Sidley Austin Introduces AI Seat in London Training Contract Overhaul

Sidley Austin has announced a significant update to its London training contract, incorporating a mandatory AI seat as part of an expanded rotation system. This change will increase the number of rotations from four to six, effective this month.

The AI seat can be undertaken as a trainee's third, fourth, fifth or sixth rotation, following their initial two practice group placements. Tom Thesing, managing partner of Sidley’s London office, stated that every trainee will now complete one of their seats in the newly established AI Knowledge Lab.

Thesing emphasised that the AI Knowledge Lab is designed as a working seat rather than a traditional classroom environment. Trainees will engage in real legal assignments, collaborating with Sidley’s Knowledge Management, Research, and Data & AI teams, as well as practice group lawyers. This hands on experience will allow trainees to test various approaches and contribute to the development of tools for broader application within the firm.

Moreover, trainees will be tasked with critically assessing AI outputs, identifying limitations, and determining when human intervention is necessary. Thesing noted that the objective is for every lawyer qualifying in London to gain practical experience in applying AI in a critical and responsible manner.

In addition to the AI seat, the new six seat format will provide trainees with increased opportunities to explore diverse practice areas such as mergers and acquisitions, private equity, global finance, litigation, investment funds, and restructuring. With this structure, Sidley joins the ranks of firms like Dechert, Orrick, and Watson Farley & Williams, while Freshfields offers a more extensive programme with eight three month seats over two years.

This initiative reflects a growing trend within the legal profession to integrate technology into junior lawyer training. Other firms have also begun to formalise technology components in their training programmes, including Freshfields, which introduced a fully funded technology and law LLM for future trainees, and Stephenson Harwood, which added a six month seat in its innovation team.

Sidley typically recruits up to 19 trainees annually in London, selecting candidates exclusively through its vacation schemes. According to the latest data, trainee salaries commence at £60,000, increasing to £65,000 in the second year, while newly qualified associates can expect to earn £175,000.