When was your Sidley Austin interview?
February 2018
What was it for?
Vacation Scheme
Please describe the interview process at Sidley Austin.
Consisted of one interview with 2 partners and the HR manager. Lasted for approximately 1 hour. The HR manager just sits there and takes notes so all the questioning is done by the partners both of whom were very friendly and charismatic which gave a very good impression of the firm!
The first half of the interview was centered around general questions e.g. why law, why Sidley Austin etc; it was essentially like a normal conversation.
The second half was based on a case study that they devised based on a transaction. They would continuously expand on the example they gave with numerous spin-off questions. I was surprised at how much depth they required in terms of technical commercial knowledge.
Overall, I enjoyed the interview process!
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Sidley Austin interview?
The firm is very focused on finance & private equity so make sure that you have a good understanding as to how financial transactions are conducted. They will expect you to know how the different departments operate and you need to be prepared to be quizzed on the spot.
Make sure you have a very clear answer as to why you want to work for Sidley Austin in particular, and how they are distinguished from the other American firms as well as Magic Circle law firms.
