Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024 - 20

FEATURE
"
We're on the same team, and we
want the same goals. They're buying
into me like I'm buying into them.
HEATHER PEARSON
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE
With 2,800 attorneys, Hogan Lovells is one of the largest law firms in the
world, requiring a well-organized structure to ensure its lawyers, especially
junior lawyers, are seamlessly integrated into the firm and engaged
throughout their careers.
" We're a global elite law firm. We're very large, and what keeps us together
is our culture, " says Carine Stoick, deputy office managing partner of
the firm's Washington, D.C., office. " Our people are our greatest asset. "
New associates attend HL Launch, a multiday orientation program at the
firm's D.C. office, where incoming attorneys meet their peers and firm
partners and learn essential practical skills such as effective communication,
billing, and timekeeping. Each new attorney is also connected with
an integration advisor, a senior associate who serves as their mentor during
their first year at the firm.
Different practice groups at the firm also offer their own customized
mentorship opportunities for new attorneys, and a sponsorship program
pairs junior lawyers with a partner in their practice area who can advocate
for them and help them navigate their career path.
" We want all of our associates, even junior associates, to be thinking
ahead, thinking as owners about what they're doing, their professions,
and their path, " says Stoick. " Not just focusing on the work, but also focusing
on the bigger picture, which is the business of the firm itself. "
To stay competitive in the market and attract the best talent, Stoick says
Hogan Lovells keeps its training and career growth opportunities dynamic,
giving attorney feedback an important consideration. For example,
the firm is responding to requests to provide more practical trainings,
such as on running a conflicts check and estimating fees. It's a
wonderful development, says Stoick, illustrating that attorneys at the
firm are thinking more broadly about business approaches.
Rebounding from the pandemic, junior attorneys have been receptive to
the firm's hybrid schedule, according to Stoick. The firm strives to hold
key trainings in person as much as possible to keep attorneys connected
with the firm and their peers, cultivating a support system.
As they put in more time at the firm, junior attorneys continue to attend
trainings that scale with their experience. Practice groups also offer their
own programming on negotiation, communication, and other skills
throughout the year.
20 WASHINGTON LAWYER
* JULY/AUGUST 2024
" We've found that having those touchpoints with the firm at various levels,
from partner to mentor to integration advisor, is very important, " says
Stoick.
PROVIDING HANDS-ON TRAINING
At public interest law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, new attorneys begin
with a three-day onboarding process to learn about the firm's workload,
its practice groups, and the tasks they'll take on in their first year.
The firm also offers ongoing training on topics such as crafting opening
and closing arguments.
" New attorneys are eager to learn and want to learn, and it's important
for us to be intentional and take the time to teach them, " says Kate Mueting,
firm administrative partner. " Something that we are constantly thinking
about is how detailed we want our training to be at the outset, and
then, how do we keep those refreshers? "
Obtaining feedback is one of the biggest challenges young attorneys
face, so the firm has created a formal process to facilitate it. " As attorneys,
when we finish something and we are moving on to the next thing, we
all need to make the time to ask for and to give feedback, " says Mueting.
Training and feedback are critical to the firm's health and future, Mueting
says, avoiding scenarios where the firm has great cases under its belt but
lacks a strong roster of senior attorneys.
"
New attorneys are eager to learn
and want to learn, and it's important
for us to be intentional and take the
time to teach them.
KATE MUETING
Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP
The firm addresses these concerns in a variety of ways, including making
training an ongoing process, periodically refreshing its programming
and mentoring options, and encouraging its senior lawyers to provide
feedback to junior attorneys, explaining what they're doing and why.
These frequent touchpoints are important because junior attorneys
want to take an active role in their work and careers, and it's on firms to
give them the right tools, Mueting says.
In 2022 the firm launched two yearlong fellowships - the Tom Henderson
Civil Rights Fellowship and the Deborah Rhode Civil Rights Fellowship
- to provide young attorneys the opportunity to do hands-on
public interest work.
" Junior attorneys coming into the profession want to be successful, and
they want opportunities to get in and get involved, " says Mueting.
Jeffery Leon is a legal journalist based in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Kate Mueting
Bass, Berry & Sims
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024
