from all backgrounds and provide them with mentorship, meaningful assignments, and continuous professional development to help them reach their full potential. By investing in our people, we cultivate a culture where careers thrive and new leaders in law emerge.

Our summer program offers students the best of both worlds: the prestige of working at an elite Am Law firm with $3.4 billion in revenue combined with the inclusive, collegial culture that has defined our 160-year legacy of excellence. As a summer associate, you will work on billable and pro bono projects aligned with your interests, gaining hands-on experience under the guidance of accomplished partners and senior associates who are committed to your career growth from day one. You also will gain exposure to the firm’s 50+ practice areas while contributing to substantive matters for high-caliber clients, including the 66 Fortune 100 companies we served in 2025.