Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, a firm known primarily for the depth of its national litigation practice, boasts some of the finest and most experienced attorneys. Given today’s competitive and dynamic legal environment, however, the firm understands the significant value of a talented “young” lawyer. Consequently, Hinshaw has worked for years to develop what is arguably the top legal training program for young lawyers in the country called “Hinshaw University.”
Hinshaw has also put this young experience to work for the community with the advent of the "Hinshaw University Legal Clinic," a pro bono extension of the firm's already well-established training program for its new lawyers.
History of "Hinshaw U"
Partner Josh Vincent, who chairs Hinshaw’s Attorney Education and Training Committee, has been with the firm for 20 years: "When I began my career at Hinshaw with fourteen other new recruits in 1983, 'Hinshaw U' was a euphemism for weekly meetings with the senior partners who regaled us with their war stories. It was kind of like sitting around a campfire listening to verbal histories handed down by the ancients. The program is quite different today."
Each fall, Vincent and partner and co-chair of Hinshaw’s Attorney Education & Training Committee Mary Hess plan and produce a four-day "boot camp" geared toward teaching the firm's newest lawyers the essentials of transitioning from the classroom to the courtroom. Participants in the program are drawn from each of the firm's twenty-four offices, traveling from venues such as San Francisco, Miami, Minneapolis, and Phoenix. And not all of them are litigators. "The fact that we practice in so many different jurisdictions, and that some of our new lawyers will devote their careers to corporate and transactional work rather than litigation, makes it a challenge to develop a program that meets everyone's needs and expectations," says Hess.
The program kicks off with "Recess At Work," a unique improvisational exercise run by two outside consultants with professional theater and radio backgrounds. "One of the many goals of Hinshaw U is to engender a feeling of unity between the firm's many regional offices. Recess At Work helps break the ice and the self-consciousness newcomers may feel, and encourages the participants to let their hair down and bond a little with one another. This is essential to cross-marketing and our ultimate goal of providing seamless legal services throughout the country in a variety of practice areas," Vincent explains. Hess agrees: "We noticed right away that Recess At Work made the participants more comfortable with each other. It eliminated that undercurrent of competitiveness that exists in a new class of lawyers, and fostered a lot more collegiality and interaction with the faculty."
At its core, however, Hinshaw U is pretty much nuts and bolts. Naturally, there is a heavy emphasis on ethics. "When you have partners like Ron Mallen, Tom Browne, and Tom McGarry, all nationally-recognized authorities in the defense of legal malpractice cases, you take advantage of it," says Vincent. Hinshaw U familiarizes participants with the "business" end of the law firm – from billing and litigation support technology to client development and marketing – as well as how to draft pleadings, conduct discovery, and meet the service needs of its clients.
There are also components designed to educate litigators on corporate work, and vice-versa. "Some of the transactional lawyers question why we spend half a day teaching them how to take and defend depositions, but in the end they appreciate the interrelationship between business deals that have gone awry and the litigation that can result. It gives them a perspective they may not have previously considered, and one that clients can certainly benefit from," says Hess.
One of the most popular presentations this past year was Vincent's surprisingly candid "What I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was A New Associate." "No partners are allowed into the room for this one," he says.
Branching Out Into Pro Bono
Although Hinshaw has always encouraged its lawyers to devote some portion of their practice to pro bono work, the firm has never had any type of formal pro bono program. Last year, the firm changed that in one fell swoop.
The impetus came from a proposal Vincent made to the firm's Management Committee in the spring of 2002. Having just finished up two appeals assigned to him by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals under the Criminal Justice Act, Vincent suggested that staffing future CJA assignments with the incoming Hinshaw U class was a natural:
"Like any large firm, each fall we have a class of incoming lawyers fresh from the bar exam but with little or no practical experience and no law license. Why not do what the U.S. and State's Attorneys offices do and start them off with appellate work? They get to 'deconstruct' a case that has already been tried by highly-experienced litigators, with real stakes and a real client, and do some good for the community and the court system. A firm with our resources can afford to give something back to society."
And resources help. Among the nearly 400 lawyers at Hinshaw, there are a bevy of former prosecuting attorneys. Partner Bill Roberts, the former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, splits his time between Springfield and Chicago and serves as the firm's managing director. Other alums from the U.S. Attorney's office include partners Daniel Purdom and Lee Smith, while partners Steve Puiszis, Matt Walsh and Renee O'Neill Kelly, all have roots in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. "Like I said, when you have that kind of talent, you take advantage of it," says Vincent.
