Orientation and Boot-Camps
Attorney Development coordinates training and orientation for all new hires at every experience level and holds firm-wide orientation programs in Phoenix each fall for all first-year associates and lateral attorneys. These programs provide each new attorney with an introduction to the firm, including but not limited to, its history, culture, people, practice groups, management, and administration. The orientation programs also cover the basics that all attorneys need to know, including the firm’s computer and email systems, billing software, the internal document management system, training on conflicts, and loss prevention, among other things.
Additionally, to help new associates gain experience and exposure to legal skills and practices, first-years and some lateral associates attend “boot-camps” specific to their practice areas. These trainings provide a high-level introduction to their areas of practice and introduce them to partners with whom they may work closely at the firm. To encourage new attorneys to take advantage of these in-house training and development opportunities, first-year associates may record up to 150 hours of training and professional development activities in their first year of practice, which counts toward their billable hour goal.
In-House Training Programs
Regularly, Attorney Development administers internal, firm-wide training programs, which include but are not limited to, litigation training sessions, seminars for transactional attorneys, public speaking workshops, trial practice training programs, and numerous other CLE events.
In 2018, the firm instituted a formal Legal Writing Program to assist associates in developing and honing their legal writing skills. The Writing Program is open to associates of all levels and practice areas, transactional and litigation alike. The Program consists of a series of Lunch and Learn sessions, with each session focused on a specific writing topic that instructs the participants on important legal writing techniques. The Program includes 30 participants, who are assigned writing coaches from the same or similar practice area, but from a different office location. This unique pairing affords associates the opportunity to establish close relationships with partners in their practice area whom they might not otherwise meet, and who can provide practice-specific feedback on their work product submitted monthly.
Career Development Portal
The firm maintains an active Career Development Portal, which is available to all attorneys. The Career Development Portal houses a wide variety of internal training programs intended to hone the legal acumen and business development skills of attorneys at every developmental stage in their career. The Career Development Portal is also designed to help attorneys appreciate the firm’s rich history and unique culture.