Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD) at York University is helping law firm Miller Thomson LLP advance the development of its associates with a collaboration combining the power of technology with the benefits of in-person learning.
The partnership has led to the creation of a blended program designed specifically for associates in the firm's civil litigation and labour and employment practice groups. The program pairs self-paced, interactive e-modules with live training to allow associates to quickly gain new skills.
"It's unlike anything else we've done at Osgoode, so it's kind of groundbreaking," says Dana Shamlawi, program lawyer at OsgoodePD. "We're focusing on associates in years one to five and walking them through the practical and strategic aspects of the civil litigation process."
Each module consists of self-paced asynchronous activities, followed by two live sessions led by Miller Thomson partners, providing them with an opportunity to talk with associates about firm-specific practices, values and priorities.
The live trainings are conducted in each of Miller Thomson's offices, allowing associates to receive personal coaching and support from colleagues and senior partners.
Adam Stephens, Chair of the Advocacy Practice Group at Miller Thomson, sees the development of the program as a demonstration of the firm's commitment to attracting and retaining top legal talent.
"One of the things that we hear from associates is that they really want their law firm to show an interest in their career development and skill advancement," says Stephens, who also sits on Miller Thomson's executive committee. "That's why the opportunity to work with Osgoode to develop this kind of hands-on litigation training made tremendous sense to us."
Although Miller Thomson places a strong emphasis on mentorship and professional development for young lawyers, Stephens says their individual experiences can be a little uneven.
"No matter what practical file work people are doing, there's always a chance that certain skills will be missed in the early years, depending on the mix of work people are doing," he explains, adding that the program developed with Osgoode will smooth out the process and fill in any gaps for young lawyers in the advocacy practice group.
For Stephens, one of the program's most attractive features is the way modules are tied together by scenarios from real-life cases.
"It allows associates to work through a case from the initial client interview all the way to the conclusion of a trial," he says.
Stephens says he and his colleagues in leadership positions at Miller Thomson were already familiar with Osgoode's extensive continuing legal education offerings, including the long-running Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop, where attendance has become something of a rite of passage for early-year associates in the firm's civil litigation practice group.
"We knew we were in good hands partnering with Osgoode on this project because of its stellar reputation for building continuing legal education programs and specifically because of its emphasis on practical learning," Stephens says. "We wanted to harness some of that power in-house."
With the first few years of practice traditionally serving as a training ground for young lawyers, Shamlawi says law firms have always been interested in exploring new ways to effectively and efficiently transform their law grads into legal professionals. However, the recent emergence of generative artificial intelligence technology, which threatens to cut the volume of learning opportunities for fledgling lawyers, has only increased the urgency to develop fresh training methods.
This program was created in collaboration with practitioners who emphasize the strategic and practical aspects of civil litigation, rather than just the rules. Osgoode also consulted with legal education pioneer and OsgoodePD consultant Professor Paul Maharg, a scholar who is renowned for his work in the field of technology-enhanced learning. The result is an e-course packed with interactive elements.
"For the upcoming module on examinations for discovery, we are creating original videos in-house to demonstrate good and bad practices that associates can dissect and discuss," Shamlawi says. "We want to make sure that we're reaching learners in the most effective way, which is why it's so important that we're using cutting edge e-learning methodologies and techniques."
Miller Thomson's civil litigation program is unlikely to be Osgoode's last e-course collaboration, according to Shamlawi, who sees the potential to customize programs for other law firms and individual practice groups.
"We're learning as we go," she says. "It's kind of unlimited, the creativity that we want to use in engaging associates."
Those interested in a more tailored approach to learning can learn more about OsgoodePD's in-house and custom programs on the OsgoodePD website.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
