How to Take Advantage of Formal Training Programs and Mentoring Opportunities
The best training and mentoring programs are the ones you actually use. Every firm will provide resources, but the associates who benefit most are the ones who use them intentionally. At Morrison Foerster, we invest in your development from day one, and the tips below will help you make the most of that support.
Close the Law-School-to-Law-Firm Gap
In your first months as an associate, take an active role in your own learning. On assignments, ask why the task is done the way it is, save the feedback you receive, and keep a running list of unfamiliar terms and procedures to research or discuss with a colleague. You will not be doing this alone: During your final year of law school, our 3L Ready to Launch Program coaches you through practical and management skills.
Know What “Good” Looks Like
Do not guess what is expected of you; confirm it. At the start of an assignment, ask the supervising attorney what a strong final product looks like and whether you can review samples of past work. To see the bigger picture, read the written criteria and development framework that your firm provides to understand the skills and behaviors expected at each stage. At MoFo, our MyMoFo Success Profiles and Practice Pathways provide that guidance by seniority level and practice area, so you always know what you are working toward.
Build Your Network on Day One
The relationships you build with colleagues and mentors are one of the best parts of practice, so start early. Use your mentors for more than status updates: Ask how they handled a matter that went wrong, made a difficult judgment call, or managed a demanding client. Talk through real problems with your peers and use any formal mentoring available to you. Our MoFo Navigate Mentoring Program pairs each new associate with an associate mentor, a partner mentor, and a small Peer Pod, so those relationships are in place from the start. For those interested, the Wetmore Bridge Program for Inclusive Leadership builds on MoFo Navigate with a second year of mentorship, leadership development, and relationship building.
Become Fluent in the Tools the Work Now Requires
Get comfortable with new technology early and ask experienced attorneys how they use it on their matters. Form one habit now: Before any AI-assisted work leaves your desk, check every citation, quote, and claim about the law against the original source. The tools can draft and summarize, but verifying the output is your job, and that judgment is the value you add as a lawyer. Look for a firm that trains you to use these tools well. We train associates on leading AI and legal research platforms, with hands-on practice built into our litigation, transactional, and writing programs.
Train for What Comes Next
Prepare for each role change before it arrives. Before your first deposition, first closing call, or first time supervising a junior associate, talk with a colleague who does it well about how they approach it. Make use of any training designed for that transition, and afterward, note what went well and what you would do differently next time. At MoFo, our MyMoFo Career Journeys map training to each seniority level, from new associate through new partner, so the right preparation reaches you as your role grows. Core Skills Workshops strengthen the fundamentals that carry across any practice, and practice-specific Learning Paths deepen the technical skills that your matters require.
Make the Most of Feedback and Advising
Treat feedback as something you pursue, not something that happens only once a year. Ask for specifics between formal reviews, and in any review, ask a question that turns the conversation into a plan, such as, “What is the one thing I should focus on improving before the next one?” If you are unsure how to read feedback or handle a workload issue, find a trusted advisor to talk it through. Our Attorney Talent Development Managers, former practicing attorneys who have been in your shoes, are there for exactly that, offering confidential advice on your career and life at the firm.
Think Past Your First Year
Be proactive early on about where you want your career to go. Pay attention to the work that energizes you, since that is often the clearest signal of where you will do your best work. Take advantage of whatever professional development resources your firm offers to consider your options. Our MoFo Next center for career advancement supports this exploration, from career visioning to interview and networking skills. It also draws on our client relationships to open secondments and outside placements, so the experience you build travels with you, wherever your path leads.
Put It All to Work
Start early, ask for the training and feedback you want instead of waiting for it, and build the relationships you will rely on before you are deep in the work. At MoFo, we invest in you from before your first day, and the associates who thrive are the ones who treat their own development as seriously as we do.