I applied through college or university. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Sidley Austin (Chicago, IL) in Sep 2011
Interview
Standard OCI interview. I went through thirty minute screening interview at law school and I was then then brought to the firm for a series of callback interviews with partners and associates as well as lunch with young associates to make sure I had people skills and could maintain a conversation. Most important to be yourself.
Zoom meeting with partner. self introduction followed by questions on experience. Q&As. interview process may differ among partners. consider referral from internal staff. hiring process is smooth but likely subject to urgency of hiring
I applied online. I interviewed at Sidley Austin (New York, NY) in Jan 2026
Interview
Went straight to callback after grades. No surprise questions. Met with three attorneys. 20 minutes each. Heard back 3 days later with an offer. I had to describe what I was looking for and they set up attorneys to speak with.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was the hardest part about your first semester.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Sidley Austin (Washington, DC)
Interview
Two hour in-person interview with three people in the practice group and one hiring partner for about thirty minutes each. Didn't ask any substantive question other than prior experience. Seemed stuffy.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions about prior experience. Thoughts on current affairs.
Associate applicants have rated the interview process at Sidley Austin with 2.8 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 67% positive. To compare, the company-average is 61% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Associate roles take an average of 15 days to get hired, when considering 12 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Sidley Austin overall takes an average of 24 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Sidley Austin as a Associate according to 12 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 44%
Group panel interview: 22%
Phone interview: 22%
Personality test: 11%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -