Law firm training programmes now include more instruction in non-legal skills due to worries that law courses are "woefully inadequate" preparation for a career in a modern law firm
Law firms are placing a greater emphasis on developing training
programmes that enhance young lawyers' non-legal skills –
such as "client care", negotiation, pricing and
management – amid widespread concern that law graduates are
leaving university insufficiently prepared for a career in a law
firm.
Next month, leading Spanish firm Uría Menéndez will
officially launch a training course – in conjunction with IE
business school – that will include improving lawyers
business-related skills among its key objectives. The "IE-UM
Professional Development Programme for Lawyers" is three years
in duration and comprises a total of 140 teaching hours – in
addition to legal subjects, the firm says the course will include
"business and economic subjects and skills".
Explaining the need for such training, Uría Menéndez
partner José Massaguer says young lawyers often lack vital
attributes necessary for a career in a law firm including
"client care" skills, and, in the case of more
experienced lawyers, leadership and management skills. He adds:
"The education in law school is not focussed on legal practice
– young lawyers usually have knowledge of the law but are not
yet equipped to practice law."
Pérez-Llorca's training priorities include ensuring its
lawyers are fully up-to-date with the latest developments in areas
in "finance, the stock market and energy". Partner and
corporate director Constanza Vergara Jaakkola adds: "We
have made sure that our lawyers are fully trained in these fields
– once the technical side of the programme has been covered,
training lawyers in commercial skills and guiding them through how
to attract new clients are also important objectives."
She continues: "Young lawyers start with an excellent
technical background, however they must learn to frame and adapt
this legal knowledge to the client's needs."
Some firms have instituted their own learning academies. Margarida
Couto, partner at Vieira de Almeida in Portugal and president of
the VdAcademia board, says the skills law students learn at
university are "woefully inadequate" preparation for a
career in a law firm. "Although we have seen minor changes in
the curricula of universities, these are outdated," she adds.
"The approach to law is a twentieth-century approach and
doesn´t consider the new millennium challenges for
advocacy."
According to Couto, among the challenges law firms face when
providing new types of training for lawyers is developing skills
that are "non-existent" in the typical law graduate
– these include management and business development. Couto
describes the typical lawyer as an "analytical introvert who
likes office work, reading researching and writing". She adds:
"This is a profile that feels more attracted to law school,
where these skills are overrated."
However, others in the legal sector argue that law schools are
becoming more innovative in the way in which they prepare students
for life in a law firm.
José Luis Moreira da Silva, human resources director at
Lisbon-based SRS Advogados says: "In Portugal, the top law
schools are increasingly focused on training law graduates in
cross-functional skills and to think more outside the box."
That said, Moreira da Silva adds that SRS Advogados is investing in
"soft skills training" for its lawyers – this
training includes client generation, stress management, and
leadership.
Evaluating the success of programmes is important, according to
Vergara Jaakola who says that Pérez-Llorca's training
programmes are developed by the human resources team in partnership
with an academic committee that includes partners and the knowledge
management manager. She adds: "HR analyses feedback given by
the attendees at each session and subsequently sends a report to
both the lecturers and members of the academic
committee."
Abreu Advogados managing partner Duarte Athayde argues that above
all the quality of training offered by a law firm can impact on its
ability to attract potential recruits. "Training can be a
deciding factor when accepting or refusing a new or potential job
offer," he adds.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
