In addition, each fall the firm hosts a tailgate party before a Yale football game, to which all lawyers and staff are invited. New associates also attend a comprehensive orientation program, which is designed to help them become familiar with the firm and improve certain skills that they will need in their first year. A panel of lawyers or paralegals led the discussion at each meeting, sometimes using handouts or videotapes to enhance the presentation. After the initial assignment is made, the new associates work directly with the lawyer or lawyers for whom the job is being done. Over time, the associate identifies the areas that appeal to him or her, and usually affiliates with a department and begins to choose an area or areas of specialization sometime near the end of the first year.
All associates receive a formal annual review of their work in the spring.
If an associate has not yet affiliated with a department, the Committee for Unaffiliated Associates conducts the review. Thereafter, the reviews are done within the various departments. All reviews are based on comments from all the partners with whom the associate has worked. In addition to the formal reviews, associates receive instructive comments from partners throughout the year while projects are underway. In recent years the firm has placed increasing emphasis on associate training and career development, and has an administrator in charge of these areas.