Learning & Development Charter
Purpose
This charter outlines our commitment to the learning and development of our fee earners. Its purpose is to foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development at both the global and local levels, ensuring that all our people can achieve their full potential and grow their careers.
Our Vision
CMS aspires to be the standout brand for global legal talent development. We want to empower our lawyers to maximise their individual and collective learning opportunities. With this, we seek to support our people’s ability to offer a high-quality client offering that drives revenue. Our vision is to ensure that all firms in the organisation experience a consistent minimum standard of future-facing learning and development to all our people.
Our Commitments
At CMS, we are committed to:
- Fostering Continuous Learning: Creating a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
- Global and Local Integration: Aligning our global learning framework with local needs, avoiding duplication, and ensuring a holistic offering.
- High-Quality Training: Providing high-quality training programs that support our strategic goals and enhance our client services.
- Inclusivity in Learning: Offering inclusive learning opportunities that cater to diverse needs in a sustainability conscious way.
- Strategic Partnerships: Establishing partnerships with world-leading educational institutions to enhance our training offerings.
To drive a culture of learning and development, CMS has set up the following structure:
- Executive Sponsorship: An executive sponsor for learning and development at the CMS Executive Committee level as well as an EC sub-committee.
- Global Working Group: A central L&D working group consisting of senior SME’s that develops and reviews our goals and practices to ensure we deliver on our commitments.
- Local Champions: An L&D champion within each CMS member firm who proactively communicates and supports the global CMS L&D strategy.
- Dedicated L&D central team: A central dedicated team that coordinates between the working group, the CMS Executive Committee, and the L&D champions.
We are proud of our progress in learning and development across our global offices. Some key initiatives include:
- Future Ready Program: Feedback from senior business leadership cohorts has been activated to continuously improve our offerings.
- Global Induction: Engaging new joiners with comprehensive induction programs.
- Next Gen Group: Focusing on the development of emerging leaders within the firm.
- High-Quality Programs: Consistently high ratings for our multiple training programs, with content regularly reviewed and adapted based on feedback.
Goals
At CMS, across all our offices, we strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of learning and development. In particular, we aim to:
- Ensure Competitive Capabilities: Keeping CMS competitive in key capabilities in a fast-paced digital market.
- Maximise Investment: Ensuring delivery quality and lawyer attendance and engagement at both local and global levels.
- Inclusive Learning Opportunities: Offering a minimum level of development to all lawyers, including more sustainable digital formats.
- Strategic Partnerships: Creating high-level strategic partnerships with world-leading educational institutions.
All firms will review their progress against the L&D Charter commitments and communicate regularly on this.
- Board-Level Oversight: Ensure board-level sponsorship and oversight of L&D management.
- Share Best Practices: Share and celebrate best practices across the firm to encourage collaboration
- Brand: All this to pursue our vision to be the standout brand for global legal talent development.
CMS Learning & Development Charter
Download PDF version of the Charter
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