Mentoring Matters

• Citation: Vol. 27 No. 2 Pg. 0034
• Publication year: 2021
• Pages: 0034
• topic: Business of Law

Mentoring Matters No. Vol. 27 No. 2 Pg. 34 Georgia Bar Journal October, 2021

BY KELLYN O. MCGEE

Mentorship matters in the practice of law and many TILPP participants have found it to be an important part of their careers.

The mentoring component of the Transition Into Law Practice Program (TILPP) embodies the purpose of the program: to provide professional guidance and counsel to assist newly admitted lawyers in acquiring the practical skills, judgment, and professional values necessary to practice law in a highly competent manner. As participants in the program, mentors and beginning lawyers have a roadmap with the Model Mentoring Plan, which can be modified to suit the lawyers practice setting.

In 1996, John T. Marshall became chair of the newly appointed Standards of the Profession Committee charged with investigating whether the State Bar should require beginning lawyers to participate in internships or supervised work prior to being admitted to practice. Under Marshalls leadership, the committee determined that internships were not the best option and, instead, recommended a program combining continuing legal education and mentoring. The Supreme Court authorized the program and pilot project after the unanimous approval by the Board of Governors and the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers Division. The report ^[1] on the pilot project found that beginning lawyers and volunteer mentors found the mentoring component to be beneficial. Beginning lawyers ... reported that regular contact with mentors in a structured setting accelerated their learning curves and avoided costly misjudgments, thus achieving the goal of this educational program for transition into law practice. ^[2] Mentors reported that the project gave structure to an otherwise informal mentoring process and nudged the mentor and beginning lawyer to discuss specific areas of importance. Even in firms with in-place mentoring and associate training programs, mentors reported that the project heightened and formalized their firms training efforts. ^[3] Mentors also said that their service was enjoyable and ... caused them to reflect on being a lawyer, to stop and think about why we do what we do. ^[4]

TILPP created the John T. Marshall Model Mentor Award in his honor and presented him with the inaugural award in 2018. The next year, Cara Mitchell received the Model Mentor Award, following Alston Lyles nomination, which included these comments:

She embraced the role...