Dentons revamps training contract in bid to make trainees more resilient

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By Thomas Connelly on

Global law firm wants to create ‘more good days at work’

Dentons is to launch a “modernised” version of its training contract programme for its 2020 trainee intake featuring, among other things, a new module focusing on resilience, mental health and wellbeing.

The global behemoth says the new add-on will look to “create more good days at work” and equip rookies with practical ways to stay well and perform effectively in their role. This, according to Dentons, will ensure its future associates are able to learn the legal ropes in a setting which “optimises wellbeing”.

The shake-up will also see trainees complete an accredited module in legal project management, focusing on the importance of not only having solid technical skills but also strong commercial awareness, as well as a module on innovation, covering topics including artificial intelligence, machine learning and process automation.

Dentons, which scored an A for training in our Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2019–20, is also tweaking the supervisor role, with new training and guidelines highlighting the “importance of working together and nurturing talent”.

Nigel Webber, trainee partner at Dentons, said: “We are ambitious about making Dentons the best place for lawyers to develop into commercially and technically savvy business advisers who are also emotionally intelligent and inclusive.”

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He continued:

“We already have some of the best learning and development programmes in the market and our modernised training contract will help us to attract bright, diverse and motivated graduates and then provide them with an attractive, distinct and challenging training experience that will mark the first stage of their journey ‘from ‘lawyer to leader'”.

Dentons isn’t the first big City player to shake things up in terms of junior lawyer training. Last month Clifford Chance unveiled a new internship where future trainees spend up to two months in a business, getting to grips with broader commercial skills including business development, marketing and product design.

Elsewhere, Linklaters replaced its standard TC application process with a new online skills assessment that the magic circle player claims will cut submission time down from up to five hours to under 90 minutes.

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