National Jurist - October 2007 - (Page 32) CAREERHOTLINE Trained right from the start Q: What are new associates looking for in terms of formal training, and what initiatives are law firms offering? A: Many new associates are seeking continued training and professional development on the job. As law firms get bigger and more specialized, associates face more specific and serious demands early in their careers and firms feel the need to provide more specialized training, explains Matt Bloch, partner at Weil Gotschal & Manges, LLP, who spearheaded the firm’s professional development committee. Associates’ demand for formalized training isn’t necessarily new, Bloch says, but firms today are paying more attention to that demand. Weil Gotschal has a “Jump Start” program where associates take required substantive courses in corporate law or litigation and graduate to a trial skills workshop weekend. The firm also put together a list of Associate Development Goals, which offer guidance on the objectives the firms expects associates to achieve at different levels of their careers. At Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner, LLP, associates can participate in week-long trial advocacy courses and a deposition training course offered by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. The firm also employs a legal writerin-residence who runs writing courses and offers writing help. Some large law firms require all new associates to attend formal training programs. First-years at Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP attend “Cooley College,” where they receive practice tips through lectures and skills development programs. And training doesn’t stop with practice area seminars. Ropes & Gray, LLP, for instance, runs sessions on time-management and negotiations skills for junior associates, and management skills for senior associates. Training is growing partially because new associates are looking to get more out of their careers, Bloch says —they seek variety in their work and wish to be well-rounded attorneys. But training is important for firms, too — as clients get more demanding, workloads more substantial, and information gets exchanged faster. Firms have to offer on-the-job training to keep up with demand, says Chris Aidun, partner and co-chair of Weil Gotschal’s professional development committee. 32 By Ursula Furi-Perry, J.D. Q: Why is “informal training” important, and how can I make sure I will receive it on the job? A: While law firms may impress candidates with their formal training programs, a firm’s stance on informal training is just as important to its associates’ development. Informal training can take on many forms: mentoring, career counseling, professional development evaluations, and informal events between associates and partners that focus on associates’ development at the firm. Informal training has always been significant to becoming a skilled attorney, and apprenticeships have played an important part in legal training since the onset of the profession. Mentoring is natural, says Aidun, and mentors help establish rapport, provide counseling and moral support, and answer career questions that associates may be reluctant to ask elsewhere. To encourage informal training, Weil Gotschal assigns mentors to first-year associates, holds mentor-mentee luncheons and has class monitor partners who oversee associate groups. Much of informal training involves feedback from experienced attorneys about associates’ development and career track. At Hogan & Hartson, LLP, for example, associates prepare a yearly professional development plan, outlining their goals in terms of legal skills, substantive knowledge, client relations, and even the professional identity they’d like to create. They are assigned a mentor who helps them draft the plan and assists with implementing its goals throughout the year. Informal training should be an integral factor in your job search, but this isn’t the kind of information you’ll necessarily read in the firm’s brochure. To find out how important informal training is to your potential employers, your best bet is to talk with the firms’ summer and junior associates. Like you, they value the mentoring they receive and can tell you about both formal and informal opportunities. ADVICE Got a career question? Submit to Ursula at furiperry@verizon.net THE NATIONAL JURIST October 2007
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