From the Yld President
| Jurisdiction | United States,Federal |
| Citation | Vol. 25 No. 6 Pg. 0010 |
| Pages | 0010 |
| Publication year | 2020 |
WILL DAVIS
YLD President
State Bar of Georgia
will@nsfamilylawfirm.com
The Importance of Quality Mentorship
As a young lawyer, I can attest that one of the most valuable services provided by the State Bar of Georgia, as well as some Bar sections and local and specialty bar associations, is a strong mentorship program.
Whether or not a recent law school graduate realizes the benefits of a career mentor relationship on the day of his or her admission to the Bar, the importance of having an experienced attorney provide quality professional guidance in a mentor relationship will become apparent sooner rather than later.
According to a Special Counsel blog article published in 2017, "While your legal education and internships helped develop the necessary technical skills for consistent career advancement and support, it's important to have a career mentor.
Mentors are more senior lawyers with whom you will form a trust-based professional relationship that facilitates your career growth. They're committed to helping you make all the right moves during each phase of your career. A mentor helps you successfully integrate into a new role and assists you with cultivating a strong professional network."
The blog's author continues, "Working regularly with your mentor also helps you navigate the legal profession in your area, as well as enhance your professionalism, self-confidence and legal skills. There's far more to your professional success than being an excellent legal practitioner. There are many practical and professional "˜insider' strategies you need that law school didn't teach. They can show you how to confront the inevitable ethical situations or conduct crisis management to avoid career-derailing mistakes. For example, a mentor can help you answer tricky legal questions that you may not feel comfortable asking your direct supervisor. You also get support dealing with demanding clients or navigating tricky intracompany relationships."
Wendy R.S. O'Connor, writing for The Legal Intelligencer, describes her first experience as a mentee. "My boss decided that I was going to get the case ready for trial and second chair it with him. In the space of four months, I learned how to develop a theory of the case, identify the evidence that supported it, draft motions in limine, select and prepare exhibits for trial, pick a jury, argue motions, prepare experts, cross-examine witnesses and- perhaps the hardest part of all-wait for a verdict. What made this experience so transformative was that someone who himself had been thrust into a stressful and difficult situation took the time to teach a young lawyer how to be a lawyer. That included the terrifying, but ultimately exhilarating, experience of actually opening my mouth in a courtroom, before a jury and being an advocate. That experience changed my professional life."
Throughout the country, the legal...
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