Paul, Weiss | Build a Great Career

Summer Associate Program : Career Development : Assigning : Technology : Associate Life : Mentoring : Diversity : Pro Bono : Alumni

Nader R. Hasan
Paul, Weiss Associate, Litigation
University of Toronto Faculty of Law, 2006

"Paul, Weiss's career development initiatives are extremely proactive and positive.

All associates are required to make regular updates in the career development database. It's a system that tracks what areas of the law you're interested in and which partners you want to work with. The assigning partners take that information and try to make sure that we're getting exposure to cases that match our interests. At the same time, the database tracks which specific skills you want to develop, from taking depositions to client development. As a result, my caseload has given me a lot of variety in terms of exposure to different areas of the law.

The firm also offers top-notch continuing legal education. We have an in-house professional development group here and they're always offering CLE courses. Many of them are mandatory for first year associates, but the firm is great about making sure that you have the flexibility to attend. Many of the courses are taught by the partners themselves and they're always topical and useful. When something isn't covered by our in-house professional development team, the firm encourages associates to attend external CLE programs.

The personal aspect is strong too. All our new associates are given a mentor – generally a mid-level associate who knows the ropes. My mentor is great. Generally we go for lunch every month or so – he'll give me tips, practice tips, things that he's learned the hard way. I'm actually working with him on a pro bono discrimination case that he brought into the firm.

I feel like I'm in good hands right now. I'm developing vital skills and I'm doing meaningful work. I'm constantly learning here."

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Career Development

New Associate Orientation: New associates attend a week-long orientation where they meet firm leaders, learn about the firm’s history and organizational structure and participate in legal skills training sessions. You’ll also have many opportunities for informal interaction with more experienced associates, counsel and partners.

Technology Tools: Paul, Weiss provides you with state-of-the-art technology to assist in your work. Extensive training in the use of these technologies is included in the associate professional development curriculum.

Personal Career Development Planning: From your first day at Paul, Weiss, we’ll help map the development of your skills and professional knowledge with our comprehensive career development planning program. In consultation with partners in your department, you’ll create an annual career development plan that outlines your goals and expectations for the year. These plans are used to inform the work assignment process and help guide you throughout your career as a Paul, Weiss associate.

Forward-Looking Evaluation Process: Instead of looking only at past performance, we use your evaluation meeting as an opportunity to look ahead to the goals you set forth in your career development plan for the coming year; evaluations are opportunities to plan your future development.

Counsel Program: This program promotes senior associates who have demonstrated their exceptional abilities and value to the firm. It is highly selective, honoring an elite group of lawyers, both specialists and generalists. The program gives senior lawyers the opportunity to play a prominent role in their area of specialization.

Career-Synchronized Professional Development: We offer a professional development curriculum that is keyed to your career development plan and matched to each step in your career. When you’re ready to tackle tougher assignments, you’ll be given the specific training you need to take on new responsibilities.

Wide Variety of Courses: We offer more than 130 courses each year, featuring everything from the basics of how to write a brief to negotiation techniques; course levels increase as your career develops.

Learn From Outstanding Teachers — Our Lawyers: The majority of our courses are developed and taught in-house by our own lawyers.

External Courses: We offer off-site classes featuring business and legal experts lecturing on a variety of subjects.

Innovative Teaching Methods: Our professional development courses feature interactive training methods; associates focus their study using the histories of model companies or explore real-world issues raised in trials and depositions.

CLE Programs: We are accredited providers of CLE courses; we track and maintain your CLE credits in accordance with your personal career development plan.