Mentoring: A Win-Win-Win

Mentoring is a win-win-win situation. First, the prot'g' (called “mentee” in this article) wins by establishing relationships with more experienced attorneys. Regular mentoring leads the mentee to professional excellence and higher morale, which fuel higher job satisfaction and quality of work. The mentor wins by feeling a sense of pride when the mentee develops into a thriving, satisfied professional. A quality mentor also receives a good reputation among the attorneys in the firm, which can lead to other firm leadership roles. Ultimately, the firm wins when it is easier to recruit, develop and retain associates. An all-inclusive mentoring program increases work quality and productivity as well as creating a sense of community and an effective learning environment.

The purpose of a mentoring program is to ensure that new attorneys are provided an opportunity to build a trusting and meaningful relationship with a senior associate and/or partner who will guide, monitor and enhance their professional growth. While it is important to provide associates with every opportunity for such support, associates should likewise be encouraged and trained to take a proactive role in their own development.

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor is an adviser and teacher; a wise, caring and loyal partner or senior associate who tutors, guides and promotes the professional advancement of an inexperienced associate. The mentor should ensure that the mentee gets a fair degree of individualized attention and acknowledgment. It is the role of the mentor to explain the standards and expectations of the firm, while providing timely and constructive feedback about performance.

Mentors help associates understand what it takes to progress within their firm and in the legal profession. They aid associates in monitoring their own progress, taking responsibility for their own learning and achieving their highest potential. A quality mentor has a unique opportunity to shape a new lawyer's professional career.

Making the Match

Successful mentors have a genuine concern for the future of their firms. Those selected as mentors should have a desire to commit to the professional growth of the new lawyers assigned to them. To maintain an objective relationship, it is recommended that a mentee not be matched with his/her direct supervisory attorney or department/practice head.

In order to achieve maximum success, the matching of mentor and mentee should be voluntary whenever possible. As one senior associate puts it, “we cannot force people to be nice to us.” However, the research indicates that the best matches are between attorneys with common interests, work experience and/or goals.

Associates should be permitted to select their mentors if feasible, but mentors must be consulted and give their consent before a match is made formal. A brief biographical sketch can be provided to both parties. In cases where the mentoring match proves to be unsuccessful, that is, when no mentoring or inadequate mentoring takes place, the relationship should be examined and either repaired or terminated after appropriate consultation with both parties.

To kick off this close connection the mentor and mentee can conduct a personal assessment meeting where they identify the mentee's strengths, weaknesses, skill development needs, career expectation and goals. With this information they can establish expectations and objectives for the next six to 12 months. At the end of the specified time frame both parties should seek and accept feedback on how the relationship is progressing.

Other Types of Mentoring

An associate can have multiple mentors within a firm, using both a partner and a senior associate. This will allow the mentee to be coached from two perspectives. The partner will be able to offer guidance about partner and firm expectations, while the senior associate may have more time to devote to helping the mentee create quality work products and develop a sense of belonging to the team. This dual mentoring relationship may overcome the time constraints a single mentor would face if a plan can be developed to share responsibilities for the mentee.

Small group mentoring is an effective adaptation of the mentoring process and is especially suitable for busy firms with limited resources. Examples of group mentoring are: associate development seminars facilitated by partners; social/networking workshops and events; small group discussions led by partners or senior associates; and lunches or dinners hosted by partners.

First- and second-year associates have much to learn from their third- and fourth-year peers, so peer mentoring is another variation. Within the parameters of these familiar relationships, feel more comfortable to ask certain questions that they will not ask senior associates or partners. Assignment of a peer to an individual associate, or gathering these younger associates together in groups for formal or informal discussions, can prove to be very effective.

Acknowledgment of Mentors

Mentoring is a time-consuming activity that some attorneys will avoid, so it is the firm's responsibility to build in a reward system for those who are committed. Compensation is a key motivator, but most firms will not change their compensation system to accommodate non-billable activities. Other options are to publicly acknowledge those who have been outstanding mentors. Publishing a mentoring newsletter with profiles on outstanding mentors or stories about successful relationships would be motivating to some partners. Distributing awards at a meeting or retreat to partners who have the top number of mentoring hours also acknowledges their efforts.

Associates may choose to have different mentors at different stages of their careers. They also need to be honest with themselves about their strengths and weaknesses and their career goals and expectations. Above all, they need commitment from the firm's management and partners to provide mentoring, opportunities for learning and the kind of supportive environment that is necessary for success.

Sharon Meit Abrahams, Ed.D., a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, has been training lawyers in law firms for over 20 years. Her second book, “100 Plus Pointers for the New Partners,” was published earlier this year by the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division. Ms. Abrahams is a regular speaker at law schools, legal associations non-profits in the areas of communication skills, management, leadership and business etiquette.

