Linklaters announces the launch of the Linklaters Law & Business School, a world class educational framework set up to provide ongoing professional development for all people at the firm at every stage of their career.
The Linklaters Law & Business School will feature - for the first time among any professional services firm - an advisory board of legal and business academics, General Counsel and Linklaters partners. The board members will provide insight, market knowledge and global expertise to challenge and direct the firm’s learning and knowledge activities. Advisory Board members are currently being appointed, and will include, amongst others, Ashish Nanda, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and Bertrand Moingeon, Directeur Général at HEC Business School.
The Linklaters Law & Business School will offer a range of training programmes, some of which will be delivered on a global basis, while others will be tailored to particular audiences or practice areas. Key stages within the Linklaters Law & Business School framework include:
* A New Lawyer Global Orientation Programme - upon joining the firm, trainees and junior associates globally will take part in a week long programme, ensuring everyone receives entry level training of the highest quality, as well as providing a valuable international networking opportunity. The first programme will take place in London later this month with 140 people from across the firm taking part.
* Practice Diplomas - these provide a globally coherent structure to the technical and skills training all associates will receive during the first four years of their career at Linklaters, ensuring they are equipped with the expertise to thrive in a changing global economy. Associates will enrol on the first diploma courses in September 2008.
* Managing Associate Development – a range of key programmes for senior associates including a development centre for Managing Associates to review their individual development needs. This will be followed by tailored learning programmes focusing on client, business and commercial skills, designed to take Managing Associates to the next level in their career.
* Counsel / partner training - upon promotion, all partners and counsel will take part in a structured development programme, delivered in partnership with world class institutions such as the Harvard Law School. These programmes will focus on continuous professional development and will be supported by coaching and peer mentoring.
* Business services - the Linklaters Law & Business School also provides a developmental framework for everyone within the professional business service functions of the firm, with milestone programmes at each stage of career development, supplemented by tailored training courses and coaching.
Simon Davies, Linklaters’ Managing Partner, said:
”Providing the best training and development of people consistently across the global firm, supported by world class knowledge management, is a strategic priority. The Linklaters Law & Business School offers an innovative programme of development opportunities with relevance and credibility across the global markets we operate in. It will provide everyone at the firm with the knowledge, skills and confidence to operate at the top of the legal profession.”
Michael Voisin, Global Knowledge & Learning Partner at Linklaters, said:
“Our aim as a firm is to have globally minded, diverse and flexible people, who are always seeking improvement. If we are to work on the most challenging of assignments and deliver consistently excellent results for our clients, each generation of our legal and business services staff need to be learning new skills and new ways of thinking. This is a continuous process that demands a dynamic approach to learning. The Linklaters Law & Business School provides this approach.”
Ashish Nanda, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and Linklaters Law & Business School advisory board member, said:
“Linklaters is breaking down barriers between theory and practice. Like-minded professionals from business and academia are working together to help commercial lawyers and business services professionals expand their influence in today’s global, knowledge-driven economy. It is exciting to work with an organisation that has such ambition and energy.”
