We provide our associates with opportunities for professional growth and development, which we view as a significant component of a rewarding and successful practice. All first-year associates participate in a formal legal education program designed to introduce them to the fundamentals of the firm's practice.

Upon arrival in the fall, first-year associates participate in an in-house seminar series which covers a variety of topics including: the organization of a new business, corporations and partnerships, securities filings, purchase and sale agreements, loan agreements, the Uniform Commercial Code, opinion letters, auditor's letters, due diligence and researching Massachusetts and federal law. At the completion of the program, associates will be able to take with them extensive training materials to assist in their professional development. New associates also have the opportunity to learn the basics of deal negotiation and corporate drafting through in-house and MCLE seminars. Associates who are interested in our litigation practice are encouraged to attend the eight-part MCLE Pretrial Litigation Basics Series; associates in our Corporate Department are encouraged to attend the nine-part MCLE Corporate Basics course; and tax associates are encouraged to enroll in the LL.M. Taxation program at Boston University School of Law.

Department meetings are another mainstay of professional development at Sullivan & Worcester. These meetings, which are open to all interested attorneys at the firm, provide for the exchange of ideas on topics of current interest, as well as a forum to discuss new business matters and practice issues. In addition to planned presentations by individual attorneys, these meetings may also involve special presentations by judges, attorneys and other professionals invited from outside the firm.

We recognize that it often is difficult to know with certainty the practice area you will want to pursue upon graduation from law school. For this reason, each year one partner at the firm is appointed as the First-Year Work Broker to distribute assignments from a variety of departments throughout the firm. Because we do not have an arbitrary rotation system, we are able to expose new associates to all of our practice areas while identifying the strengths of each first-year associate. However, if an incoming associate expresses an interest in working in a particular department, the Work Broker will attempt to accommodate those preferences whenever possible.

We understand the importance of developing professional bonds among our attorneys. As such, each first-year associate is assigned an associate mentor to answer questions and help acquaint incoming associates with the firm, its people and its policies. The First-Year Work Broker also serves as a partner-mentor who provides guidance on issues including workload balance and professional development.