Two partners oversee associate work assignments and are available to assist an associate in finding assignments and to consult more generally on the associate's career development. In our European offices, assignments are even more tailored to individual associates. We keep the staffing of cases and projects as lean as practicable, consistent with effective representation of our clients. As a result, associates confer regularly with the partners with whom they work, and have vast opportunities to learn and grow through such relationships. In addition to providing feedback on an ongoing basis, annually each partner prepares formal written reviews of associates' work.
Associates also receive a mid-year review during their first year at the firm.
The principal purposes of this review process are to assist in identifying the associate's special skills and opportunities for improvement, and to discuss with the associate his or her professional development and goals. Beginning in the fifth year after the associate's law school graduation, the review process focuses principally on the associate's prospects for partnership. That mentor has responsibility for overseeing the associate's early integration into the firm, and for being available on an ongoing basis to consult about career development and other matters of importance to the associate. In addition, an experienced associate is assigned to each new lawyer as an informal adviser on professional matters of all kinds. The firm has a Continuing Legal Education Committee that offers an ongoing series of educational programs for our lawyers.