Virtual Training & Mentoring for Summer and First Year Associates

Look at the topics or benchmarks and align this with who is the best person in the firm to teach this in our remote environment. Under normal circumstances you might not have an assistant or paralegal teach a knowledge session to attorneys, but now they might be the best choice. Who better to guide how the courts are working now or how to share work product remotely, then those who were thrust into knowing a few months ago?

If your firm already had training prepared, then these programs need to be adapted to the virtual environment. It is not enough to ask the presenter to speak into a camera instead of standing at a podium in a conference room. The delivery needs to be addressed as well as the content. As many of us have spent hours on virtual meetings we have seen what works and what does not. Moving training into an online presentation will take concerted effort. The program needs to be engaging so it holds the audience's attention. Here are a few tips that will help the speaker make a connection with the audience.

• Ask the speaker to open their video so the audience can see him or her.
• Encourage the speaker to use a conversational tone so the audience feels included.
• Create polling questions that engage the audience.
• Use the chat feature so people can respond instantaneously.

While we are on the topic of remote training, we need to address the visual aspects of online training as well. Be sure the speaker checks for camera readiness and follows this advice.

• Check the lighting so the audience can see the speaker clearly.
• Be sure background is appropriate and not distracting.
• Practice with the speaker they are aware of how the technology works.
• Ask the speaker to wear a solid color, but not white.
• Make sure the camera angle is not too high or low.

Virtual mentoring is easier to implement than training because the mentoring concepts are in place and do not require as much pivoting. Mentoring will always be a win-win-win situation no matter how it is delivered. In transforming your mentoring program consider these facets of the program. The virtual framework should: 1) communicate the guidelines or requirements for consistent mentoring; 2) ensure that mentoring becomes a natural part of daily practice; and 3) reward the mentors for their participation.

An obstacle that can trip up remote mentoring is the same obstacle that firms faced prior to the work from home orders: lack of attorney commitment due to time. Although time is a scarce commodity, it is necessary to make the effort to create and sustain a mentoring ethos at the firm.

A summer internship and the first year of a lawyer's practice is a critical time in the development of professional habits, practices, and character. This period will be challenging and stressful as the new lawyers adjust to the pressures of practice management, client relations, and integrating into the firm's culture on a remote level. Keep in mind that the goal of a mentoring program is to introduce new lawyers to your firm's way of practicing law.

If your firm already has a mentoring program, then the adaptation to a remote environment will be replacing in-person activities like lunches and coffee chats to remote activities like phone calls and video conversations. There really is no need to change the mentoring requirements the firm has in place, just change how the activities are implemented. For example, work product feedback should be offered as often as it would be in an office environment, but now it can be provided via email or through the firm's document management system.

Implementing a mentoring program for the first time during this period will have its challenges, but kudos to the firm for doing it. Now is the time to show your newest recruits that your firm cares about their well-being and that you want them to succeed. Here is simple outline of what should be included in a mentoring framework whether remote or not.

• Goals of the mentoring program as it aligns with your firm's culture.
• Role and responsibilities of the mentor.
• Role and responsibilities of the protege.
• Guideline for making matches.
• Training for mentors and proteges.
• Framework of expected activities.
• Evaluation of the program.
• Reward for the mentors.

To ensure mentoring is taking place on a regular basis in the remote working world there will need to be an extra level of monitoring. There are a variety of ways a firm can create oversight. Creating a time keeping number so mentoring time can be accounted for would be one way to measure time invested in mentoring. Firms can designate an attorney or administrative person to review the activities attorneys are attributing to mentoring to determine if it fits the firm's criteria. Mentors and mentees can complete satisfaction surveys to ascertain if the mentoring is working from their point of view. No matter what avenue a firm choses to take, the fact that they have a mentoring program is worth recognizing.

Mentoring is a time-consuming activity which 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 remote options are to publicly acknowledge those who have been outstanding mentors on town hall videos or during practice group meetings. Once back in the office a firm can give out tangible awards that attorneys can display in their offices, but in the meantime, attorneys can add icons or emblems to their signature blocks denoting them as excellent mentors.

Mentoring and training gives a young lawyer the right learning opportunity from the right people at the right time early in their career. While it is important to provide associates with every level of support, associates should likewise be encouraged to take a proactive role in their own development. The environment in law firms can be difficult, but effective training and mentoring programs are a practical way to develop successful lawyers.

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Dr. Sharon Meit Abrahams is a legal talent expert helping lawyers improve their performance, productivity and profitability through success coaching and interactive workshops. For over 25 years, Dr. Abrahams has designed, implemented, and managed every aspect lawyer development from their first day through succession planning and retirement. She can be reached at [email protected].