Mentoring is a win-win-win situation. First, the prot'g' (called “mentee” in this article) wins by establishing relationships with more experienced attorneys. Regular mentoring leads the mentee to professional excellence and higher morale, which fuel higher job satisfaction and quality of work. The mentor wins by feeling a sense of pride when the mentee develops into a thriving, satisfied professional. A quality mentor also receives a good reputation among the attorneys in the firm, which can lead to other firm leadership roles. Ultimately, the firm wins when it is easier to recruit, develop and retain associates. An all-inclusive mentoring program increases work quality and productivity as well as creating a sense of community and an effective learning environment.

The purpose of a mentoring program is to ensure that new attorneys are provided an opportunity to build a trusting and meaningful relationship with a senior associate and/or partner who will guide, monitor and enhance their professional growth. While it is important to provide associates with every opportunity for such support, associates should likewise be encouraged and trained to take a proactive role in their own development.

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor is an adviser and teacher; a wise, caring and loyal partner or senior associate who tutors, guides and promotes the professional advancement of an inexperienced associate. The mentor should ensure that the mentee gets a fair degree of individualized attention and acknowledgment. It is the role of the mentor to explain the standards and expectations of the firm, while providing timely and constructive feedback about performance.

Mentors help associates understand what it takes to progress within their firm and in the legal profession. They aid associates in monitoring their own progress, taking responsibility for their own learning and achieving their highest potential. A quality mentor has a unique opportunity to shape a new lawyer's professional career.

Making the Match

Successful mentors have a genuine concern for the future of their firms. Those selected as mentors should have a desire to commit to the professional growth of the new lawyers assigned to them. To maintain an objective relationship, it is recommended that a mentee not be matched with his/her direct supervisory attorney or department/practice head.

In order to achieve maximum success, the matching of mentor and mentee should be voluntary whenever possible. As one senior associate puts it, “we cannot force people to be nice to us.” However, the research indicates that the best matches are between attorneys with common interests, work experience and/or goals.

Associates should be permitted to select their mentors if feasible, but mentors must be consulted and give their consent before a match is made formal. A brief biographical sketch can be provided to both parties. In cases where the mentoring match proves to be unsuccessful, that is, when no mentoring or inadequate mentoring takes place, the relationship should be examined and either repaired or terminated after appropriate consultation with both parties.

To kick off this close connection the mentor and mentee can conduct a personal assessment meeting where they identify the mentee's strengths, weaknesses, skill development needs, career expectation and goals. With this information they can establish expectations and objectives for the next six to 12 months. At the end of the specified time frame both parties should seek and accept feedback on how the relationship is progressing.

Other Types of Mentoring

An associate can have multiple mentors within a firm, using both a partner and a senior associate. This will allow the mentee to be coached from two perspectives. The partner will be able to offer guidance about partner and firm expectations, while the senior associate may have more time to devote to helping the mentee create quality work products and develop a sense of belonging to the team. This dual mentoring relationship may overcome the time constraints a single mentor would face if a plan can be developed to share responsibilities for the mentee.

Small group mentoring is an effective adaptation of the mentoring process and is especially suitable for busy firms with limited resources. Examples of group mentoring are: associate development seminars facilitated by partners; social/networking workshops and events; small group discussions led by partners or senior associates; and lunches or dinners hosted by partners.

First- and second-year associates have much to learn from their third- and fourth-year peers, so peer mentoring is another variation. Within the parameters of these familiar relationships, feel more comfortable to ask certain questions that they will not ask senior associates or partners. Assignment of a peer to an individual associate, or gathering these younger associates together in groups for formal or informal discussions, can prove to be very effective.

Acknowledgment of Mentors

Mentoring is a time-consuming activity that some attorneys will avoid, so it is the firm's responsibility to build in a reward system for those who are committed. Compensation is a key motivator, but most firms will not change their compensation system to accommodate non-billable activities. Other options are to publicly acknowledge those who have been outstanding mentors. Publishing a mentoring newsletter with profiles on outstanding mentors or stories about successful relationships would be motivating to some partners. Distributing awards at a meeting or retreat to partners who have the top number of mentoring hours also acknowledges their efforts.

Associates may choose to have different mentors at different stages of their careers. They also need to be honest with themselves about their strengths and weaknesses and their career goals and expectations. Above all, they need commitment from the firm's management and partners to provide mentoring, opportunities for learning and the kind of supportive environment that is necessary for success.

Sharon Meit Abrahams, Ed.D., a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, has been training lawyers in law firms for over 20 years. Her second book, “100 Plus Pointers for the New Partners,” was published earlier this year by the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division. Ms. Abrahams is a regular speaker at law schools, legal associations non-profits in the areas of communication skills, management, leadership and business etiquette.