Professional Development

As key parts of our closely integrated network of international offices, the Cologne and Frankfurt offices provide lawyers with dynamic, challenging, and stimulating environments in which to practice law.

As a firm, we conduct the highest-quality work for the most interesting clients. Our lawyers are supported by high-caliber colleagues and an international network of know-how and precedent documents. We believe this is an ideal setting in which to learn and practice as a lawyer.

Training and Mentoring

We encourage lawyers to hit their stride quickly—taking responsibility in client matters early in their careers—and provide the training to support this objective.

• We encourage learning in the broad sense—business, legal, and financial—that delves into the particulars of the transactions and litigation matters you’ll face every day.
• We help you build the broad skills that will make you a knowledgeable and well-rounded lawyer.
• We provide experienced mentors to guide you through your professional and personal life at Cleary.

We train our lawyers to be multi-specialists—even our senior lawyers have experience in more than one type of transaction. This approach equips our lawyers to have a deeper understanding of the ways in which all aspects of a transaction fit together.

We believe that broad experience provides a foundation for lawyers to develop sound legal judgment and skills. We also believe that we can best serve the changing needs of our clients with lawyers of broad-based experience who possess the willingness and ability to be flexible in their practice. In a constantly changing legal environment, it is important for our lawyers to develop the confidence and creativity to practice with ease and effectiveness in a variety of areas. As a lawyer’s experience increases, the lawyer is expected to assume increasing responsibilities in chosen areas of interest.

Operating in this manner encourages discussion and integration between lawyers. All lawyers at all levels talk to each other in an open manner. Working and training go hand in hand.

Lawyers are encouraged to speak out if they think they haven’t received an adequate opportunity to develop in a particular area. So, if lawyers wish to focus on a particular practice area early in their career, they can do so with us.

Learning Your Practice

We structure our internal training programs to reflect our approach to learning and development. To that end, we provide lawyers with the opportunity to receive on-the-job training from senior lawyers and to participate in practical and comprehensive formal training programs.

In addition to our lunchtime training lunches on various topics, we have practice-specific training programs. We also have skills programs for different levels of seniority. The training and professional development for all lawyers also includes regular practice group meetings, to exchange information about work in process, client development efforts, and new legal developments.

There are also annual or bi-annual pan-European practice (and sometimes global) seminars that not only serve an educational purpose but also allow colleagues from different offices a chance to meet and get to know each other better.

Legal Support and Technology Services

Training and development go hand in hand with other legal support provided by a dedicated practice development  infrastructure. The professional support lawyers and their teams are responsible for providing advice and guidance on precedents and other materials and legal issues.

The firm uses state-of-the-art IT equipment and technical support for our lawyers.

Work Assignments

We offer an informal and collegial working environment that is accommodating to the individuality of our lawyers. If they wish to do so, we encourage new lawyers to pursue their interests in a number of different practice areas in order to gain broad experience as a foundation for the development of sound legal judgment and superior lawyering skills.

Lawyers who practice in the same area meet frequently within the framework of the practice groups to participate in training programs.