Professional Development

At McLane, we hire lawyers whom we believe have the ability to become partners. Our goal in recruiting law school graduates is to select individuals with the intellect, initiative, judgment, communication skills and determination to develop into the future leaders of our firm and community.

Continued growth through good and difficult economic times, primarily as a result of our diverse practice, assures opportunity for an associate to take on challenging new work and allows for room at the top when you've demonstrated that you are ready for partnership responsibility.

We view the development of your legal skills as the responsibility of both the firm and the individual lawyer. We believe by setting goals, communicating, and using the wealth of resources available at our firm, you will be challenged and we will continue to be a leader in providing legal services in New England. We strongly encourage our lawyers to attend continuing education programs, and we pay all costs of those programs. We also provide regular in-house training through associate-run seminars on basic aspects of legal practice, and specialized training by senior practitioners. Our library is one of the best in the state and has access to area university and private collections as well.

Progress toward your career goals requires continued focus and attention as your interests, capabilities and objectives change. Formal performance evaluations are conducted regularly to focus on your professional development and progress toward partnership. At each evaluation a member of our personnel committee will meet with you to discuss your progress.

At the summer associate level, we recognize the need to condense the same quality training and exposure into a shorter time frame. We take great care and pride in the experience we give our summer associates and apply the same philosophy and most of these procedures during their stay with us. Our summer program is our principal hiring tool for permanent associates.

In our firm you'll find it easy to ask for help, whether from another associate, a partner, your mentor or a member of the personnel committee. Collegiality and mutual support are highly valued and very much the root of McLane's culture. Regular meetings and firm-wide lunches, combined with our many less formal activities, help to make McLane an enjoyable place in which to learn and grow.