Westlaw whitepapers: skills law firms want from summer associates

In their Librarian Resource Center, West has several whitepapers about the research skills that law firms expect law students to acquire in law school in order to be successful summer associates and new associates. The whitepapers are the result of surveys that West conducted with large and small law firms.
Among the findings are the skills showing the largest gap between expected and actual proficiency include:
– Effective and efficient use of printed legal research materials
– Effective and efficient use of online legal research materials
– Identifying the legal issue in a research problem
– General workplace skills, including time management, punctuality, meeting deadlines, professional attire
– Clear, concise use of research findings in writing memoranda
– Effective and efficient use of primary authority, including statutes and cases
– Preparation of briefs and motions using legal research effectively and complying with requirements of the court
– Tracking the history of a change in a statute