Sidley Austin is giving its London training contract a techy makeover, introducing a compulsory AI seat as it expands its rotation system from four seats to six.
A Working Seat, Not a Classroom
The new approach takes effect this month. Tom Thesing, managing partner of Sidley’s London office, told Legal Cheek that the firm is the first in London to build this into every trainee’s training contract.
Trainees will work alongside the firm’s Knowledge Management, Research and Data & AI teams and practice group lawyers. They carry out genuine legal assignments for Sidley’s practice groups, testing approaches and helping develop tools for wider use across the firm. They’ll also be expected to assess AI output critically, spot its limitations and judge when the technology adds value and when a lawyer needs to step in. This operational role allows trainees to actively shape the firm’s technological infrastructure while gaining practical exposure to data governance and risk assessment.
Thesing added that the aim is for every lawyer who qualifies with us in London to have hands-on experience of applying AI critically and responsibly.
Expanding the Rotation System
The AI seat can be completed as a trainee’s third, fourth, fifth or sixth rotation, after their first two practice group seats. Its six four-month rotations put it alongside the likes of Dechert, Orrick and Watson Farley & Williams, while Freshfields operates eight three-month seats across its two-year programme.
Away from the AI lab, the firm says the six-seat format will give trainees more chances to sample areas including M&A and private equity, global finance, litigation, investment funds and restructuring. This extended duration allows for deeper immersion in these complex practice areas compared to compressed schedules.
This change reflects a broader shift in how firms integrate technology into the development of junior lawyers. Freshfields last year unveiled a fully funded technology and law LLM for future trainees, while Stephenson Harwood introduced a six-month seat in its innovation team. Sidley’s approach differs in making AI a compulsory part of every rookie’s training contract rather than an optional specialization.
For trainees, this means less time spent in traditional rotation blocks and more exposure to technical workflows that are increasingly central to legal work. It also suggests that firms view basic digital literacy not as a niche skill but as a core component of a modern legal education. The move positions Sidley as a leader in adapting legal training to the demands of a data-driven industry.
Sidley recruits up to 19 trainees a year in London, taking them on exclusively through its vacation schemes, the Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2027 shows. Trainee salaries start at £60,000, rising to £65,000 in year two, while newly qualified associates command a hefty £175,000.
