AmLaw Top 10 Law Firms for Best Technology Training
We are committed to helping our attorneys stay abreast of technologies that can facilitate their legal practices. In fact, in 2007, DLA Piper’s technology training programs were named among the top ten in The American attorney’s Midlevel Associate Survey. From Outlook, to Excel, Elite, InterAction, WestLaw, litigation support, laptops and blackberries, we’ve got you covered!
Professional Development
At DLA Piper, we help our attorneys reach their highest potential as lawyers, consistent with the firm’s standard of excellence in client service and commitment to connecting our people, our clients and our communities.
We design our programs to meet the development needs of attorneys at every stage of their career.
First and Second Year Associates
Orientation – First year associates participate in a comprehensive orientation program, including:
- Orientation to the associate’s local office, procedures, and practice area.
- A two-day national program that introduces our associates to firm leaders and each other, where associates learn about firm organization, strategy, economics, teamwork, client service expectations, ethics, research and writing, and more.
- A multi-day “boot camp” for core practice areas that provides training on substantive legal skills.
Practice Group Training – First and second year associates also attend basic training programs for their respective practice group. Examples of programs include:
- Corporate and Securities – A two-year cycle of monthly CLE programs on core legal topics and a two-day hands-on training program about the life of a venture capital deal.
- Patent Litigation – A two-day hands-on program about motions practice.
- Litigation – A seminar on basic persuasive writing.
- Real Estate – Monthly training as part of a two-year Leasing Mastery curriculum.
- Transactional – A seminar on basic drafting skills for associates in all transactional practice groups.
Third and Fourth Year Associates
We offer many regional programs on a rotating schedule. If one year focuses on depositions, advanced persuasive writing and advanced contract drafting, the next year includes negotiation, basic accounting and other skill areas, so that every mid-level associate has an opportunity to receive training in applicable skills.
Fifth and Sixth Year Associates
We host national and regional training programs every year for the senior associate level, including:
- Expert Witness Examination at Deposition and Trial
- Advanced Persuasive Writing or Legal Drafting
The Senior Associate Development Program, a highly anticipated annual program, helps sixth year associates become leaders in our firm and in the profession.
All Associates
Mentoring – We encourage voluntary, proactive mentoring at all levels of associate development. We offer a peer advisor program designed to help first year associates transition from student to practicing attorney and a benchmark advisor program that matches associates with trained attorney advisers. Benchmark advisers and advisees work together to establish and achieve tangible short- and long-term career objectives and development milestones.
Secondment – Associates may have opportunities to work at other firm offices, domestic and international, or at client locations.
Personal Coaching – Individual and tailored training in specific skills, such as persuasive writing, legal drafting, oral presentation, time management, and organization. The firm contracts with numerous law professors and other legal educators throughout the U.S. to provide confidential, short-term training to help associates take skills to the next level.
Harry L. Rudnick Business Scholarship Program – To help our attorneys cultivate their business skills and better serve clients, the firm selects up to three associates each year to receive tuition reimbursement for study toward an MBA or other advanced degree.
All Attorneys
Practice Group Retreats – Each practice group holds periodic national retreats. The multi-day events include opportunities to build relationships with colleagues and attend Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs, learn about the group’s strategy, clients, and practice expertise. For example, the U.S. Trial Lawyers Retreat offers mock trials, with associates trying the case, actual judges on the bench, and partners who provide substantive critique.
Practice Group Programs – More than 200 programs annually, including monthly or quarterly national programs in Corporate and Securities, Finance, Labor and Employment, Litigation, Patent Litigation, Real Estate, Trademarks/Copyright/Multimedia, and Technology and Sourcing. Other practice groups frequently host training for attorneys in specific offices.
Ethics Training – National programs on legal ethics plus numerous programs for individual practice groups and offices are offered every year.
The Marbury Institute Speaker Series – Each month, the firm hosts a speaker from the world of business, government, law, or public interest. The series also includes the Vacketta-DLA Piper Annual Lecture, which focuses on the evolving role of government.
Self-Study Training – Every U.S. attorney has access to West LegalEdcenter, an on-line/on-demand educational service with more than 7,000 legal training programs by organizations such as ALI-ABA, the ABA, and PLI. The firm’s library of recorded training programs, featuring firm lawyers and noted clients and guests, contains hundreds of CLE-eligible presentations.