Caitlin E. Vaughn

Caitlin works to enhance the knowledge and skills of Goodwin’s attorneys and professional staff so that they can grow and thrive personally and professionally.

In her role as Managing Director of Learning & Professional Development at Goodwin, Caitlin is responsible for directing the firm’s 18-member learning and professional development team.

She oversees formal learning programs such as:

• the firm’s award-winning* eight-week, full-time first year development program
• leadership programs for mid-level associates, senior associates and partners taught by senior faculty from Harvard and MIT
• relationship skills and revenue generation programming for all levels of attorneys
• annual retreats for the firm’s senior Global Operations (GO! Team) leaders
• substantive professional skills programs including client development, public speaking, matter management, and people management programs
• substantive legal skills programs including negotiation skills, contract drafting, legal writing, oral advocacy and trial skills programs
• summer associate learning programs

She also works with cross-functional teams to implement and manage culture initiatives such as:

• the firm’s FlexWork program
• the firm’s attorney performance management process
• the firm’s professional development infrastructure design, including the development of practice-specific advisor and development infrastructure
• the firm’s partner/counsel and senior associate upward feedback processes

She collaborates with senior management and partner leaders to align learning programs with organizational goals, integrate learning and professional development best practices into every aspect of an employee or partner’s career from onboarding to elevation, and foster a culture of feedback and continuous learning at Goodwin.

Caitlin has been a featured presenter at numerous conferences to speak about the intersection of innovation and professional development in law firms.

Caitlin was previously an Attorney Development Manager and an associate in the Technology Companies practice at Goodwin.  Prior to law school, Caitlin also served as a research manager and researcher in the Information Technology and Procurement/Supply Chain groups at the Corporate Executive Board, now a division of Gartner.

Winner of the 2024 Financial Times Innovation in Law North America Awards in the People + Skills category.