All of our new hires receive firm orientation and practice specific benchmarks to help guide them. During orientation new hires are provided practice group benchmarks to learn practice group performance expectations for every level of their career. Additionally, our Professional Development team monitors a six-month on-boarding plan specifically set up to help them integrate into the firm smoothly.

Each practice group organizes training sessions on various topics and for various levels specific to its practice areas. These training sessions are developed from associate requests, new trends in the practice area and from benchmarks that each group has developed. Benchmarks are designed to guide our attorneys in achieving the practice goals set for the department These sessions are usually open to anyone in the firm who is interested in learning more about the topics.

Recognizing that it takes more to being a successful lawyer than just substantive skills, Benesch has identified five categories of success factors in addition to our practice group benchmarks to help our associates develop as successful lawyers. In 2012, Benesch University was launched to compliment the targeted practice group trainings and provide training at all levels in correlation to these success factors.

Benesch has a formal mentoring program and also offers quarterly programming for all attorneys. The programs offer a wide range of topics from business development to networking to client communications.

Because we recognize that attorneys must stay current with the legal profession, the firm supports them in maintaining the standards set by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and pays for CLE classes for all attorneys. As a premier member of the Practising Law Institute (PLI) we provide information on class availability and are registered sponsors for several CLE approved seminars each year. Please click here for available course description and registration information.

Partnership tracking is communicated to our associates by a number of methods, including through yearly and more frequent evaluations. Our associates can first be considered for partnership after a minimum of eight and half years of practicing law. Our practice group chairs work closely with the associates in their departments to accurately and timely communicate the status of each associate within their groups.

Each associate is permanently assigned a Professional Personnel Committee (PPC) partner. This PPC attorney reviews an associate’s evaluations, and along with the practice group chair, meets with the associate to discuss strengths, weaknesses and goals for the following year. The purpose of this thorough process is to determine where the associate stands professionally and if the associate is on track to become a partner. The Professional Development team will aid with individual professional development plans.

Benesch’s orientation includes training in document management systems, CRM, Office applications and programs related to specific practice groups. Ongoing software training is available.