Historically, major law firms have leaned on their in-house Labor and Employment (L&E) attorneys to conduct harassment awareness training sessions across the firm. At first glance, utilizing internal resources for such training seems logical since the expertise is readily-available within the firm. Yet, an increasing number of firms are recognizing that the costs of delivering training in this manner might exceed its merits. The argument in favor of adopting a technology-driven training approach grows more compelling by the day.

On-demand training can be an efficient and cost-effective way of meeting recurring compliance training requirements - if the training is effective and is more than a check-the-box exercise. What should you look for in on-demand training? Here are 12 questions to consider to choose the solution that’s right for you.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future consideration for the legal profession. It is already changing how lawyers work, how firms deliver services, and how organizations develop talent. Recently, legal education leaders, law firm professionals, and in-house counsel gathered for a discussion focused on a critical question: How do we prepare the next generation of legal professionals to lead in an AI-driven world?

One question keeps surfacing in our conversations with firms: “Do you have anything for developing managers?” 

Sometimes the request is broad. Sometimes it's specific: “We have lawyers stepping into management for the first time. They know the legal work. They've never really been taught how to coach someone, delegate effectively, or give feedback that actually helps someone improve.”

The conversation starts in a lot of different places. Sometimes it’s a PD director who has a recurring live training that’s eating her team’s time and needs to scale. Sometimes it’s a COO looking at the budget for a new associate class and asking whether there’s a more efficient way to deliver onboarding.

This article is the second in a series on how associate development is changing — and what law firms need to build deliberately to replace what the environment used to provide by accident. The series examines the readiness gap from multiple angles: the business case for addressing it, the distinction between legal training and professional effectiveness, and the organizational dynamics that determine whether new associates thrive or stall.

The gaps that hold new associates back in their first year are well-documented at this point. They’re rarely about intelligence or legal knowledge. They’re about situational judgment: how to communicate proactively, how to manage competing demands, how to raise a concern with a senior partner, how to navigate the political dynamics of a large organization without a roadmap.

Individual AI use among legal professionals has more than doubled in a single year, with nearly 70% now reporting they use generative AI tools for work — up from 31% the prior year, according to the 8am 2026 Legal Industry Report. But here’s what that headline obscures: more than half of respondents report their firm has provided no training on the responsible use of AI and has no plans to do so. 

If you’ve ever sat through an eLearning module that made you want to close your laptop and take up a different career, you know what I’m talking about. Monotone narration reading bullet points off a screen. Stock photos of people in blazers pointing at whiteboards. Quizzes where you can fail three times and still get credit. A “next” button that advances slides no human being should have to read. 

This article is the third in a series on how associate development is changing — and what law firms need to build deliberately to replace what the environment used to provide by accident. The series examines the readiness gap from multiple angles: the business case for addressing it, the distinction between legal training and professional effectiveness, and the organizational dynamics that determine whether new associates thrive or stall.

Every law firm partner knows this feeling. A new associate is smart, motivated, legally well-prepared — and yet something isn’t quite working. The work is technically adequate, but the communication misses. The instincts aren’t there. The judgment calls that should be intuitive are somehow elusive. No single failure you can point to. Just a persistent, low-grade sense that something is off.

In this interview, we share thoughts from Tara Waters, a former technologist, law firm partner, and Chief Digital Officer who has a strong reputation and track record in legal innovation and digital transformation, enhanced by her background working in both the technology and legal industries. 

BARBRI, a global leader in legal education, is pleased to announce that SkillBurst, a BARBRI Company, has been named “Legal Education Innovation of the Year” by the LegalTech Breakthrough Awards. The sixth annual awards recognize the top technology companies, solutions, and products in the legal technology industry today.

Of course, every legal professional has heard about Generative AI–and many are already using it, whether that is cautious experimenting or a full-fledged embrace. However, there are still many questions about how this new tool works, and the responsible and ethical way to use it.

As users of GenAI, it's crucial to understand and uphold client confidentiality, which is foundational to the trust and respect your firm places in you.

When Akin, a multinational law firm, set out to elevate training for its business services professionals, it faced a challenge familiar to many firms: existing compliance and skills training tools felt generic and out of sync with the law firm environment.

The legal industry is changing fast—and so are the skills law firms need to stay ahead. Based on input from our clients and the pace of innovation across practice areas, SkillBurst, a BARBRI company, is continuously creating new training modules that deliver practical, future-ready learning. 

Williams Parker has built a well-received and highly respected professional development program by pairing partner-led moderated discussions with SkillBurst’s Professional Essentials online training modules.