Winston’s 2017 Class Members Get Jumpstart on Their Careers

The members of Winston’s 2017 U.S. associate class and Latin America LL.M. program came together in the Chicago office this week for their Jumpstart Orientation. This program included a mix of professional and legal skills sessions designed to help our new attorneys embark on their first year with confidence. 

In the weeks leading up to orientation, the firm used Guidebook to enable class members to connect with each other and to provide helpful information such as “Wellness Tips” from Director of Coaching Diane Costigan. An informal dinner on Sunday evening gave the associates an opportunity to meet in person before their first official day at the firm.

Jumpstart kicked off on Monday, October 2 with a warm welcome from Chairman Tom Fitzgerald, who encouraged our new class members to focus their time during the week on learning and development and stressed the importance of relationship building throughout their careers. The first three days of Jumpstart provided an introduction to the “nuts and bolts” of working at Winston and to the firm’s culture through social media interactions, ice breaker activities, and group dining and cocktail events.

Renowned legal writing instructor Ross Guberman’s “Start off Strong” program gave attendees excellent techniques for writing clearly, concisely, and persuasively. 

During Wednesday’s “Life of an Associate Panel,” attendees tossed a beach ball around the room to determine who would ask the next question of the associate panel. This fun and meaningful activity gave them an opportunity to get on their feet while learning about the ins and outs of associate life. Winston’s Learning & Development Director led a training session on “MBTI and The Power of Self-Awareness” that placed class members in various groups based on their Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) dichotomies.

The final day of Jumpstart focused on substantive legal skills training, with a “Case Lifecycle and Litigation Primer” program that provided new litigators with tips on how to excel and a “Basics of the Deal” program that our new transactional lawyers found “engaging” and “easy to understand.”

Winston created two Snapchat filters for orientation attendees to upload their snap stories and share them with the Learning & Development team throughout the week using hashtags such as #LifeOfAnAssociatePanel. Jumpstart concluded with a commitment by the firm to continue providing professional and personal development support as our new members embark on their legal careers.