At Snell & Wilmer, we place a large emphasis on lateral integration, particularly for established attorneys. We want our lateral partners and counsel to feel just as much a part of the Snell & Wilmer team as those who started practicing at the firm straight out of law school or after completing a judicial clerkship.
To facilitate that effort, we have formalized a lateral integration plan, which outlines the progressive duties of many firm employees – including, among others, administrators, executive leadership, practice group leaders, and partners who serve as mentors (also known as “lateral integration coordinators”) – to complete tasks and duties geared toward integrating lateral partners and counsel into the firm. These duties begin even prior to the lateral’s first day of employment, with the goal being to promote integration and to provide the necessary resources and tools to assist the lateral with assimilating into the firm’s culture and practice.
Partners and Counsel are not the only focus for lateral integration at the firm. With both formal and informal resources, Attorney Development actively works to integrate laterals into Snell & Wilmer at every stage of their career. For example, laterals can attend lunches, dinners, and happy hours to get to know one another and to discuss important topics, including ways to improve the firm’s integration efforts.
The firm’s executive leadership makes a point to attend some of these functions. In some offices, Committee members invite laterals to one-on-one lunches and coffee meetings to further facilitate a welcoming environment and to share experiences and helpful information about the firm. Laterals are also invited to attend the firm’s annual orientation, during which a special introductory session is directed to laterals, in addition to the general orientation program offered for the firm’s new attorneys.