On April 25, 2024, Jake McClellan presented “Perspective from an Associate: Training Young Lawyers to Transition from No Chair to First Chair” at the Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC) Spring Meeting. Jake offered experiences from his own practice and examples of successes on the journey from the beginning of his career with “no chair” at trial to now having first chair trial experience. He creatively offered practical solutions for law firms to implement to increase the likelihood of young lawyers gaining trial experience. Inspired by the Key West venue but applicable everywhere, Jake created an acrostic as a checklist for law firms to implement to help young lawyers find their “BEACH” and begin the transition from no chair at trial to first chair trial lawyers.

• B – Bring a young lawyer to trial
• E – Encourage associates to take on small and pro bono matters
• A – Advocate to clients to include young associates on your trial team
• C – Challenge young lawyers to take on larger roles in case management and trial
• H – Honest feedback on the associates’ performance at trial

The TADC is a professional organization of civil trial attorneys dedicated to promoting excellence in its members, fairness in our judicial system, and preserving the right to jury trial for all citizens.