Junior lawyers at major City firms are being enrolled in mandatory training programmes designed to sharpen their communication skills, including telephone use and face-to-face client interactions.
Addleshaw Goddard’s early careers team introduced the initiative after identifying that some junior lawyers “may have had limited exposure to a professional services environment and may benefit from additional support around workplace expectations, communication and confidence.”
The programme covers professional etiquette, workplace technology, “business communication,” and “working with colleagues from different generations,” targeting staff at the earliest stages of their legal careers.
Aisha Saeed, early careers manager at Addleshaw Goddard, said the firm’s development pathway spans different progression routes to take individuals from apprentices to fully qualified lawyers.
Saeed told City AM that during the design process, “we identified communication as a key area of focus” for the programme’s overall structure and ambitions.
“Our aim is not to address a skills deficit, but to provide practical support that helps people navigate professional life, build relationships and communicate effectively with colleagues, clients and stakeholders,” Saeed said.
Ella Clarkson, a solicitor apprentice at Addleshaw Goddard who participated in the programme’s trial, said it “has had a positive impact on both my development and the quality of my work.”
Winston Taylor is among other City firms to have rolled out comparable training, with chief people officer Wendy Tomlinson confirming the firm mandates telephone training for its junior lawyers.
Tomlinson described the training as “focused on communication, collaboration and relationship-building, including understanding different communication styles and learning how to adapt their approach to clients and colleagues.”
“While there is a lot of discussion about whether younger professionals need training on telephone calls, we think the broader issue is helping people become confident and effective communicators in every setting,” she added.
Tomlinson also argued that “today’s lawyers need an even broader communication toolkit than previous generations, because they’re navigating a greater variety of channels and audiences from the start of their careers.”
The challenge is not confined to law firms, with YouGov polling showing only 33 per cent of Gen Z said they were comfortable making phone calls, compared to 67 per cent of Boomers and 49 per cent of millennials.
The same polling found just 17 per cent of Gen Z preferred the telephone as a communication method, while 65 per cent opted for text, email, or instant messaging instead.
Nottingham College has developed a course specifically designed to “help your Gen-Z employees overcome phone anxiety” and address “its impact on professional performance,” targeting sectors including professional services and law.
The course originally began as an interview skills programme before telephone interviews “emerged as a very significant need,” prompting the college to develop the dedicated session.
Liz Baxter, a careers advisor at Nottingham College, told City AM that “many young people have grown up communicating primarily through texts, voice notes and online platforms, so they often have fewer opportunities to practise real-time phone conversations.”
Baxter added that young people often “lack the experience of the back and forth of a two-way conversation and having to listen and then formulate a response in real time,” compounding the challenge facing employers.