Last year, the incoming class of Hinshaw lawyers took on five criminal appeals under the supervision of Vincent and several of the firm's former prosecutors. "The cases were briefed in conjunction with the fall Hinshaw U program, and then the students got to argue them in January and February, after they were sworn in," explains Vincent. "What could be better than having new associates you can send to court who have already squared off in the Seventh Circuit with opponents from Patrick Fitzgerald's office, and under questioning from judges like Easterbrook and Posner," Vincent asks with a smile. "The experience is invaluable, and the benefit to clients and the judicial system is quite real. Our newcomers are very excited about it."
Getting Ready for Trial
Combining Hinshaw U with a pro bono clinical experience is no accident. "These programs serve as a 'feeder' for our spring trial advocacy class, in which our younger lawyers learn to try cases," says Vincent.
The Spring 2002 Trial Advocacy Program was held off-site at DePaul University's state-of-the-art Trial Skills Center. The faculty was drawn from Hinshaw's offices throughout the country and also featured presentations by four Cook County Circuit Court judges and two justices of the Illinois Appellate Court. The use of a courtroom as a classroom lends itself to more effective demonstrations by the faculty, and the voice-activated recording system enabled us to preserve everything on CD-ROM.
Unlike Hinshaw U, which is mandatory for all new lawyers, the trial advocacy program is voluntary. Class size is limited to a dozen lawyers each year. The program is conducted in April and May, and consists of three days of intensive instruction followed by weekend clinics during which the participants get to hone their skills before the big match: a day-long jury trial pitting the attorneys against each other, often from different offices.
"We want the experience to be as close to the real thing as we can get it," says Vincent. The lawyers argue motions in limine to the presiding judge, and then present their cases to juries drawn from the firm's administrative staff. "We've enlisted the assistance of Howard Rubin [associate dean of DePaul University's College of Law] in developing the syllabus for the 2003 program." "The firm has a strong connection to DePaul, and many of our lawyers worked with Howard at DePaul's legal clinic or had him as their trial advocacy instructor. We are also most fortunate to conduct mock trials in the training courtrooms at Northwestern, John Marshall, Chicago Kent, Loyola, and DePaul," adds Hess.
Taking the Long View
"Ultimately, what I'd like to see the firm do is use some of the proceeds from the CJA appointments to fund a charitable foundation geared toward providing pro bono services in local neighborhoods," says Vincent, who acknowledges that this is an ambitious and time-consuming undertaking. "I'm optimistic that the firm's evolution from primarily a regional insurance defense firm to a more varied, nationwide practice will create some momentum in this direction. We have young and vibrant leadership at the firm, and with that kind of energy, I think the vision can become a reality."
Hinshaw U at a Glance
The Firm training program focuses primarily on attorneys with less than three years of experience and takes place in the Chicago office. Beyond the practice-oriented training provided by each department, Hinshaw U provides programs that focus on the day-to-day skills needed to be a successful attorney.
The week-long program, scheduled to run this year from September 22 – 25, encompasses an introduction to the firm and basic skills training needed by all attorneys. The associates participate in a series of exercises and receive instruction on topics ranging from Firm Goals and Objectives to Litigation Strategy. Some of the specific programs include Legal Writing, Ethics, Public Speaking, Business Development and Client Service, Finance and Accounting Comprehension, and Time, Technology and Office Management Skills. The faculty for Hinshaw U is drawn primarily from the Firm's Partners and Senior Associates. Outside consultants are also employed to encourage team building and to speak on certain issues with a fresh perspective.
The participants are surveyed after the program and evaluations are used to improve each succeeding year's program. There are also several dinner gatherings and social events to promote interaction among the members of the firm's various offices throughout the country.
The development of our Associates is also directly related to the guidance and training they are given by more senior lawyers in the firm. New Associates receive mentoring from the attorneys they are assigned to work with and within their specific practice area.
"Hinshaw University Legal Clinic," has also recently evolved as a pro bono extension of Hinshaw U.
Hinshaw U is run by partners Josh Vincent and Mary Hess as "Deans."
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a national law firm with 475 lawyers in 25 offices coast-to-coast. The firm offers a full-service practice, with an emphasis in commercial and defense litigation, corporate, environmental, employment and construction law, as well as the representation of professionals in their liability matters. The firm provides services to a range of clients in financial services, construction, health care, not-for-profit, insurance, legal, manufacturing, real estate, transportation and other industries. Firm clients also include government agencies, municipalities and schools.
Hinshaw was founded in 1934. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, and maintains offices in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.