TFP BLOG: 2011 Menotring Program

Friday, February 18, 2011

NYCLA's Mentoring Program. lots of professionals, good advice and dare I say, swanky....

I am so excited about the 2011 Mentoring Program. NYCLA has put together the FIRST EVER bar association sponsored mentoring program for the second year. We had the first meeting last night with a huge turn-out of mentors and mentees. This year's group consists of 20 pairs! We had to whittle down the applicants (>150! we enthusiastically encourage reapplying) based on the success of last year's program.

The meeting featured an excellent introduction to career empowerment and mentoring from Elise Holtzman http://www.advocatesuccessgroup.com/blog/. Following the meeting we met at our new monthly social gathering at the swanky, fabulously decorated back room of the Woolworth Tower Kitchen. http://www.thewoolworthtowerkitchen.com/photos.html I love this place. I can't wait to come back. Thank you Shariff and Lou!

This program is really that good. In fact, we need to find a better name than just mentoring program to brand it. I am open to suggestions.

Big thanks to Bari, Zack, and the Advisory Board: Lew Tesser, Judge Laura Ward, Nancy Morisseau and my humble self. This is going to be BIG!

NYCLA DRAFT DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONALISM

By professionalism we mean a group pursuing a learned art as a higher calling in a spirit that it is performing a public service, a service that is indispensible in a democratic nation founded on the rule of law. This calling is no less a public service because it may also be a means of livelihood. Pursuit of a learned art in the spirit of a public service is the essence of being a lawyer. It implies obligations of dignity, integrity, self-respect and respect for others.

The essence of professionalism is a commitment to develop one's skills to the fullest and to apply them responsibly and with the utmost diligence to the problem at hand. Professionalism requires adherence to the highest standards of integrity and a willingness to subordinate narrow self-interest in pursuit of the more fundamental goal of client service. Because of the tremendous power they wield in our system, lawyers must never forget that their duty to serve their clients fairly and skillfully takes priority over the personal accumulation of wealth. Lawyers must be willing and prepared to undertake zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients while retaining enough perspective to provide those clients with considered, well-informed and objective advice.

Although duties to their clients in particular matters are paramount, lawyers must throughout their careers remain conscious of and committed to the goal of improving the profession and the system of justice. This commitment includes taking personal and professional measures to increase the availability of legal services and abet even-handed and efficient application and administration of the legal system for all segments of society.