Collaboration and Flexibility
Our partners create a positive environment by helping one another and by being deeply involved in all aspects of our associate and lateral attorney training.
From an attorney’s first day, our partners encourage new attorneys to attend and participate in client meetings and calls. Associates and new attorneys immediately gain from this culture built around teaching and working collaboratively.
Through the firm’s entrepreneurial approach, associates and new attorneys are encouraged to take ownership of their career path by working with multiple teams, providing the opportunity to receive broader experiences with a variety of attorneys and subject areas. Associates and new attorneys establish relationships with multiple partners across industry focuses and diverse clientele to build the practice they want to have – a unique approach that speaks to the Knobbe culture.
Learning by Doing
We believe that our associate orientation, educational training, mentorship, and ongoing attorney professional development are the foundation of the excellent client service for which we are known.
Under the leadership of our Chief Diversity & Talent Development Officer, everyone at Knobbe assists in the growth and development of our attorneys through ongoing activities and events offered throughout the year.
Associates
We know that better-educated and trained associates are more helpful to our partners. Their ability to perform greater quality work with increased efficiency is a tremendous advantage to our clients and sets the course for the next generation of partners.
Orientation Week
New associates begin their work at Knobbe with an Orientation Week. During this time, all new associates receive introductions to the firm’s practices, management team, administrative leaders, and all the support services available to them.
Mentorship Program
At Knobbe, every associate is considered for partnership, and our mentorship program is designed to help pave the way toward partnership.
Every associate is assigned a Mentor Partner who focuses on helping their mentees with managing the complexities of working in a law firm, including coaching to meet their individual goals, and providing meaningful feedback. These personalized, curated mentor pairings include mentor training.
Through regularly scheduled meetings, social engagements, joint work projects, and mid-year andannual reviews with their Partner Mentors, associates learn the firm’s workplace policies and culture and the steps to take to build successful practices.
First-year and lateral associates are also assigned a Host Associate, who serves primarily as a social liaison and helps the new associate feel welcome and integrated at the firm. Host Associates receive a budget for social activities with their assigned associate.
Patent Prosecution Bootcamp
In this program, first-year and lateral associates attend partner presentations on trending topics, learn how to prosecute patents, and gain insights into issues they will likely encounter in their first years of practice.
Weekly Educational Lunches
In our established annual program of weekly educational lunches, associates harness their presentation skills as they present on recent cases. With the guidance of a partner, an associate presents one case per year. They will research the case and prepare a talk and presentation to the entire firm. This provides associates a chance to gain in-depth knowledge on a topic, speaking experience, and firm visibility.
Professional Development Budget
We provide each associate with an annual budget to use for engaging in professional development activities and attending conferences where they can gain additional skills in their practice areas or industries.
Practice Groups
Our practice groups offer firm educational presentations four times a year. In addition, practice groups offer monthly training specific to their members.
Patent Prosecution
The patent prosecution group holds monthly lunches where attorneys discuss recent developments, receive practice insights, and review firm updates.
Litigation
We help our attorneys prepare to gain courtroom experience and take a case to trial by providing regular and specific litigation training. Each month, partners offer a set of presentations on the latest topics and litigation skills. The presentations focus on providing core litigation skills for junior litigators. The group also encourages and provides funding for NITA Training Programs as well as offers an Externship Program through the local District Attorney’s office.
Knobbe Trademark Academy
When attorneys know the law and how to handle client scenarios, they provide the most value to clients. In our customized Trademark Academy, junior partners teach the hard and soft skills of the trademark practice through a series of small group lunch sessions focusing on a trademark topic. We also have monthly trademark group educational lunches with the trademark attorney team, where we discuss new cases and share insights about our practice and client work.
Outside Perspectives
When new technologies are announced, and landmark Supreme Court cases or significant appeals are decided, the practice groups invite the firm’s clients and outside speakers, who may be directly involved, to offer their perspectives.
Other Firm Training and Resources
We also provide additional training through our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts and through our Well-being Program, which includes an annual health fair and Wellness Resources such as access to a therapist provided by our Employee Resource Program and a Headspace membership. In addition, every attorney receives full access to Practicing Law Institute CLE training.