how to find a lawyer mentor

Here are three tips to find a mentor, as suggested by Attorney at Work:

• Check in with your law school and former classmates. At no point in your life will you be surrounded by as many people...
• Contact your local bar association. Many bar associations have a section devoted to junior attorneys, and they may pair...
• Approach someone you admire. At some point, you may read...

Full Answer

What should I look for in a legal mentor?

What to look for in a mentorRapport. Because you will be spending a lot of time with your mentor, you should choose someone who you feel compatible with. ... Diversity. ... Experience. ... Your professional association. ... Your colleagues. ... Your firm's mentoring program.

How do I find a legitimate mentor?

Here are a few tips on how to find a mentor:Know What You're Looking for in a Mentor. ... Join a Mentorship Platform. ... Reach Out to Your Existing Network. ... Go to Professional Networking Events. ... Find an Industry Meetup. ... Attend Volunteer Events or Social Clubs. ... Use Social Media. ... Have a Goal for Your Mentorship.More items...

How much should you pay a mentor?

Sessions (virtual, telephone, or in-person if the expert agrees) start at $50 an hour, though a quick look at the site finds that many folks charge more than $100 an hour.

What is a lawyer 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.

How do I ask for a mentor?

How to ask someone to mentor youSchedule an initial conversation. ... Clearly describe the guidance you're seeking (The Ask). ... Confirm your willingness to do the necessary work and follow-through. ... Acknowledge and respect the individual's time. ... Note: If you don't hear from them, follow-up, but don't hound him or her.

Are mentors free?

Mentors are free, which makes them priceless in more ways than one. Typically, a mentoring relationship will grow organically through connections within your industry and network. A mentor does not do it for the money.

Where can I find a mentor for free?

MicroMentor. Free online mentor service that connects small business owners with business mentors. You can find a mentor or volunteer to be one. Their mission statement: “To help small businesses grow faster, generate more revenue, and employ more people.”

Can you pay someone to mentor you?

As a general rule, you can expect to pay your mentor a little less than they might charge with their regular consultancy fees. This is because mentorship also offers benefits to the mentors themselves, above and beyond any money they might bring in. With that said, don't expect mentors to come cheap, either.

How do mentors get paid?

While nonprofit mentoring programs don't make a profit, they do make money through government funds, membership fees and corporate sponsorship.

Why is mentorship important in law?

The mentor may assist the mentee in understanding the history, culture and clients within the legal community. The mentor may assist in teaching the mentee the skills involved in business development from a litigation perspective so as to emphasize the importance of the client and the ways to attract new business.

How do you mentor a law student?

Remember, as a mentor, you are a teacher, not just a supervisor or boss. You are introducing a law student to the world of work....8 Tips for Mentoring Law Student Interns for SuccessStart from where the intern is. ... Explain your approach. ... Who sets the agenda? ... Check in frequently. ... Give clear feedback. ... Be patient.More items...

What is grow mentoring?

GROW will match you with a mentor in the legal industry based on mutual commonalities, be it law firm ambition, degree background, university or member of the same underrepresented community. Mentors are not there to review applications, but to offer guidance and insights to help you achieve your goals.

How to mentor a lawyer?

Finding time for a busy law student and working lawyer to connect can be tricky, but these tips should help you develop a good mentoring relationship: 1 Initiate monthly contact with your mentor by phone or email. Don’t wait for your mentor to contact you. 2 If you’re both local, schedule in-person meetings with your mentor at the outset, so you will have dates reserved well in advance. 3 Schedule any phone calls with your mentor in advance to reserve a mutually convenient time to talk. 4 Use school-sponsored and local professional events as a reason to meet. 5 Connect with your mentor via LinkedIn. 6 Use Skype or Google Hangouts to “meet” with a long-distance mentor. 7 If you happen to be planning a visit to a mentor’s home turf, try to schedule an in-person meeting.

How to get the most out of a mentorship?

You will get as much out of a mentorship as you put into it, so give the relationship the time, dedication, and respect it deserves. Set clear goals and expectations for the mentorship at the beginning. Follow your mentor’s lead. For example, if they keep their emails professional, stick with that tone.

What having a mentor means for legal professionals

In order to retain employees and compete in today’s marketplace, law firms need employees with varied experience and backgrounds. Mentorship can allow skilled professionals to pass on the necessary skills, knowledge, and wisdom to those who need it, enabling more and more people to succeed.

What to look for in a mentor

Whether you’re looking to gain confidence, develop skills, even to qualify for a job promotion, as you look for a mentor, consider:

Trust

You will likely be sharing private information with your mentor, so trust is very important. Understand that it will take some time to build this trust even with the most highly-recommended mentor.

Find Your Ideal Mentor

Not all mentors are alike, so it’s important that you seek out mentors who are the right fit for you. The best tip I’ve received is to figure out what type of attorney you want to be and find an attorney who has the legal career you aspire to have.

Create Your Advisory Board

While you are looking for a mentor, keep in mind that you are not limited to one mentor. I encourage you to seek out multiple mentors who can help you in your career. Building a network of mentors allows you to learn from a variety of attorneys with different areas of expertise. If possible, I recommend finding at least three types of mentors.

Develop the Mentor-Mentee Relationship

After you find a mentor, you need to work to maintain the mentor-mentee relationship, as you would with any type of relationship. Unfortunately, there is no mentor manual, and law school doesn’t teach attorneys how to be great mentors.

Benefits of Being a Mentor

While it’s easy to understand how a mentee benefits from a mentorship, the benefits of mentorship for a mentor may not be as apparent. Mentoring should be a mutually beneficial relationship. As a mentee, it’s important for you to give, even if it’s not as much as you receive from your mentor.

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