Templates Practice Management Associate Attorney Performance Review Form
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Associate Attorney Performance Review Form
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ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY PERFORMANCE REVIEW

EVALUATION INFORMATION

Field Information
Law Firm Name [________________________________]
Evaluation Period [__/__/____] to [__/__/____]
Evaluation Type ☐ Annual ☐ Semi-Annual ☐ Quarterly ☐ Mid-Year ☐ Partner Track
Evaluation Date [__/__/____]
Associate Class Year [________]

ASSOCIATE INFORMATION

Field Information
Associate Name [________________________________]
Bar Number [________________________________]
Bar Admission Date [__/__/____]
Years of Experience [____]
Date of Hire [__/__/____]
Practice Group(s) [________________________________]
Office Location [________________________________]
Supervising Partner(s) [________________________________]

EVALUATOR INFORMATION

Field Information
Evaluator Name [________________________________]
Evaluator Title [________________________________]
Practice Group [________________________________]
Matters Worked on Together [________________________________]

RATING SCALE

Rating Description
5 - Outstanding Exceptional performance; significantly exceeds expectations for experience level
4 - Exceeds Expectations Consistently above expected performance for experience level
3 - Meets Expectations Solid, competent performance appropriate for experience level
2 - Needs Improvement Below expectations for experience level; development required
1 - Unsatisfactory Significant performance deficiencies; immediate remediation required
N/A Not observed or not applicable

SECTION 1: LEGAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Legal Research and Analysis

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Legal research thoroughness [____] [________________________]
Ability to identify relevant issues [____] [________________________]
Legal analysis and reasoning [____] [________________________]
Understanding of applicable law [____] [________________________]
Integration of facts and law [____] [________________________]
Knowledge of practice area(s) [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Legal Writing

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Clarity and organization [____] [________________________]
Persuasive writing ability [____] [________________________]
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation [____] [________________________]
Citation accuracy [____] [________________________]
Brief and motion drafting [____] [________________________]
Contract/transactional drafting [____] [________________________]
Correspondence quality [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Oral Advocacy and Communication

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Oral argument and presentation skills [____] [________________________]
Courtroom presence and demeanor [____] [________________________]
Deposition skills [____] [________________________]
Negotiation abilities [____] [________________________]
Client presentation skills [____] [________________________]
Communication with opposing counsel [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

SECTION 2: PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

Case/Matter Management

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Organization of files and documents [____] [________________________]
Deadline management [____] [________________________]
Matter budgeting and efficiency [____] [________________________]
Attention to detail [____] [________________________]
Follow-through on assignments [____] [________________________]
Risk identification and management [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Client Relations

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Client communication [____] [________________________]
Responsiveness to clients [____] [________________________]
Client relationship building [____] [________________________]
Understanding client objectives [____] [________________________]
Maintaining client confidence [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Professional Responsibility and Ethics

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Adherence to ethical rules [____] [________________________]
Confidentiality maintenance [____] [________________________]
Conflicts awareness [____] [________________________]
Integrity and honesty [____] [________________________]
Professional judgment [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

SECTION 3: WORK HABITS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Billable Hours Performance

Metric Target Actual Variance
Annual Billable Hours Target [________] [________] [________]
Billable Hours This Period [________] [________] [________]
Realization Rate [____]% [____]% [____]%
Collection Rate [____]% [____]% [____]%

Hours by Practice Area:

Practice Area Hours
[________________________________] [________]
[________________________________] [________]
[________________________________] [________]

Time Management and Efficiency

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Meeting billable hour expectations [____] [________________________]
Efficient use of time [____] [________________________]
Timely completion of assignments [____] [________________________]
Accurate time recording [____] [________________________]
Managing multiple matters [____] [________________________]
Work quality under pressure [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

SECTION 4: FIRM CITIZENSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

Firm Contribution

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Participation in firm activities [____] [________________________]
Contribution to firm culture [____] [________________________]
Mentoring junior associates/staff [____] [________________________]
Committee/administrative work [____] [________________________]
Willingness to take on assignments [____] [________________________]
Teamwork and collaboration [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Business Development

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
Client development efforts [____] [________________________]
Professional networking [____] [________________________]
Bar association involvement [____] [________________________]
Speaking/writing for publications [____] [________________________]
Cross-selling firm services [____] [________________________]
Community involvement [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

