B&D University

What is BDU?

Beveridge & Diamond University (BDU) is the firm’s comprehensive professional development program. BDU’s mission is to provide a high quality training program for the firm’s attorneys and staff to continually develop and maintain the professional, technical, and interpersonal competencies required to deliver effective legal services and unmatched client service, and to contribute to a collegial and respectful B&D community.

BDU Goals

BDU aims to:

Deliver foundation and framework for success to everyone at B&D
Provide training, support, skills, and guidance in general and specific areas of practice and professional success
Improve client service and position the firm to capture new work
Institutionalize and share expertise and knowledge; build bench strength in core practice areas; support succession planning and leadership development
Provide transparency into the way the firm works and our unique approach to practice and client service (i.e., “The B&D Way”)
Promote office and practice area integration efforts, increase internal networking through shared learning and dialogue
Promote inclusion and transparency of development opportunities
Support innovation by engaging diverse perspectives for learning and problem solving

BDU Delivers Comprehensive Training

BDU provides balanced curriculum for attorneys and staff designed to improve a broad range of skillsets, increasing organizational capability. A complementary mix of internally developed programs (Core courses, practical exercises, Practice Group programming, client CLEs) and external programming (ELI, ABA, DRI, NITA, outside speakers) will help to develop:

Legal Skills: Writing, Litigation, Regulatory, Substantive Areas, Negotiation
Professional Skills: Business Development, Project Management, Technology Utilization
Personal Skills: Communication, Leadership, Resiliency, Critical Thinking

BDU Infrastructure

BDU exercises oversight of all professional development programming within the firm in a manner that compliments and aligns with existing firm structure (Workflow, Mentoring, APEX, Practice Groups) to facilitate dialogue and two-way learning.

Developing a catalog/curriculum of internal and external programs on key knowledge and skills, including a “core” curriculum.
Making the BDU catalog/curriculum, and all BDU-related professional development opportunities, organized and centrally accessible.
Recording/archiving programs to the extent practicable, and utilizing mechanisms to track program/course attendance/completion (including CLE).
Providing opportunities for experienced lawyers and staff to teach and share their knowledge in structured, effective, and efficient ways.