what do you want out of attorney mentorship program

Mentoring helps attorneys at all levels advance their careers; from lawyers-to-be, to new lawyers, to seasoned attorneys seeking to expand their practice or renew their vigor in practicing law. More than simply passing on information and advice, mentors impart lessons on the art and science of the practice of law.

Full Answer

What is the best way to get mentored by a mentor?

Mar 21, 2018 · “Excellent mentors are intentional about taking the time to truly ‘see’ their mentees. This takes time and patience. A mentor must earn trust, be accessible and listen generously. The second element involves behavioral affirmation, helping mentees to engage in behaviors aligned with their ideal selves.” Mentoring Programs in Firms

What is the process of a mentoring program?

Apr 04, 2022 · Once activated, our membership program would connect willing experienced ACA member attorneys with less experienced attorneys for mentoring and training. Benefits of Mentorship Mentoring helps attorneys at all levels advance their careers; from lawyers-to-be, to new lawyers, to seasoned attorneys seeking to expand their practice or renew their vigor in …

Can a mentee end a mentoring relationship?

7 Quick-Start Guide, continued Step 8: Create program documents and resources (page 24) • Create the application forms, mentor/mentee agreement forms, activity logs, and evaluation forms. • Establish a library of materials and resources to assist mentors and mentees during the program. Examples include how-to guides, job aids, and recommended reading materials and …

What do successful mentoring relationships cover?

Mentoring pair. CAROL KANAREK is a lawyer and clinical social worker. She has provided career management services to lawyers and legal employers, and law schools for over twenty five years. She can be reached at [email protected] or (212) 371-0967. More information about Carol’s background and services can be found at www.KanarekandBrady.com.

What is a legal mentor?

A legal mentor is an experienced lawyer who passes their guidance, experience, and advice to another attorney, law student, or legal professional. With the help of a mentor, a legal professional can learn new skills, set better goals, and build confidence in their career. A mentor can work with a mentee one-on-one or in a group setting.

Why do you need a legal mentor?

Legal professionals can benefit from a legal mentor providing industry and career-specific guidance from an experienced and external perspective.

Where you can find a legal mentor

Where you find a legal mentor depends largely on what point you’re at in your legal career. This is because the type of mentor you need differs when you’re starting vs. when you’re 10 or 20 years into your career. Consider the following:

How to structure your mentor-mentee relationship

Once you’ve found the right fit, you need to consider what questions to ask a lawyer mentor and establish goals for your mentorship. It’s essential to think about these factors from the start. This way, you can maximize your experience without wasting your mentor’s valuable time.

A legal mentor can give you an advantage in your law career

Having a legal mentor is a valuable way to learn from the wisdom and experience of another lawyer. A legal mentor can also help you become a better, more successful lawyer. While mentors are a great choice for new lawyers and law students, they aren’t limited to new attorneys.

How to make the most of your mentorship?

Being prepared is one of the best ways to make the most of your time with your mentor or mentee and ensure a the effects of mentorship leave a positive impact. Knowing what you want to talk about and how to express yourself will make meetings go smoothly.

What is the best way to connect with a mentor?

Even though a workplace mentorship focuses largely on career topics, a mentor and mentee can spend time outside of work bonding. Taking in a show together or attending a local art exhibit can be a great way to create a deeper connection.

How does mentoring help employees?

Moreover, nearly 40 percent of employees who don’t have mentoring relationships have thought about leaving their position in the last few months. The benefits of mentoring can't be ignored. Formal mentorship programs can be a tool that: 1 Improves diversity or inclusivity in the company culture 2 Supports leadership development and leadership skills among employees 3 Trains employees with both hard skills and career skills 4 Enhance employee engagement 5 Increase employee retention 6 And much more

What are the benefits of mentoring?

Formal mentorship programs can be a tool that: Improves diversity or inclusivity in the company culture. Supports leadership development and leadership skills among employees. Trains employees with both hard skills and career skills. Enhance employee engagement.

How long does a mentorship last?

Most mentorships end within a year or two. When it is time for it to end, plan a celebration to mark the occasion. It is a great time for a mentor to tell a mentee how far they’ve come.

Why is mentoring important?

Mentoring is an effective way to make coming to work a more rewarding experience. Nine out of 10 workers with mentors have higher levels of job satisfaction. Moreover, nearly 40 percent of employees who don’t have mentoring relationships have thought about leaving their position in the last few months.

What is a successful mentoring program?

All successful mentoring programs have an intense focus on creating meaningful mentoring pairs that lead to stronger corporate culture. Successful pairings are based on the compatibility of the mentor and mentee, but the topics they discuss during each session are equally important.

1. Identify key organizational objectives and segments

The first step to setting clear success metrics for a mentoring program is to identify key organizational objectives (i.e., the broad areas of improvement that will be the focus of the program) and key segments (i.e., who the program will include).

2. Determine program initiatives

Once the key organizational objectives and segments are selected, the next step is to determine the key initiatives for each objective/segment. Here we are answering the question: “How will we accomplish our organizational objectives?” For example:

About the Author

Yuliya LaRoe is an experienced attorney, certified coach, and consultant, who helps law firms and lawyers develop and implement winning strategies in the areas of leadership, management, and business development. You can reach her at [email protected].

