Sidley Austin LLP
Sidley Prelaw Scholars Program: Sidley launched the Sidley Prelaw Scholars Program to help remove financial barriers to access and encourage diverse students to enter the legal profession. A “first of its kind” among law firms, the program subsidizes up to $2,500 to fund LSAT preparatory courses and law school application expenses for diverse, academically gifted students who want to attend law school, and provides a $3,500 stipend once admitted to law school to cover books and other expenses. Also part of the program, the Sidley Scholars Summer Seminar (S4) is a multi-day workshop designed to help students transition to law school. Led by Sidley lawyers, S4 topics include the American legal system, 1L curriculum and best practices for success in the first year of law school.
Sidley Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship: Annually, the firm awards a designated number of scholarships, each totaling US $ 25,000, to a select number of rising 2Ls who accept an offer to join Sidley’s summer associate program. Sidley launched the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship as part of the firm’s efforts to build and support a diverse pipeline into the legal profession. The scholarship is intended to help defray the costs of the recipients’ legal education. Law students who join the firm’s summer program and who identify as racially/ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, and/or as a person with a disability may apply for the scholarship. The firm selects recipients from among the eligible applicants based on academic excellence, leadership skills, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.
1L Diversity Mentorship Program: Launched in 2010, Sidley’s 1L annual Diversity Mentorship Program supports the diversification of the legal profession overall, and large law firms in particular. The 10-week summer program provides current 1L diverse law students — who are employed elsewhere during the summer in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C., with opportunities to network with Sidley lawyers, legal departments, and government agencies. Students receive Sidley lawyer-mentors throughout the program and attend firm networking receptions, resume review sessions, mock interview workshops, and our annual Diversity Dialogues program.
Washington, D.C. 1L Diversity Fellowship: Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office offers a 1L summer fellowship opportunity for up to two first-year law students. Through this fellowship, the student(s) will intern in our Washington, D.C. office for 10 weeks in the summer while also participating in professional development and mentoring programs. Aspects of the fellowship include: work on complex legal issues, research, drafting legal memoranda and related documents; participation in Sidley’s 1L Diversity Mentorship Program; the opportunity to work on Sidley’s pro bono cases; participation in the firm’s Supreme Court clinic program; and practice interviews and preparation with Sidley lawyers.
Corporate/Law Firm Alliance Summer Program: In collaboration with the civil rights organization LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Sidley and the firm’s client MetLife started the Corporate/Law Firm Alliance Summer Program (CLASP). CLASP provides standout law students of diverse backgrounds with a paid internship position at MetLife their 1L summer and a summer associate position at Sidley for their 2L summer. This two-year program provides unparalleled professional development and networking opportunities. To date, all four participating students have received and accepted an offer to start their legal careers at Sidley.
2L Summer Associate Program: The goal of Sidley’s summer program is to provide law students with a realistic experience of what it is like to be a lawyer at Sidley. As a summer associate, you can expect the opportunity to work on substantive and complex matters, as well as participate in a variety of training and professional development programs. More information on the summer program is available here: https://www.sidleycareers.com/en/northamerica/summer-program?tab=your-career- begins-here.
Full program details and applications to all diversity programs are available here: https://www.sidley.com/en/diversitylanding. Additional details on careers are Sidley are available here: https://www.sidley.com/en/careerslanding.
2L Summer Associate Program: The goal of Sidley’s summer program is to provide law students with a realistic experience of what it is like to be a lawyer at Sidley. As a summer associate, you can expect the opportunity to work on substantive and complex matters, as well as participate in a variety of training and professional development programs. More information on the summer program is available here: https://www.sidleycareers.com/en/northamerica/summer-program?tab=your-career- begins-here.
Full program details and applications to all diversity programs are available here: https://www.sidley.com/en/diversitylanding. Additional details on careers are Sidley are available here: https://www.sidley.com/en/careerslanding.
Law Firms
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field LLLPArentFox Schiff LLP
Covington & Burling LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Wiley Rein LLP