Why Womble Bond Dickinson

Developing leaders and maximizing human capital is the goal of the Leadership Womble program.

This in-house professional development program is overseen by the Leadership & Professional Development Team and Professionalism Committee, and was developed in cooperation with the Gallup organization.

Womble Bond Dickinson and Gallup already had a strong existing relationship. The firm uses the Gallup’s Strengths Finder assessment and Gallup customized its “The Demands of Executive Leadership” program into a law firm leadership program for Womble Bond Dickinson.

The Leadership Womble Program presently draws from the partner levels of the firm and is strictly voluntary. More than 40 people were nominated for the initial class, which first met in September 2010. There is an ongoing nomination list for those within the firm who are interested in participating.

The program requires up to 200 hours of non-billable time over a six month period. All participants attend three separate, intensive three-day sessions in Washington, D.C. Mobile devices are turned off and laptop computers are left in the hotel room, as participants give their undivided attention to the program. The sessions focus on such practical leadership skills as mentoring top talent, building internal and client constituencies, needs of followers, and receiving feedback.

In the interim between class sessions, the participants are divided into three “Leadership Challenge” teams with 4 participants on each team. The “Leadership Challenge” – a project designed to impact issues such as client service, employee engagement and other critical areas for internal improvement-seeks to stretch the resources of our practicing lawyers to support and brainstorm ideas to impact ongoing challenges facing our firm management. The teams discuss their findings with Womble Bond Dickinson’s Firm Management Committee during the final Leadership Womble class.

Graduates of Leadership Womble are more aware of their personal leadership style, more receptive to feedback (including input from clients), and better able to motivate others. The program is designed to offer time and resources for firm lawyers to practice professional services leadership in a law firm setting.

For more information on Leadership Womble, please contact Cindy Pruitt, Chief Talent Officer, at +1 336.721.3680

Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys and staff members can participate in the firm’s formal secondment program to develop their professional skills, gain hands-on learning experiences, strengthen their network, and deepen relationships with firm clients. Through the secondment program, employees can participate in client secondments where they spend dedicated time with a client working in-house and obtaining valuable perspective into how to best support clients. 

The secondment program is fully supported by the firm’s Talent Management team. The team provides dedicated training, support and resources for secondees and their supervisors throughout the secondment. The Talent Management team focuses on the development of the secondee, so professional development goals and objectives will also be outlined before the secondment and supported throughout. The firm is committed to the development of its team to create a successful secondment for both the secondee as well as the host of the secondment.

Firm attorneys and staff can express their interest in the secondment program so they can be considered as relevant secondment opportunities arise. The Internship Program Manager is the dedicated contact for the secondment program.