Mentorship Pilot Programs and Working Group
Pursuant to recommendations from the 2019 Report of the SJC Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being, we convened a Mentorship Working Group to pilot a variety of mentorship programs across the Commonwealth, including those administered by the SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being and through existing programs with bar associations and other entities, and evaluate their effectiveness. Upon evaluation of the pilot programs, the Working Group will report to the SJC and its Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being to make recommendations regarding adoption and support of statewide mentorship programs, as well as a potential strategy for partnership with existing mentorship programs to extend those opportunities.
Working Group Members include: Christina M. Turgeon, Law Office of Christina M. Turgeon; Gabriel Cheong, Affinity Law Group; Michael Ready, Ready, Kieran & McNally; Wm. Travaun Bailey, Law Office of William Travaun Bailey; Arlene Bernstein, Esq. (ret.); Kate Dulit, Massachusetts Trial Court; Michelle N. O’Brien, Pierce Atwood; Robert Harris, Hinckley Allen; Xena Robinson, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Mentorship Pilot Programs
Technology-Assisted
This program, piloted in Hampden County, will test the efficacy of a new type of mentoring program administered by an online software program. Mentors and mentees create online profiles which may include their subject-matter expertise, what they are hoping to contribute as a mentor or gain as a mentee, and their availability and location. Mentees may filter results based on specific criteria to identify potential mentors with the qualities and expertise they seek. Mentees may select one or more mentors, and mentors may support one or more mentees. This program uses a type of digital platform familiar to many new attorneys, and will provide young lawyers with exposure to multiple perspectives from multiple mentors.
Episodic or Triage
This pilot will provide episodic or triage mentoring in partnership with the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP). Mentors with expertise in family law matters will serve as a resource to attorneys working with VLP on specific issues involved in a case. While the VLP mentor project described above will connect mentors and mentees in full representation cases, mentors in this pilot will provide advice and guidance only on specific issues within a case. Mentors with particular areas of expertise will be available to mentees by telephone and email to seek timely advice and guidance as needed.
Small Group Crowdsourcing
Starting Out Solo, Inc., (SOS) is a local bar association with a mission to support Massachusetts attorneys who begin a solo law practice immediately out of law school. Most of the work of SOS is conducted through its listserv, where members can post questions and seek guidance and advice from a group of attorneys in similar practice situations. SOS has recently initiated a small group mentoring program that will serve as a pilot program for our purposes. This program brings together small groups of attorneys (5 to 6 per group) to meet for one to two hours at a time to mentor each other with discussion of shared practice concerns and experiences.
Case-Specific
For this pilot we will partner with VLP to match mentors to mentee attorneys accepting pro bono appointments for full representation in family law and guardianship cases through the Suffolk Probate & Family Court Clinic. This pilot is an add-on to VLP’s existing mentoring program. Mentors will have significant experience in handling these cases and will work with their mentees through the course of the case.
One-on-One Practice-Area Specific
This pilot will be conducted with the Boston Bar Association (BBA). Mentors are BBA members with five years or more of family law experience and mentees have less than five years of practice. Mentors and mentees complete a survey and are matched by BBA staff. A mentor can offer guidance on topics like networking and business development skills, resume writing or interview prep, professionalism, general information regarding the Boston legal community and what it’s like to practice family law here. Mentors are asked to commit to connecting with their mentee 1-2 times a month for a 12 month period for this pilot programming.
Other Pilots
We will experiment with other types of mentoring programs as appropriate, including hosting informal coffee chats and open meetings to learn more about the needs for different types of lawyers and potential opportunities.
Resources
“Best Practices in Virtual Mentoring” by J. Ryann Peyton, Director of the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=213252653291291
“5 Virtual Mentoring Tips to Stay Engaged” by Mark C. Palmer, Chief Counsel at Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
https://www.2civility.org/5-virtual-mentoring-tips-to-stay-engaged/
“INSIGHT: Mentoring Diverse Attorneys During the Pandemic” by Lisa Coyle and Manleen Singh, Robins Kaplan LLP
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/insight-mentoring-diverse-attorneys-during-the-pandemic
“MENTORS MUST LOOK BEYOND ‘PEOPLE LIKE THEMSELVES’ TO RAISE A TRULY DIVERSE LEADERSHIP” by Sarah Spitz, SpitzFire Consulting
“How Virtual Mentoring is Closing The Loneliness Gap During COVID-19”
“Virtual Mentoring in Times of Crisis and Social Isolation”