Vol. 34, No. 4, 6. From the Top.

• Author: by Brian E. Hultman President, Wyoming State Bar

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 4, 6.

From the Top

Wyoming LawyerIssue: August, 2011From the Topby Brian E. Hultman President, Wyoming State BarThe Three Questions

"When is the best time to do things?"

"Who is the most important one?"

"What is the right thing to do?"

Some of the best advice I've come across in Ufe has been found in the pages of the children's books that my wife and I have shared with our kids at bedtime as they sit Ustening with their eager ears and open minds. The words often dehver a big picture message about our world and a thought or two on how to make it a better place. Invariably, as the book closes, the sleepy eyes ask us questions about the moral of the story, hoping that we have their answers.

Mentoring is what many of you believe is one of the answers for our profession. According to the most recent Quality of Life Survey conducted by the Wyoming State Bar, nearly 80% of you would like to see an effective mentoring program for new lawyers admitted to the Wyoming State Bar. This type of program would certainly help to preserve the high levels of professionalism and expertise we hope to have among our fellow Wyoming attorneys.

Plans are currently underway to implement such a program. Following the leads of Oregon, Georgia, and Utah, the concept is to require all new lawyers to complete a 12-month mentorship with either an "inside" or "outside" mentor. Your Board of Officers and Commissioners has recently adopted this as one of its strategic planning goals for the next two years.

The University of Wyoming College of Law does a wonderful job exposing second- and third-year students to real world experiences by emphasizing participation in one or more of the school's outstanding clinics. While this is a fantastic opportunity for students to see firsthand some of the realities of practicing law, we all must recognize that it also has its limits.

An effective mentoring program will undoubtedly result in a mutually beneficial situation for both mentor and mentee. It will allow the mentor to share his or her professional experiences while the mentee learns practical...