Learning and Development at A&L Goodbody

We expect professional expertise and service excellence from all our people and we are committed to supporting this through providing on-going opportunities for continuing professional and personal development. Our staff are actively encouraged to engage in appropriate career development and training activities for personal growth as well as for the benefit of the business.

The quality of our learning and development programmes has been recognised by the Irish Institute of Training & Development (IITD).

Lawyer Training

Our comprehensive in-house training programme, provided by our Learning & Development and Know How departments, centres around developing a balance of legal skills, business skills and people skills. Individuals are also encouraged to attend relevant external conferences and seminars.

Our training programmes mainly comprise lectures, seminars, guest speakers and practical case studies. Some are delivered by our own partners and senior lawyers or internal specialists, others are facilitated by experienced external consultants.

In addition, all partners and senior lawyers are encouraged to provide practical experience to their junior colleagues and to provide regular feedback on performance.

Elearning

We use a specifically customized award winning online Learning Management System (LMS) to support Learning & Development across the firm. This ensures that all our staff, including those in our Belfast & London offices and those on secondment, have access to all development resources for events on our training calendar. These comprise of recordings of in-house talks by Partners and Senior Lawyers, articles, schedules, handouts and presentations of relevance. The online LMS also provides a great networking opportunity for staff, who post up their biographies online.  Our trainees are also encouraged to write a blog of their experiences in a particular department. Not only is this a great way for people to get know each other, it also gives our trainees an insiders perspective on working for various practice areas across the firm.

Continuing Professional Development

Law Society regulations require each practicing solicitor to comply with regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) cycles. This requires a specified number of professional development hours to be achieved over a one-year period.  Monitoring and guidance is provided to individuals participating in the scheme to ensure all requirements are met annually. Please see the Law Society of Ireland website www.lawsociety.ie  forfurther information on the CPD scheme.

Coaching, Counselling And Mentoring

The Firm also supports access to external coaching support and/or professional career counselling for individuals where appropriate and beneficial.

Trainees

For detailed information on our trainee programme, please click on the link.

Support Staff

Our legal secretaries and staff within our support departments can also avail of development programmes and training opportunities, from interactive team-building sessions, group training in a relevant area, or individual-specific training.

Educational Assistance

We also provide financial assistance and study leave to support those who are completing formal professional qualifications.