Law firms of all kinds struggle to find opportunities for junior attorneys to get significant litigation experience early in their careers. With trials becoming rarer and many judges deciding motions without oral argument, opportunities to stand up in court are becoming harder to come by, particularly for folks who don’t already have experience. I’d argue those challenges are compounded at the firms that were finalists for The American Lawyer’s Litigation Department of the Year–firms where the client matters are big and the stakes are high. But in the face of shrinking trial opportunities and heightened client expectations, these elite litigation departments are doubling down on programs and cultural practices that give associates chances to shine early and reward partners who find opportunities for them. From embedding junior lawyers in bet-the-company trials to creating structured training programs, these firms are refining the playbook for associate development. Developing a newly barred attorney into a trial lawyer starts with recruiting the right people. Market differentiation can help on that front. Shops like this year’s winner , Williams & Connolly. and the winner in the prior cycle , Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which are completely focused on disputes, have something of an advantage on that front. Recruits come in with at least some basic knowledge of what the work will be. “People come to our firm because they know with 100% certainty, they want to be litigators," said Quinn co-managing partner Michael Carlinsky. “They don’t want to just be paper-pusher litigators. They want to be trial lawyers.” Carlinsky highlighted a program the firm created called the Additional Associate in Training. The program involves asking a litigator who has not had trial experience—usually a second-year associate—to a trial team at no cost to the client. “For what we do, it's the Super Bowl, or it's game seven of the World Series,” said Carlinsky of trial practice. “Even being a part of that dynamic is an enormous experience, and it gives you a perspective that you don't have when you're doing the day-to-day responsibilities of a case.” At Williams & Connolly, partner Dane Butswinkas echoed Carlinsky’s sentiment about the power of having everyone in the firm focused on disputes from day one. He also said the firm’s tradition of having leanly staffed trial teams ensures that associates are getting significant experience early. Williams & Connolly has long had a reputation for its highly selective recruiting process. Partners say bringing in exceptional recruits combines with the firm’s staffing model to help get client buy-in and exposure early for associates. Partner Bob Van Kirk said that he always brings associates along with him to pitches so clients can see the quality of the junior lawyers that will be working on a matter. “You're only as strong as your weakest link,” he said. “There are no weak links in this organization.” Partner Enu Mainigi noted that in the False Claims Act case that the firm took to trial and won for Albertsons and SuperValu in federal court in Illinois this spring, associates handled witnesses and argued motions. “That is our calling card. That is our brand. We are homegrown, by and large,” she said. "We cannot sustain the next generation without ensuring that they are getting the right type of experiences at the associate level.” Recognition for Associates, and the Partners Looking Out for Them Partners at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher emphasized the structured approach they take to associate development in the litigation practice. Trey Cox, co-chair of the firm’s global litigation practice group and co-partner in charge of its Dallas office, said the firm’s litigators in Texas use a “lunch and learn” program to train associates on practical trial skills. Cox explained that these sessions are designed like coaching clinics around litigation fundamentals such as evidentiary rules and deposition techniques. “It’s like you would prepare a team for a game," Cox said. “You go into the classroom for a coaching/teaching session. You get out and observe and you watch. You execute. You come back, critique, rinse and repeat.” Tom Dupree, co-chair of the firm’s nationwide appellate and constitutional law practice group, highlighted the firm’s monthly appellate group meetings in Washington, D.C., where associates—not partners—make presentations about recent oral arguments. "Number one, it shows the associates that people are, in fact, getting argument opportunities,” Dupree said. “Number two, it ensures that all of us as partners continue getting them argument opportunities, so they have something to say.” These opportunities don’t happen by accident, he said. Clearing a “path to the podium” and giving associates experiences that they can talk about requires planning to build client trust and position associates for leading courtroom roles. At Quinn Emanuel, giving kudos to both the associates who contributed to client wins and the partners who give them opportunities is part of the culture, said executive chairman John Quinn. Internal emails promoting great results always highlight associates’ roles, he said. But, he added, partners who get associates significant experience stand to benefit financially. “At compensation time, when partners write memos about their achievements, they always mention the fact, ‘I was able to give this person this role in this trial,’” Quinn said. "It's recognized as something that reflects well on the partner if they gave associates roles at trial.”