A Philadelphia law firm will lend a hand to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office

Before the private lawyers get their public credentials, they receive training from Ferman's office - with First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele and Assistant District Attorney Kelly Lloyd coordinating the project - in the mechanics of prosecution and the ethical standards they will have to follow.

Both sides are pleased with the arrangement.

"We never have enough human resources," Ferman said Tuesday. "There are so many things we would love to be able to do if we had time, but the reality is, we have huge backlogs and attorneys have large caseloads."

While the county budget has gotten tighter for 2013, it was the law firm that approached Ferman.

From the firm's perspective, the partnership "gives our associates an opportunity to have on-their-feet courtroom experience very early in their careers," said Coleen Meehan, a partner in the litigation practice group who started the county collaborations.

Previously, three of its associates who were recent law school graduates participated in a fellowship program with Montgomery County from October 2009 to October 2010.

The firm also worked with the Delaware County district attorney for about 12 years, Meehan said.

Contact Carolyn Davis at 610-313-8109, cdavis@phillynews.com, or @carolyntweets on Twitter.