We encourage associates to assume significant responsibility for client matters early in their careers. This is consistent with our goal to help lawyers at the firm develop rapidly into flexible, well-rounded professionals. We recognize that successful professional and personal development does not happen without a deeply ingrained institutional commitment to training.
We structure our internal training programs to help associates make the transition from law school to practice. Our approach is to integrate the teaching of substantive legal and business concepts with the practical examples of issues that arise in our client engagements. To that end, we provide associates with the opportunity to receive on-the-job training from senior lawyers, as well as to participate in practical and comprehensive formal training programs, both within and outside the firm.
Cleary Gottlieb supports firm-wide training lunches on various topics, with each office also offering its lawyers specific programs tailored to the practice mix in that office. For example, in New York the corporate, litigation, tax and other practice groups sponsor a series of seminars and case studies designed for new lawyers. Lawyers in all practice areas at all levels of seniority are encouraged to attend these programs. The firm’s training and professional development efforts for all lawyers also include periodic practice group lunches on legal and market developments and skills seminars.
In an effort to help our lawyers comply with the continuing legal education requirements of the New York Bar, the firm has become an accredited New York CLE provider. Lawyers can obtain all required New York CLE credits by attending in-house programs. We also encourage lawyers to attend outside CLE programs in areas of interest to further their professional development and bring back to the firm a breadth of different perspectives.