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Sidley Austin

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Sidley Austin

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Sidley Austin Employee Reviews about "law firm"

4.1

74% would recommend to a friend

(19 total reviews)

Michael Schmidtberger and Yvette Ostolaza

89% approve of CEO

Ratings by category

4.3

Compensation and Benefits

4.0

Culture & Values

4.0

Diversity & Inclusion

3.9

Senior Management

3.7

Career Opportunities

3.7

Work/Life Balance

Ratings distribution

5 stars

43%

4 stars

29%

3 stars

17%

2 stars

7%

1 star

4%

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Found 19 of over 630 reviews

Updated Dec 4, 2023

What people are saying about Sidley Austin

Law

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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment

Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor

Pros
  • "The people are great and are very helpful to each other.(in 58 reviews)
  • "Great benefits and transit reimbursement(in 58 reviews)
  • "Great culture and sense of collegiality(in 36 reviews)
  • "Great pay and a lot of benefits(in 23 reviews)
  • "competitive salary and working exposure(in 22 reviews)
Cons
  • "Hours are long and persistent.(in 44 reviews)
  • "No work life balance.(in 14 reviews)
  • "Unfortunately, problem resolution stops at the secretarial management level, where if you reach out to them for support, they are not equipped with conflict resolution.(in 14 reviews)
  • "Many long hours at the office(in 9 reviews)
  • "Depending on your direct manager, it can be a supportive environment with great resources.(in 4 reviews)

Ratings by Demographics

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Reviews about "law firm"

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19
    1. 4.0
      Feb 16, 2017
      Associate
      Current Employee
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Extraordinarily collegial atmosphere; associates have quite a bit of flexibility and control over their schedule and work assignments, in part due to 'free market' system of allocating work. If you want to work at a big law firm, this is a great one to choose.

      Cons

      Like any large law firm, very high hours requirements, not sustainable for most people in the long run. No matching 401k. "Unlimited" vacation, but uninterrupted vacation is hardly ever possible.

      4
      1. 3.0
        Oct 1, 2016
        Anonymous Employee
        Former Employee
        Recommend
        CEO Approval
        Business Outlook

        Pros

        salaries, none, none, none, none

        Cons

        typical culture of law firms

        1
      2. Join the Sidley Austin team
        See Our Latest Jobs
        1. 5.0
          Aug 26, 2019
          Paralegal
          Current Employee, more than 5 years
          Dallas, TX
          Recommend
          CEO Approval
          Business Outlook

          Pros

          Very diverse; most women in any law firm I've ever worked in; solidly attuned to needs of it's staff; gives back to the community

          Cons

          long work hours; and somewhat stressful, but it's the life you choose working in a big law firm. I still love it

          1. 5.0
            Oct 22, 2019
            Administrative Assistant
            Current Employee, more than 5 years
            Chicago, IL
            Recommend
            CEO Approval
            Business Outlook

            Pros

            Amazing benefits Very generous with time off I've made life long friends in my colleagues here I feel my managers genuinely care about me

            Cons

            Sometimes have to work long hours or over the weekend, but that's the case with all law firms and most big corporations.

            1. 4.0
              Jun 11, 2011
              Client Billing Analyst
              Current Employee
              Chicago, IL
              Recommend
              CEO Approval
              Business Outlook

              Pros

              Great pay for work being performed Great hours (35 hours/week), very little overtime required Smart managers and senior management Firm has a great reputation

              Cons

              Working as a non-attorney in a law firm greatly limits growth opportunities and skills development Limited professional growth

              1
              1. 4.0
                Aug 24, 2022
                Anonymous Employee
                Current Employee
                Recommend
                CEO Approval
                Business Outlook

                Pros

                I've worked at two other top tier law firms and Sidley is the first that has valued work/life balance. My entire team logs off at 5pm and no one bats an eye.

                Cons

                Still a very traditional law firm.

                1. 5.0
                  Jan 26, 2013
                  Attorney, 3rd-Year
                  Former Employee, more than 3 years
                  Washington, DC
                  Recommend
                  CEO Approval
                  Business Outlook

                  Pros

                  Work load was not overwhelming. Colleagues were friendly and helpful. About as family friendly as a big law firm can be.

                  Cons

                  Like most big law firms, hours requirement mandates a long day on a regular basis and some weekend work.

                  1
                  1. 5.0
                    Jan 6, 2021
                    Lawyer/Solicitor
                    Current Employee
                    London, England
                    Recommend
                    CEO Approval
                    Business Outlook

                    Pros

                    Highest quality training and development among law firms in the UK and US. Excellent benefit and support for its lawyers. Very exceptional colleagues to learn from.

                    Cons

                    Long hours and high pressure work.

                    1. 5.0
                      Oct 1, 2020
                      Summer Program Assistant
                      Former Intern, less than 1 year
                      Chicago, IL
                      Recommend
                      CEO Approval
                      Business Outlook

                      Pros

                      Very diverse law firm and are committed to inclusion. Very friendly atmosphere. A team environment and everyone is open to helping and giving opportunities for you to learn new things

                      Cons

                      No cons for this company

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                    Alex L.

                    Applied for a job a few weeks back, got a call from HR yesterday morning about an interview next week. She mentioned she'd shoot me an email with all the interview details, but so far, my inbox is empty. Assuming I'll hear from her early next week, is it normal for them to expect me to show up for an in-person interview on short notice, like couple days?

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                    B2B Account Executive

                    Saw this on twitter. Questions to ask hiring managers/recruiters: 1.What typical challenges can someone in this position expect to encounter in this role and within the company ? 2.Could you detail the key objectives that a new hire should prioritize in this position ? 3.Which specific skills are crucial to perform successfully in this job ? 4.How does the company evaluate performance & success in this role ? 5.From your perspective, what is the most appealing aspect of the comp

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                    2 Comments

                    Senior Consultant

                    People who interviewed at JPMorgan Chase how long did it take for you to receive an offer after the final interview?

                    1
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