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Professional Development
To retain the talented lawyers we recruit, we work hard to provide them with the resources, experience and support necessary to succeed. This means assisting lawyers with their professional development and career satisfaction.
Here are some of the initiatives we have taken in furtherance of these goals:
Mentoring Program. All incoming associates are assigned both a partner and associate mentor who are responsible for overseeing associates' early integration into the firm, and for being available on an ongoing basis to consult about career development and other matters of importance to the associate. In addition, the environment and scale of the San Francisco office are such that informal mentor relationships often arise, and we maintain a strong commitment to a relaxed, open door policy that fosters collegiality and an atmosphere of support for our associates.
Training Programs. We offer an ongoing series of training and educational programs for our lawyers, including intensive trial practice, deposition, oral skills, and writing programs. The firm also provides a series of seminars for associates on topics ranging from litigation and negotiation skills to professional ethics and relationships with clients.
Associate Evaluations. The firm provides a formal performance evaluation for every associate each year. These evaluations serve several purposes. First and foremost, they are intended to supplement day-to-day feedback by ensuring that each associate receives periodic assessments of his or her work, including identification of strengths and weaknesses and suggestions for development. In addition, the evaluation reports provide the firm with valuable information regarding the progress and needs of individual lawyers; this information is used in arranging future assignments and legal education programs. The annual evaluation sessions also provide an opportunity to review individual career development issues, assignments, and associates’ concerns about any aspect of life at the firm.
Managing Partners for Legal Personnel. Several partners, distributed among the firm’s US offices, serve as managing partners for legal personnel, or MPLPs. The MPLPs have overall responsibility for associate assignments, coordinating junior associate evaluations and reviews, awarding associate bonuses, and proposing and implementing policies and procedures affecting associates. The MPLPs are supported by our Director of Attorney and Alumni Relations.
Associate Advisory Committee. This committee, which is comprised of both associates and partners, provides an organized way for the Firm’s management and associates to exchange views and perspectives.
Associate Ombudspersons. A senior lawyer in each of the firm's offices serves as Associate Ombudsperson to provide confidential advice to any associate upon request.
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