The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/96072
case studies Fullbridge at Andrews Kurth We worked with the Fullbridge Program to develop a curriculum that would be specialized and customized for Andrews Kurth's new associates. We liked Fullbridge's approach because it was highly collaborative, it was a rigorous business education program, it focused on accelerating the new associates' transitions from law school to practicing law and because it was very intensive. Participants would experience arbitrary deadlines and client demands for an accurate, real-world simulation over a 21-day period. We had many objectives for this program, but the two overarching goals were: • To accelerate new associates' transitions from law school to the practice of law • To immerse new associates in the language of business, while providing them the tools and aptitude to contribute meaningfully from day one This fall we offered the program to nine incoming associates who recently graduated from law school. Our first session ran September 4-28, with the first three weeks of classes led by Fullbridge and the last week delivered by Andrews Kurth attorneys. All of the training modules fit into the following subject areas: • Effective presentations and how to deliver them • The importance of being self-aware of your personal talents and attributes, and how to communicate with people who have different personality types (examining personality traits you'd see in something similar to a Myers Briggs assessment) • Communication skills • Business and financial analyses and evaluations associates recognized this business training would give them a competitive advantage. This is what's so intriguing about the program — we're teaching our associates to understand the clients' businesses from day one, before they're even put on the clients' deals. We like how the program immerses new associates in the language of business, helping them build competencies, ask the right questions and advance their clients' goals. Adopt This Training at Your Firm If you're interested in implementing this kind of program at your firm, start by working with your in-house training faculty to determine whether using internal training resources, external resources or a combination of both (like we did at Andrews Kurth) is the best solution for your firm. If you're going to engage in training that has any technology requirements, such as presentations over the Web, make sure you get those details squared away as soon as possible so you can complete test runs. Educate your partners and attorneys early on about what you're doing. I'm really glad we did so because we were able to build excitement from within the firm. Our attorneys were able to spread the enthusiasm when speaking to incoming associates. The Future Looks Bright Our first experience with this type of training was great, so we anticipate making this program available to more new associates as our classes grow. In the future, we also plan to deliver some version of the program to mid-level attorneys. This is a wonderful investment our firm is willing to make in its associates, and it's our partners who are paying for this out of their pockets. Our partners want to make sure our new attorneys — our best and brightest — are well-trained, and we hope our clients will see the benefits of having new associates that will provide value early on. • Project management • Team management A Positive Reaction The first session of our Fullbridge training program was received exceptionally well. We heard positive feedback from the participants and their peers. We're thankful our new associates were eager and enthusiastic about it. You never know how people will react to being told they'll be in day-long training sessions for their first few weeks on the job, but they were so appreciative. I think the new job market has forced our workforce to have a greater appreciation for the opportunities that exist, and our new 34 Peer to Peer Amy Sladczyk Hancock serves as the Director of Professional Development for Andrews Kurth. She plans, designs and implements all attorney professional development, training, continuing legal education, orientation, integration and mentoring programs and identifies associate concerns related to development, compensation, quality of life, work and other employment-related issues. Amy is a frequent speaker and author on professional development, leadership, legal education and more. She can be contacted at amyhancock@andrewskurth.com.