taking steps to ensure a good law firm-associate fit
When we moved to the suburbs several years ago, my wife decided to cultivate a chemical-free lawn. Organic landscaping fits our lifestyle and values, but the resulting clover-and-weed-laden expanse doesn’t mesh well with the neighbors’ perfectly manicured greens. What works for us doesn’t seem to suit our surroundings. There’s a mis-fit in lawn aesthetic that we (and our understanding neighbors) have made peace with.
The concept of fit is something I think about quite a bit. It’s figured prominently in my professional life, as I’ve strived to build a business and business relationships that fill, rather than deplete, me. I’m certainly not alone in my quest for fit-ness. As I noted in an earlier post on choosing fit over prestige, the legal profession is meeting a workforce that’s willing to shirk stellar firm reputations and high salaries in favor of business environments that truly complement their personalities and larger life interests.
Firms are also embracing the need for a good firm-associate fit. A recent article on Bootcamp Training For New Attorneys highlights a two-week component of the summer program at Howrey LLP. During the Howrey Bootcamp, summer associates are housed in a conference center where they receive “intensive training that includes classes, depositions and a mock trial in front of partners and judges.” The piece offers these words from the firm’s hiring partner regarding the program’s genesis: “Bootcamp was conceived of as a way of getting associates to the firm who better fit what we do." To further the fit, Howrey pares its entire summer program down to five weeks and encourages its summer associates to compare experiences by working for another firm.
