Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/87421
How do you transform or customize your training program to meet the needs of your clients (attorneys and staff)? Sell a Solution to Their Problems: Training Today's Lawyers Elaine: I typically work with an associate to customize training to ensure Don: We try to group classes by broad practice area, e.g., corporate attorneys in one group and litigators in another. Deal lawyers don't really need to relevancy. I like having scenario-based training programs instead of functionality-based programs. The database training programs that simply go through functionality are quite tedious. Most people like to know why they should attend a program or why they should care about what a database can do. Even if I have an external vendor presenting during one of my training sessions, I aim to find an internal champion (typically with partner Shepardize cases, so it's of no benefit to show them how to do that. I also try to pitch what I'm talking about to the general level of experience. Summer associates who haven't yet taken securities law at school, for example, don't know what a Form 8-K is or what it's designed for. So I simply show a couple of tools they can use to perform SEC research. With a more experienced group, I get into greater detail. When teaching laterals or new counsel or partners, I focus not so much on the nuts and bolts of research, but on reviewing what resources we offer them and how to customize the services we provide to tailor the information to their practice. approval and associate participation) to vet the training presentation beforehand. If it is a GoToMeeting, I have an associate introduce the call. This way there is already an internal champion for the product, and it's not a sales pitch. How do you measure the success of the firm's training program? Elaine: If a program is well-received, I usually get asked to do another one, or I get asked if it was recorded. Our department has also developed online modules that attorneys can access for on-demand training needs. They are one- or five-minute videos on many different topics. Don: We keep precise metrics on attendance, and then use a service known as Research Monitor to see if our training translates to increased usage of the services or applications we have taught. We can usually tell how well the training went if we see a subsequent uptick in usage. AALL/ILTA White Paper 83