What has become painfully obvious is that being a successful and effective lawyer requires lots more than mere intellectual capital and that we cannot reasonably expect law schools to teach students how to fill the role of irreplaceable advisers and to become meaningfully engaged in their communities. Moreover, the undeniable reality is that once new associates become fully engaged in the practice of law, such training becomes episodic at best.

Just a few weeks ago, our latest group of law school graduates arrived. Rather than rushing to embed them in their chosen practice specialty groups, relying almost exclusively on what they have learned in law school and what they may pick up from their new colleagues, our newest lawyers were instead immersed in a two-week training program—The Academy for Professional Development . This was the second incoming class of new lawyers to attend the academy.

The academy is our attempt to provide an intense training program that employs a holistic approach to the subject of successful lawyering. It begins with an introduction to the firm's culture which, in a word, is grounded in caring—caring for each other, for our community and for our clients. We likewise share the firm's vision and goals, as well as what we must individually and collectively do to attain them.

One of our principal objectives is to motivate and empower all of our attorneys, from the very first day they join us, to become agents for positive social change in our community. We endeavor to identify the wide range of community service opportunities available by taking academy participants to local institutions that serve our community and which depend on public support, such as Goodwill Industries, Lotus House and United Way. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has graciously instructed participants on how to identify a cause that they can embrace as their own and how to manage one's professional and personal lives to accommodate community service.

We emphasize that “citizenship” is an active verb and that each of us is capable of making a substantial impact—the power of one, if you will—which was dramatically illustrated by visits with a young entrepreneur who is attempting to re-energize the commercial district in Little Haiti and with Florida state Sen. David Richardson who has single-handedly championed prison reform in Florida. And, we met with Juan Martinez, the chief operating officer of the Knight Foundation, who identified challenges that confront our community and what the Foundation is doing to make this community more equitable, inclusive and participatory.

We also shared what we have learned from our clients through our Client Satisfaction Initiative, as well as from the rigors of day-to-day practice, about their expectations of counsel, how to better align our interests with our clients', and the need to be counselors, not merely advocates. Several of our clients, such as Lennar, and All Aboard Florida/Brightline, have generously given of their time to inculcate best practices for the management of client relationships.

As the purpose of the academy is to pick up where law school left off, we do not rehash substantive legal knowledge studied in law school. Rather, we focus on practical skill sets such as financial statement analysis and negotiation techniques to better equip our lawyers. We explore the practical aspects of the practice of law, not theory, and how to evolve from a student to a practicing lawyer, including relationship building (not business development!), social competence, the appropriate and effective use of social media, wardrobe, and the use of plain English.

Although the academy is relatively new and still evolving, it nonetheless has been impactful. Those who participated have sought and found causes to champion, persuaded the firm to double accountable pro bono time and otherwise have become indispensable associates. Their sense of firm and of community is testimony to the fact that the academy serves a critical purpose.

Jay Sakalo is the practice group leader for the business finance and corporate groups at Bilzin Sumberg in Miami. He is also the firm's hiring partner.

Bilzin Sumberg

What has become painfully obvious is that being a successful and effective lawyer requires lots more than mere intellectual capital and that we cannot reasonably expect law schools to teach students how to fill the role of irreplaceable advisers and to become meaningfully engaged in their communities. Moreover, the undeniable reality is that once new associates become fully engaged in the practice of law, such training becomes episodic at best.

Just a few weeks ago, our latest group of law school graduates arrived. Rather than rushing to embed them in their chosen practice specialty groups, relying almost exclusively on what they have learned in law school and what they may pick up from their new colleagues, our newest lawyers were instead immersed in a two-week training program—The Academy for Professional Development . This was the second incoming class of new lawyers to attend the academy.

The academy is our attempt to provide an intense training program that employs a holistic approach to the subject of successful lawyering. It begins with an introduction to the firm's culture which, in a word, is grounded in caring—caring for each other, for our community and for our clients. We likewise share the firm's vision and goals, as well as what we must individually and collectively do to attain them.

One of our principal objectives is to motivate and empower all of our attorneys, from the very first day they join us, to become agents for positive social change in our community. We endeavor to identify the wide range of community service opportunities available by taking academy participants to local institutions that serve our community and which depend on public support, such as Goodwill Industries, Lotus House and United Way. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has graciously instructed participants on how to identify a cause that they can embrace as their own and how to manage one's professional and personal lives to accommodate community service.

We emphasize that “citizenship” is an active verb and that each of us is capable of making a substantial impact—the power of one, if you will—which was dramatically illustrated by visits with a young entrepreneur who is attempting to re-energize the commercial district in Little Haiti and with Florida state Sen. David Richardson who has single-handedly championed prison reform in Florida. And, we met with Juan Martinez, the chief operating officer of the Knight Foundation, who identified challenges that confront our community and what the Foundation is doing to make this community more equitable, inclusive and participatory.

We also shared what we have learned from our clients through our Client Satisfaction Initiative, as well as from the rigors of day-to-day practice, about their expectations of counsel, how to better align our interests with our clients', and the need to be counselors, not merely advocates. Several of our clients, such as Lennar, and All Aboard Florida/Brightline, have generously given of their time to inculcate best practices for the management of client relationships.

As the purpose of the academy is to pick up where law school left off, we do not rehash substantive legal knowledge studied in law school. Rather, we focus on practical skill sets such as financial statement analysis and negotiation techniques to better equip our lawyers. We explore the practical aspects of the practice of law, not theory, and how to evolve from a student to a practicing lawyer, including relationship building (not business development!), social competence, the appropriate and effective use of social media, wardrobe, and the use of plain English.

Although the academy is relatively new and still evolving, it nonetheless has been impactful. Those who participated have sought and found causes to champion, persuaded the firm to double accountable pro bono time and otherwise have become indispensable associates. Their sense of firm and of community is testimony to the fact that the academy serves a critical purpose.

Jay Sakalo is the practice group leader for the business finance and corporate groups at Bilzin Sumberg in Miami. He is also the firm's hiring partner.