Mentoring & Training

When law school ends, the next phase of legal education begins.

Regardless of which department an associate selects—Corporate, Litigation, Tax, Executive Compensation and Benefits or Trusts and Estates—Cravath lawyers are supported from their first days at the Firm by comprehensive training programs that combine with our hands-on mentoring to provide our lawyers with practical insights, continuing guidance and sophisticated tools to shape their practice.

MENTORING

The relationships our associates develop with partners and the informal mentoring they receive are integral to their development as lawyers. Our rotation system establishes a framework in which partners help guide the careers of associates. The rotation system allows associates to form close working relationships with several partners and a mix of associates in different stages of their careers. Practice groups are leanly staffed, so that there are ample opportunities for the associates to collaborate with their partners on each matter to which they are assigned. For partners, their associates represent the future of the Firm, and that is the most compelling reason for each partner to invest time and knowledge in each member of his or her group.

In parallel with the mentoring that is part of the rotation system, our associates receive mentoring through our formal mentoring program, launched in 2007. The goal of this program is to provide associates with a continuing partner relationship that will offer additional insight, guidance and support throughout the associate’s time at the Firm.

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (CLE)

Throughout the year, we hold a schedule of classes that enable lawyers to earn their required New York State Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. Some sessions cover basic topics important to new lawyers, while others provide detailed instruction in specific areas for lawyers at all levels. Classes are conducted by partners, senior associates and outside experts on a wide range of topics. A great majority of the training materials are prepared internally by partners, providing associates with an invaluable resource in their day-to-day practice. All our departments offer training programs for their associates, and all lawyers are welcome to attend sessions in practice areas outside their own.

Online CLE Center

In addition to classroom-based learning, Cravath’s Online CLE Center offers access to prerecorded streaming video of all the Firm’s current CLE sessions for viewing over the Internet, either from within or outside of Cravath’s offices. Each session is presented in high-quality video and audio and, depending on the topic, includes synchronized slide decks, speaker biographies, links to PDF versions of course materials and access to current, individual CLE credit summaries. Many CLE-eligible sessions are also available in VHS or DVD formats for viewing at any time.

Training Facilities

Our training rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and offer a comfortable learning environment for large groups of lawyers. We are particularly proud of our permanent, 1,500 square-foot courtroom, complete with jury box, witness stand, counsel tables, video cameras and gallery. The space is used by our litigators for continuing education courses, pre-trial rehearsals and real-life arbitration and mediation.

Our Courtroom

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Corporate Training

The Corporate Department conducts an extensive classroom training program. Courses are taught by partners, experienced associates and outside experts in disciplines such as accounting and economics. Instructors prepare detailed materials, which are used both in the training program and for later reference. Some classes cover basic subjects that are important to new corporate lawyers, while other classes provide detailed instruction in specific areas of the Firm’s corporate practice that are helpful for lawyers at all levels.

The Corporate Department training program typically consists of approximately 35 sessions that are held throughout the year and include training on:

Bankruptcy
Comfort Letters
Corporate Governance
Drafting Acquisition Agreements
Due Diligence
Ethics
Federal Securities Law
Financial Reporting
High-Yield Covenants
Internal Controls
International Securities Offerings
Joint Venture Structures
Mergers & Acquisitions
Negotiating Acquisitions
Opinions
Practical Skills for New Lawyers
Public Company Reporting
Obligations
Public Offerings
Syndicated Lending
Underwriting Documents

Litigation Training

The Litigation Department’s formal training program includes an extensive Practical Litigation Series. Each week from October through August, members of the Litigation Department speak on topics ranging from how to draft a complaint to how to prepare outlines and materials for direct and cross-examination. Each session is devoted to teaching specific “how to’s” for various aspects of Cravath’s litigation practice. In addition, the Department sponsors several hands-on workshops for associates.

The Litigation Department training program typically consists of approximately 30 sessions that are held throughout the year and include training on:

Pleadings
Discovery
Depositions
Examination Technique
Trial Preparation
Ethics
Antitrust Law
Securities Litigation Developments
International Arbitration
Patent Law
Trade Secrets Litigation
Class Certification in Securities Fraud Actions
Legal Writing
Document Review and Production
Electronic Discovery
Legal Research

Tax Training

The Tax Department runs a formal 35-hour training program covering areas of tax law that are more easily learned in a classroom setting than by working on a deal. The program also covers issues of practice and “lore” that are often as important as knowledge of the technical provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, in order to train tax lawyers to be practical business lawyers, we encourage tax associates to attend the 40-session Corporate Department training program.

The Tax Department training program typically consists of approximately 25 sessions that are held throughout the year and include training on:

How To Be a Tax Lawyer
Private Equity Funds
International Tax Issues
Mergers & Acquisitions
Partnership/Taxation
Securities Offerings
Tax Research Skills
Financial Products
Consolidated Returns
Credit Agreements
Research Skills
Basic Principles
Compensation
Spinoffs

Executive Compensation and Benefits Training

The Executive Compensation and Benefits Department each year presents a series of up to 10 training seminars covering basic concepts such as employment agreements, deferred compensation and an ERISA roadmap, as well as timely overviews of developing areas, such as updates on the new IRS regulations governing the taxation of compensation. The seminars are designed to be useful not only to lawyers working in the Executive Compensation and Benefits Department, but also to corporate, tax and trusts and estates lawyers.

The Executive Compensation and Benefits Department training program typically consists of approximately 10 sessions that are held throughout the year and include training on:

Employment Agreements
Equity-Based Compensation
The New Tax Rules on Deferred Compensation
Executive Compensation in M&A Transactions
ERISA
Securities Law Considerations

Trusts and Estates Training

Matters in the Trusts and Estates Department are typically staffed with one associate and one partner, which directly fosters an associate’s training and professional development. Each associate works on a wide range of matters, which ensures that an associate is exposed to all aspects of our trusts and estates practice. In addition, our trusts and estates attorneys customarily attend lectures and other programs conducted by bar associations, trust companies and other organizations in the estate planning field. The Department schedules a monthly luncheon to allow discussion of current developments in the field and issues of particular interest within the Department.

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