Two recent articles focus on challenges facing new associates and their law firms in the wake of the pandemic. Consultants, law firm leaders and partners interviewed by Law360 “believe that associates who have come into the profession during and since the pandemic lack some skills necessary to succeed,” according to its Aug. 28 article on the topic.
Chairman Paul Schmidt told Law360 he agrees that newer associates “are not as far along” as previous classes. “That is a big concern,” he said, and it is being addressed.
In the second article (Aug. 30), Schmidt explained that BakerHostetler is assessing associates on their “ownership mentality,” which encompasses client service, responsiveness, work quality, and participation in mentorship and training programs, among other standards.
Both articles are part of an ongoing series about how lawyers and the workplace were altered by the pandemic. The series began in February.