At Proskauer, our associates are our greatest assets. We care about their development as lawyers and provide ongoing professional training, both department-specific and general skill development. Whether it involves shadowing a senior lawyer, hearing him or her provide insight on a new aspect of the law, or honing skills with an outside consultant or professor, we invest heavily in our associates to prepare them for careers in the law.

Proskauer Institute

An immersive, multi-day training program presented each fall, Proskauer Institute brings together new associates from across the organization to orient them to the fundamentals of becoming a successful lawyer in a large law firm, including:

• The role of new associates and what clients and the Firm expect from their lawyers
• Diversity, Equity and inclusion
• The importance of pro bono
• Effective communication
• Managing workflow, calendar and documents
• Firm business, finance and accounting training

Shadowing Program

Associates are given time and opportunity to observe experienced Proskauer lawyers at work, helping them gain exposure and process insights to all elements of client matters.

Shadowing may include attending a meeting with a client, participating in negotiations with opposing counsel, attending a trial or observing the closing of a transaction. In addition, we encourage partners to “reverse shadow,” in order to offer oversight, guidance and feedback on smaller projects and matters.

Columbia@Proskauer: Developing Leaders Program for Midlevel Associates

Proskauer has partnered with Columbia Business School to develop a series of multi- day, executive MBA-style training sessions for our third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-year associates. Midlevel associates are asked to assume more significant roles on matters and to take on greater responsibilities. Each level-specific training program provides our midlevels with the tools to build critical business skills, enabling them to truly partner with our clients on their objectives and to instill a culture of excellence within the Firm.

Mentoring

New associates are matched up with an associate advisor when they arrive at the Firm. After they have had a chance to develop informal mentoring relationships, associates in their second year and above are asked to select a partner or senior counsel to serve as their mentor.

The Firm provides an annual stipend to mentors, conducts mentoring training and organizes periodic engagement events.

Continuing Legal Education

We offer all associates an annual training budget to become active in bar association activities and attend outside programs, including access to our privileged membership with PLI (Practising Law Institute).

We also present substantive skills and training programs in-house throughout the year.

Proskauer is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois and New York. The Firm also utilizes Micron CE Manager, a learning management system, to administer and track CLE, attorney admission and other training.

Pro Bono as a Training Tool

We encourage our lawyers to make pro bono part of their practice from the outset. Every first-year associate is given a pro bono project upon joining the Firm. All Proskauer lawyers are asked to perform at least 50 pro bono hours annually. We count every pro bono hour equally to a billable hour.

Through pro bono work, associates take on leadership roles, develop professional skills and change lives in their communities. Associates are mentored on every pro bono matter and often collaborate with staff attorneys at partnering non-profits.