Professional Development

Competency Rating (1-5) Comments
CLE compliance and engagement [____] [________________________]
Self-directed learning [____] [________________________]
Receptiveness to feedback [____] [________________________]
Implementation of feedback [____] [________________________]
Initiative to seek assignments [____] [________________________]
Career progression [____] [________________________]

Section Average: [____]

SECTION 5: COMPARISON TO PEER GROUP

Associate Class/Experience Level: [________________________________]

Comparison Rating:

☐ Top 10% of class

☐ Top 25% of class

☐ Top 50% of class

☐ Bottom 50% of class

☐ Bottom 25% of class

Partner Track Assessment:

☐ On track for partnership consideration

☐ Showing strong potential

☐ Meeting expectations for current level

☐ Needs improvement to remain on track

☐ Not currently on partnership track

Comments on Peer Comparison:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

OVERALL PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Rating Summary by Category

Category Rating
Legal Research and Analysis [____]
Legal Writing [____]
Oral Advocacy and Communication [____]
Case/Matter Management [____]
Client Relations [____]
Professional Responsibility [____]
Time Management and Productivity [____]
Firm Contribution [____]
Business Development [____]
Professional Development [____]
OVERALL RATING [____]

Overall Performance Level

☐ 5 - Outstanding

☐ 4 - Exceeds Expectations

☐ 3 - Meets Expectations

☐ 2 - Needs Improvement

☐ 1 - Unsatisfactory

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Significant Matters/Achievements This Review Period:

  1. [________________________________]

  2. [________________________________]

  3. [________________________________]

  4. [________________________________]

Primary Strengths:

  1. [________________________________]

  2. [________________________________]

  3. [________________________________]

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Skills Requiring Improvement:

  1. [________________________________]
    - Development Plan: [________________________________]

  2. [________________________________]
    - Development Plan: [________________________________]

  3. [________________________________]
    - Development Plan: [________________________________]

GOALS FOR NEXT REVIEW PERIOD

Professional Development Goals

Goal Measurement Target Date
[________________________________] [________________] [__/__/____]
[________________________________] [________________] [__/__/____]
[________________________________] [________________] [__/__/____]

Billable/Business Goals

Goal Target Timeline
Billable Hours [________] Annual
Originations $[________] Annual
New Clients [____] Annual

Skill Development Goals

Skill Area Specific Goal Resources Needed
[____________] [________________________] [________________]
[____________] [________________________] [________________]
[____________] [________________________] [________________]

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommended Training/Programs:

☐ [________________________________]

☐ [________________________________]

☐ [________________________________]

Recommended Work Assignments:

☐ [________________________________]

☐ [________________________________]

☐ [________________________________]

Mentoring Arrangements:

  • Mentor Name: [________________________________]
  • Focus Areas: [________________________________]

COMPENSATION REVIEW

Item Current Recommended Effective Date
Base Salary $[________] $[________] [__/__/____]
Bonus N/A $[________] [__/__/____]

Compensation Tier/Level: [________________________________]

Comments:

[________________________________]

360-DEGREE FEEDBACK SUMMARY (If Collected)

Feedback from Partners:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

Feedback from Peers:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

Feedback from Staff:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

Feedback from Clients (If Available):

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

ASSOCIATE SELF-ASSESSMENT

Associate's Self-Assessment:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

Career Goals and Aspirations:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

Areas Where Associate Seeks More Experience:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

SIGNATURES

Evaluator Acknowledgment

Evaluator Signature: [________________________________]

Evaluator Name (Print): [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Additional Evaluator (If Applicable)

Signature: [________________________________]

Name (Print): [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Practice Group Leader/Department Head

Signature: [________________________________]

Name (Print): [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Associate Acknowledgment

I acknowledge receipt and discussion of this performance evaluation. My signature indicates that I have reviewed the evaluation with my supervisor(s) and does not necessarily indicate agreement with all assessments.

Associate Signature: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Associate Comments:

[________________________________]

[________________________________]

☐ Associate wishes to attach additional comments

FOLLOW-UP SCHEDULE

Action Responsible Due Date Status
90-Day Check-In [____________] [__/__/____] ☐ Scheduled
Mid-Year Review [____________] [__/__/____] ☐ Scheduled
Training Program [____________] [__/__/____] ☐ Scheduled
Next Annual Review [____________] [__/__/____] ☐ Scheduled

This evaluation should be retained in the associate's personnel file. Regular feedback between formal reviews is encouraged to support ongoing professional development.

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Last updated: February 2026