Below is the first in a series of blog posts from the mentees of NYCLA's mentoring program. Our first post is from Tiombe. We hope to hear more from Tiombe on this blog going forward...
NYCLA has an award winning mentor program and I am a most appreciative Mentee. The program’s broad spectrum of mentees made it unique. I had graduated from law school over 14 years prior to participating in the program. Not your average new attorney. My nontraditional path to practice had left me somewhat timid. NYCLA’s Mentor Program provided the support I needed. The year long program paired me with a seasoned attorney who practiced in the same area of law. During the kick-off event I identified the components of my mentoring plan. Then I met with my mentor and we strategized on how to address my action items: learning the unwritten customary rules of practice, reviewing my practice business plan, developing oral advocacy skills and how to deal with complicated ethical issues. My mentor seemed extraordinarily generous with his time, meeting with me, attending the planned events, answering my many questions. Later I learned during our networking sessions that the other mentees were having similar experiences with their mentors. That may be why NYCLA’s program is award winning. NYCLA supplemented the program with complementary CLE workshops on ethics, time management and professionalism plus activities designed to acclimate us to the legal community. At one particular workshop, “Myths of Lawyering Debunked”, a panelist posed the question to the attendees who included mentors and mentees - why did you become a lawyer? All the answers had one central theme – the high calling to help people. The NYCLA Mentor Program is that answer in action.
TFP (task force on professionalism) blog - observations on the legal profession
