I have been on both sides of this question. As a 2L interviewee seeking a summer associate position in a Chicago law firm, I was counseled to ask this question of each firm I interviewed with. Later, as an active member of my law firm’s recruiting committee, law students routinely inquired about our in-house training and new lawyer development programs.
As a rule, the answer to this question is a resounding “yes.” This “yes” derives from a number of things. Invariably, the interviewer hopes to convey a positive impression of the firm. The interviewer can probably even recall some mandatory in-house continuing legal education programs for new lawyers (deposition training and negotiation skills are routine topics for in-house CLE courses and arguably constitute new lawyer training). And, for the most part, law firms do intend to provide formal training and mentoring for their new lawyers.
