Guide for Mentors. Proudly sponsored by. Dear Mentor,

Transcription

1 Guide for Mentors Proudly sponsored by Dear Mentor,

2 P a g e 2 Thank you for your interest in helping a 4 th or 5 th year law student make the transition into the legal profession. This guide, we hope, will serve as a basic resource to help you get started with our programme. Mentoring is one of the most significant ways that you can help a student prepare for entry into the profession and face the important choices that will influence the rest of their legal career. A small time commitment and allowing your mentee to use your experiences as a guide or your knowledge as a sounding board can make a significant difference. We encourage you to connect your mentee with friends, colleagues or other members of the profession if you think your mentee would benefit from someone who has taken their career in a particular direction. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns. Thank you again for your support and contribution. Yours Sincerely, Bridging the Gap Project Co-Ordinators

3 P a g e 3 The goal of Bridging the Gap Fostering mentoring relationships between law students and young lawyers to facilitate a successful transition from study into the profession What you gain from mentoring Make a positive contribution to a student s development Continue to develop your own interpersonal skills By helping a student establish goals, refresh your own goal-setting techniques Relate on a personal level to budding lawyers, creating links throughout the profession Gain perspective on your own career goals and measure your achievements The tasks of effective mentors Take the initiative Share your professional experiences Respect confidentiality Be available aim to meet at least once every two months If you set a date for a meeting, keep that commitment The first meeting Make a time to meet the student within a fortnight from receiving their details Ensure that you know how to contact one another Meet somewhere neutral, like a café Decide how often to meet, the length of each meeting, and the most convenient locations Jointly discuss expectations of the mentoring relationship. Set boundaries on the ways you contact each other ( and/or phone) The mentor-student matching process and dealing with mismatches Where possible, we will match students to lawyers working in their area of interest If the mentor or student considers their partner is not a productive match, either may the programme co-ordinators and ask to be paired up with someone else We will seek feedback from students and mentors after their initial sessions to see how the system can be improved

4 P a g e 4 Some Ground Rules Be a catalyst rather than a leader There is an almost overwhelming temptation simply to dispense good advice. Mentors should empower students to make their own decisions. They should assist the student to reflect on their situation, supply information or direct them to appropriate resources, make them aware of the range of options, encouraging them to make their own decisions. Avoid negative behaviours Avoid negative or destructive criticism, which can cause resentment. This is different from constructive feedback, which may be required from time to time. Enjoy the relationship and learn from it It is important that the mentoring relationship should be one in which both parties learn. It should be an adult-adult relationship in which the mentor does not hold all the cards. If mentors are open to learning from their students they will find the experience rewarding. Mentors should focus on professional development Students may have a fairly hazy notion of their professional goals and how to achieve them. A major part of the relationship may be defining their goals and establishing a plan to achieve them. Mentors are not counsellors, tutors or recruiters The mentoring programme is not a counselling, tutoring, or recruitment service. Use your discretion if your student mentee askes for assistance in any of these areas, and be careful to redirect the student to other services where appropriate. Mentors need to ensure that they are not placed in a situation which could result in a conflict of interest or a compromise of their professional responsibilities. Set professional boundaries and maintain them. The mentoring relationship is one of trust and confidence As a general rule, what the student tells you is confidential. If you have serious concerns, contact a programme co-ordinator. Do not discuss your student s private information with other mentors. Both parties should respect boundaries and understand that some information is off limits. Trust your instincts, and if you feel uncomfortable with any topic, make it clear that you consider it inappropriate. In any relationship of this kind there is the possibility of a power imbalance. Such an imbalance may inhibit students from revealing their true thoughts. Mentors have to work at getting over this barrier. Demonstrate that you are prepared to share your experiences with honesty, and listen to what the student says. Mutual respect is critical in establishing trust.

5 P a g e 5 General Skills in a Mentoring Dialogue Listening Listen for ideas, as main points may be implied rather than clearly stated. Distinguish between facts and opinions or assumptions. Identify the reality rather than the appearance of what is said. Check the meaning of what is said. People use words differently. Don't 'switch off ' by assuming you know the next point; you could get it wrong. Don't feel uncomfortable if there is a pause. It's an opportunity to think and reflect. Pay close attention to the learner. Show that you are listening. Questioning Questions can help move the discussion forward. Open questions (e.g., how? what? why?) help deepen or broaden the discussion. Closed questions (e.g. who? when? where?) help focus on a specific issue. Rephrasing and Summarising When you're not sure what someone has been saying, repeat it in different words and ask if this is what was meant. As well as checking understanding, it may add greater clarity to the learner's ideas. Empathising and Reflecting Empathy is being able to fully appreciate the learner's position and what it feels like to be them. It is vital that a mentor can empathise and displays sincerity. Acknowledge your understanding of where the student is as simply as possible, e.g. "That must have been difficult" or "You must have felt very frustrated". Listen and look for the 'feelings behind the words'. Listen for tone of voice and look for facial expression, since feelings may not be expressed openly in words. Avoid saying what you think should have happened. Avoid being judgmental and negative, pointing out mistakes or weaknesses, blaming for what has happened. Give feedback a little at a time, so that it can be absorbed and reflected upon.

6 P a g e 6 Cheat-sheet Students may not even know what questions to ask, let alone what kind of law they want to practice - don t mistake silence for boredom or lack of interest. Some questions you can use to get the conversation going: Why did you decide to study law? What do you enjoy doing outside of study commitments? Do you know anyone who is working as a lawyer? What kinds of jobs would you like to do once you graduate? Do you enjoy debating/writing opinions/analysing problem questions? What law papers have you most enjoyed/disliked? What did you like about them? Do you think you have good exam technique/writing skills/note-taking skills? Some topics that may be of interest to your student: How to get the most out of law school (competitions, social events etc) Exam technique Research skills How to write a CV Interview process The purpose of a drinks function The process of summer clerking How to manage law firm hierarchies How to manage work expectations What it is like to work as a lawyer Other careers using your law degree Options after spending a couple of years at a big firm