Associate Development

 

At Dechert, we are committed to delivering exceptional service and innovative thinking for our clients. The key to achieving this is empowering our associates to do their very best. We want our people to thrive and become an integral part of our collaborative global community. With a career at Dechert, associates are exposed as early as possible to a broad range of experiences and given the opportunity to work closely with senior lawyers to watch, listen and learn from them.

We are committed to ensuring that all associates are supported, mentored, and given development opportunities. Dechert provides the training and guidance that enable our associates to develop into effective lawyers and leaders. Find out more about our Professional Development offerings below.


Engaging with Senior Leadership

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State of the Firm

Our Chairman, Andy Levander, and our CEO, Henry Nassau, provide an annual update about the firm’s financial performance, key events and important initiatives.

Quarterly Meetings

Firmwide quarterly meetings with our CEO provide our associates with a better understanding of the business of the firm and recent significant developments.

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Global Associates Committee

Our Global Associates Committee is an important collaboration between leadership and our associates. The committee represents associates and trainees firmwide by giving them a voice in our workplace and a means for suggesting new initiatives to firm leadership.

Shadowing Initiative

Our associates receive bonus hours credit to shadow partners and more experienced lawyers at the firm. Shadowing gives our associates additional opportunities to watch, listen and learn from some of the best practitioners in the industry.

Our Innovation Focus

  • Our focus on innovation is highlighted each year when individuals from across our global offices join an intensive three-month Innovation Certificate Program to develop the practical tools and techniques to think differently, generate ideas, forge new work processes and business lines, and creatively solve our clients’ most significant business and legal challenges.

  • The firm’s ongoing Innovation Training Curriculum is designed to give our associates, partners and business services professionals proven skills and techniques to support innovative thinking and behaviors.

Our Feedback Culture

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Real Time Feedback

Ongoing and real-time feedback are core parts of the firm’s culture. Our associates receive regular formal and informal feedback from the lawyers with whom they work.

Evaluations

Our associates have a formal annual evaluation that is focused on goal-setting and a mid-year evaluation that offers an informal check-in on an associate’s development.

Upward Reviews

Everyone at the firm is invited to give feedback on mentoring and training received from partners and senior associates via the firm’s anonymous and confidential upward feedback program.

Dechert Learning Center

Our associates have access to high-quality online learning experiences to support them in their roles and develop new skills to enhance their career. Our learning modules cover a wide variety of topics including; interpersonal skills, collaboration, substantive training, languages, negotiation, strategic thinking, delegation, management, innovation and creativity.