How to have an effective mentoring program?

To have an effective mentoring program, you need to have enough mentors to meet the needs of your mentees. One way to maintain a pool of mentors is to continuously recruit them. You should conduct several information sessions each year for prospective mentors.

What activities are mandatory for a mentor?

Activities such as an orientation session, graduation ceremony, and mid-year review are probably best to be made mandatory. Activities such as guest speakers, group dis-cussions, and field trips are probably best to be made optional. Review the purpose and goals of your program to determine which activities need to be mandatory.

What is the USPTO Mentoring Toolkit?

This toolkit is designed for use by any USPTO voluntary employee organization to assist them in start-ing up and maintaining an effective formal mentoring program. It was developed by the Office of Hu-man Resources, Enterprise Training Division to be one of many resources available through the USPTO Leadership Development Program. Elements of this toolkit are based on best practices research of suc-cessful government and private sector programs. Lessons learned from the successful implementation of mentoring programs within the Office of Human Resources and the Patents Business Unit is also incor-porated.

Can mentoring be dissolved?

When the pre-determined end date of the formal mentoring program has been reached, the formal men-toring pairings can be dissolved. However, that does not mean that the mentoring pairs cannot continue an informal (or formal) mentoring relationship. Learning is a life-long, continual process. Mentees and mentors should be continual learners, even after their formal relationship comes to an end.

What should you do at the half way point of a mentoring program?

At the half-way point, you should assemble your mentoring pairs to learn how they are progressing and ask them to share things they’ve learned and ways they’ve learned them. This is a great opportunity to also ask for and receive feedback on program policies and procedures to ensure your program remains effective.

Is "trust" a verb or a noun?

Trust must be a verb before it is a noun. You must trust and be trustworthy to be trusted. It is one of the most, if not the most, important factor in the partnership.

What pages are sample forms on?

Their input will help you make any necessary adjustments to ensure the program remains ef-fective. Sample forms are on pages 38-45.

Why is mentoring important for lawyers?

Mentoring as a means of enhancing lawyers job satisfaction and performance is an exceedingly important topic. The reality is that finding the right mentor (s) is easier said than done–and the wrong mentor can be worse than no mentor at all. Here’s some advice. First, give serious thought to what it is that you are seeking to learn from a mentor.

What to learn from a mentor?

First, give serious thought to what it is that you are seeking to learn from a mentor. At various stages in your tenure at a particular firm or company, and during the course of your legal career as a whole, you may need someone who can serve as a teacher, role model, coach, troubleshooter, guide, protector, confidante, sponsor, publicist, ...

Who is Carol Kanarek?

CAROL KANAREK is a lawyer and clinical social worker. She has provided career management services to lawyers and legal employers, and law schools for over twenty five years. She can be reached at [email protected] or (212) 371-0967. More information about Carol’s background and services can be found at www.KanarekandBrady.com.

Why do you need a mentor?

Because mentors selected for a formal program generally possess skills, work habits and personality traits that the company values, participation in such a program can provide you with a good sense of your employer’s “culture” and preferred ways of getting things accomplished.

Is mentoring a reciprocal relationship?

Finally, never forget that mentoring is a reciprocal process. A really valuable mentoring relationship will develop only if you make your mentor feel that he or she has something to gain (and nothing to lose) by taking an active interest in your career development.

What is a mentor?

Mentoring is a developmental partnership through which an individual (mentor) shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspectives to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else (mentee). Mentoring is not, in the strictest sense, training, coaching, or teaching.

How long is a mentoring relationship?

A mentoring relationship can be either short term (approximately 3 – 6 months), and focused on specific items and goals, or it can be an extended relationship (6 – 12 months), in which the partners examine the mentee’s career holistically, and examine long-term career aspirations and how to achieve them. Now that you know the basic concept of ...

What is a mentor profile?

A mentor profile is a list of desired attributes you want in a mentor. Defining your personal goals and determining the type and level of interaction you want with a mentor are good first steps in drafting your profile. To aid you in this process, consider the objectives below and ask yourself the following questions:

What is a mentoring agreement?

The Mentoring Agreement provides the framework for establishing guidelines, commitments and objectives for the partnership from that day forward.

How do mentors and mentees work together?

Mentors and Mentees should work together to develop action steps for each mentoring objective. Action steps should demonstrate how you will reach your objectives

How many steps are there in the BBH process?

There are six steps in the BBH mentoring process. BBH provides tools, resources and information on each of the following steps to assist you in making your mentoring relationship a powerful learning experience. Step 1: Is Mentoring Right for You?

Is it important to have face to face meetings?

Make meeting commitments and stick to them. This is not to say you can’t or shouldn’t - have ad hoc meetings, but planning is important.

Is mentoring for everyone?

Mentoring is not for everyone. An effective mentoring experience requires time, effort and commitment from both the Mentee and the Mentor. Although mentoring can be a valuable part of one's development, there may be other activities that are more practical or appropriate for you.