Feedback and communication are key contributors to an associate’s professional development. That is why Snell & Wilmer focuses on providing its associates with opportunities for feedback and communication early and often.
Evaluations
Attorneys at Snell & Wilmer are encouraged to provide real-time feedback on associate’s work. To facilitate this process, the firm helped design a real-time feedback evaluation system. This simple evaluation process offers associates feedback on projects in “real-time”, and it can be initiated at any time, by either the working attorney or the assigning attorney. It takes only minutes to request or complete an evaluation. In addition, first-year associates and lateral attorneys have a formal initial evaluation after six months, and all associates take part in yearly evaluations, during which they solicit formal feedback from attorneys with whom they work, in addition to completing a self-evaluation. After all feedback is compiled, associates sit down with at least one partner in their practice group to discuss the evaluation results, future goals, and opportunities for professional development.
Associate and Counsel Roundtables
Associates and Counsel are invited to participate in roundtable sessions on a regular basis with members of the firm’s Executive Committee, who answer questions submitted anonymously by associates across all offices. Associates are provided forthright answers to their most important questions about how to succeed in the firm and become a self-sustaining partner.
Upward Reviews
Semi-annually, the firm invites associates and staff to review all partners and counsel at the firm. Our hope is that partners and counsel will score well on the following two questions:
- This person treats me with dignity and respect.
- This person helps to build collaborative relationships.
The firm values the feedback and shares it, confidentially, with each evaluated attorney. The goal of completing these upward reviews is to encourage and promote a positive workplace culture at the firm, for staff and attorneys alike.