How to Train an Associate Attorney

The shift from the traditional way of training to a modern tailored approach is something that young attorneys are more interested in.

An associate attorney’s development is important for every law firm. As good nurturing is required to grow a plant, so is training an associate to become a productive leader in a law firm. 

And for this, firms have to re-designed heir associate training methodology. The traditional way of long hour teaching is replaced with impactful teaching techniques that include engaging, interactive methods that better meet the expectations of today’s young attorneys. There are various job opportunities for lawyers, and so training is still an important part of their career.

Now clients or trainers are not willing to take or give training as it is time-consuming; also, those who are willing to take the training are the same students who want to learn with the latest technology. This has made firms confused about how to change the way they have till now delivered training. They want to create a plan that is less time consuming as well as cheaper and more effective.

So let’s explore the three new ways on how you can develop a perfect methodology to train an associate attorney in this digital age. 

Millenialistic syllabus

The syllabus designed for training the young attorney’s should lay more emphasis on the way millennials learn. Firms should develop study modules that are brief yet bit-size, just like YouTube videos—having brief presentations where associates can quickly learn certain topics, right when associates need to apply the information to their work. Presentations are extremely important in trials, arbitrations, educational events, and client meetings. So they should be taught presentation skills to help them ace a presentation and win the client.

Give Tech-Friendly training

Technology has made our lives easier, and including them in associate training will make boring classes turn into an interactive session. Technology influenced training is what students are seeking right now. This make getting entry level attorney jobs in new york and other parts of the country easier. 

Lawyers don’t anymore want to learn just about a job but also gain knowledge about the topics they can immediately apply in real life. And that’s what technology does. E-learning focuses more on practical learning rather than just simple boring theories. You need to train the lawyers on the every-day issues they might face at law firms and things they can immediately put into practice while working whenever required. 

Apart from the shift in training content, you can also make changes in the study material provided to the associate attorneys. Study material should be presented in ways that better appeal to a generation raised on the internet, with short, focused presentations that are both engaging and entertaining, flipping preconceived notions of on-demand learning as dry and dull.

Practical and Interactive sessions

While training an associate attorney, it’s important to make them aware of the real-life at work. And so take them to their first deposition, court appearance, mediation, or client meeting, with the sole assignment being, “Take notes,” though there can be private discussions after.

The training should be more focused on problem-solving, discussion on real-world issues, and not just one-way presentation. Learning by doing should be emphasized in all the training programs where associates can easily gain practical exposure, not just bookish knowledge as done in law school.

 The training should include real cases in which they prepare and deliver opening and closing statements, as well as to conduct direct- and cross-examination of lay and expert witnesses. The program can also contain a mock jury that comments on the lawyers’ work and deliberates at the end. You can invite several experienced trial lawyers to attend a mock jury and provide feedback. These things will help them boost their self-esteem and gain practical training to perform better in the future. 

Conclusion

These are the few ways that can enhance your methods of training an attorney. The shift from the traditional way of training to a modern tailored approach is something that young attorneys are more interested in. You cannot simply make them study text-books they did in their law-school. Making the most use of technology and a bit-sized syllabus is all that you need to train a millennial attorney.