Development

Smith Anderson is committed to providing training and continuing education opportunities to help all of our people grow their careers and hone their competitive edge. Our associates are paired with supervising partners who serve as mentors and offer them sound advice and guidance. Lawyers and paralegals are afforded the opportunity to participate in continuing education seminars and events. All employees are offered a multitude of internal educational opportunities to help grow professional and interpersonal skills.

Mentorship

At Smith Anderson, it is our goal to foster a supportive environment that allows our associates to further develop into outstanding attorneys. When we welcome new associates, they have already demonstrated enormous potential in their course work, in clerkships and in other associated career-related pursuits and activities.

From the beginning, each new associate is assigned a seasoned lawyer to mentor them through the first stage of their career. Our mentors make themselves readily accessible to their associate attorneys – offering individualized guidance about how to progress their professional development and by consulting on specific projects and assignments. Mentors direct associates regarding ways to expand their knowledge of substantive law and ensure they are receiving a wide depth of experiences.

Attorney Development

Associates are taught the importance of cultivating strong and meaningful relationships with both clients and professional staff. They are also encouraged to invest their personal and professional time in giving back to the communities we serve. Additionally, we help our lawyers to join and actively participate in professional organizations in order to learn more about their craft and to build thriving professional networks.

Twice annually for their first three years and once annually each subsequent year, associates receive formal reviews in which firm leadership recognizes their achievements, constructively evaluates growth opportunities and encourages them to provide feedback on their experience. Each associate creates a Professional Development Plan with assistance from his or her mentor and the Chief Talent Officer. These development plans set professional skill development goals. We believe that investing in the growth and development of the firm’s new attorneys will continue a tradition of providing superior service to our clients and to our community.

Training & Continued Education

We also provide training opportunities for lawyers at all levels of their careers. The firm hosts approximately ten training programs per quarter. Our robust law training program includes the "Litigation U" and "Business U" series. We also regularly hold client-development seminars and networking events. Additionally, we provide our new associates with training on law firm economics, as well as on risk and practice management.

We believe in developing lawyers at each stage of their careers. Our training and education initiatives provide opportunities for all lawyers to grow professionally.