participants to help teach legal writing fundamentals
and offer informal coaching to first-year associates, to
cement program learning.
ASSESSING LAWYERS’ STRENGTHS
Strengths-based training requires you to differentiate in
order to identify program participants. That can be a dif-
ficult thing to do in a big law firm, where partners often
have a hard time providing real feedback, and where,
like Lake Wobegon, all associates perceive themselves
to be above average. You need a variety of data points to
fully identify and assess a lawyer’s particular strengths.
Formal performance reviews (preferably linked to
defined attorney competencies) obviously provide
specific feedback on strengths that are valued by the
firm. Informal discussions with supervising attorneys
can also highlight associates’ key contributions. Ask a
partner which associate stands out as a brief writer, for
example, or a project manager, or a team motivator. Or
• Coaching conversations with in-house coaches or
mentors
Using a combination of these methods with some
informal, individualized approaches will get you on the
path to identifying and articulating the strengths you
need attorneys to train on. (See Helping Attorneys to
Assess Strengths on page 30.) But as you set off down
that path, it’s equally important to be mindful of some
of the most likely bumps in the road. (See Potential
Trouble Spots below.)
THE ROLE OF EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING
In a strengths-based approach, training needs to be
broadly defined. Learning formats and participant selection methods should vary, and training shouldn’t be
limited to what happens in a CLE session. In action-learning programs, participants collaborate to solve real
problems faced by a firm. Rather than choosing partici-
POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS
• Identifying strengths and providing differentiated, more-customized training can spark competitiveness and
destructive behavior unless managed and communicated carefully.
• Available assessment tools, especially formal attorney reviews, can be imprecise. Don’t rely on them exclusively
or you might end up focusing your training resources on the wrong people.
• Coming to agreement on which strengths are most important to develop with a limited training budget may not
be easy, as different practices will compete for resources and desire to build different strengths.
• Don’t focus on strengths to the exclusion of development areas. Having a strength and improving on it doesn’t
get you off the hook for also working on areas where your attorneys need to grow.
ask junior associates which partners are perceived as
the best mentors or managers. While you wouldn’t rely
on the “word on the street” in court, it can often be both
helpful and accurate when it comes to identifying who
stands out for what in a competitive environment.
Other strengths-identifying tools may include the
following:
• Upward/360-degree feedback
• Attorney self-assessments
• Self-awareness–raising tools, such as the Gallup’s
StrengthsFinder, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
or DiSC, all of which point to core strengths and/or
personality preferences that often correlate to partic-
ular lawyer competencies (e.g., the extroverted trial
lawyer, the creative negotiator, the organized project
manager, etc.)
pants based upon their roles or prior experience, choose
people who exhibit potential to succeed in an area so the
experience will stretch their existing strengths.
Assigning client work presents another training
opportunity because hands-on practice is the primary
way that lawyers truly learn their craft. Align people
with their strengths and provide them with opportunities to take those strengths to the next level. Most organizations fail to ensure their staffing models incorporate taking developmental staffing risks. Yet it’s critical
to do so, especially when developing leaders, because
putting high-potential people into roles for which they
are not quite ready is actually an effective way to build
upon their strengths. Experiential development is also
a key retention and morale booster: Not only are you
providing expert training, but you’re giving attorneys
