To propose a solution to the generational gap and growing retention problem at law firms and to bolster morale and networking, the attorneys at the Meritas Leadership Institute (“Meritas”) developed and released the white paper 2012-2013 Model Mentorship and Associate Development Program (“Mentorship Program”). This white paper functions as a guide to law firms of all sizes on how to assist young attorneys in navigating their career trajectories in a firm setting. Through a formal mentoring program, law firms can educate new talent on law office management matters to which they have not previously been exposed, such as business of law issues. New practitioners receive counsel from their mentor senior attorneys on the substantive, interpersonal and professional aspects of law firm practice without going through a costly and time-consuming trial by error process where they must fend for themselves. Thus, new attorneys can add value to their firms at an earlier point in their careers, resulting in a win-win for all parties involved.

The Research Behind The Benefits of Legal Mentorship

Meritas, as part of its methodology, gathered data on attorneys and law firms on a global scale that crossed industry lines. They compiled 246 survey responses, 119 from senor partners and 127 from associates, and conducted a total of 30 interviews of practitioners from around the world with over 20 hours of content. Their research overwhelming supported the notion that incoming attorneys prefer and thrive in law firms with a framework in place that pairs them with mid-level associates for mentorship purposes. Ninety percent of the interviewees thought that a formal mentorship program was critical to them progressing in their careers. Among the reasons cited were that they better comprehended the expectations of partners, felt more prepared, fostered their roles within their firms and obtained a better grasp on how their work affected their firms. Research also indicated that without a formal mentorship program in place, new associates frequently felt falsely confident about their performances until their reviews when they learned about their shortcomings for the first time.

Meritas concluded that freshly-hired associates often have minimal understanding of the law firm culture and may have only had a brief glimpse into their firm settings during the interview process. “They don’t know where they’ll fit into the firm,” explained Ms. Lynch, a member of Meritas who worked on originating the Mentorship Program. With a mentor in place to reinforce the formal structure of the firm as well as to expound upon the day-to-day matters, the junior associate can better sort out her position at the firm. With its Mentorship Program, Meritas wanted to provide a tool that law firms can adopt or take aspects of and tailor to the size and culture of their firms.

Insights into the Legal Mentor-Mentee Paring

The goal of the mentorship program is to cultivate a committed relationship where both mentor and mentee can trust each other. The ideal mentor should possess certain attributes, including the fact that the mentor should not be the immediate supervisor of the mentee so that the two can speak more freely. The mentor should also be willing to take back certain issues to a partner, such as a mentee not receiving enough work. The mentor must coach a mentee on the history of the firm as well as the set expectations of partners. The relationship between mentor and mentee should also be one of encouragement. This translates into practice by mentors introducing mentees at bar meetings and leading the way for mentees to get invested into the legal community. There may also be certain situations for mentors to advocate on behalf of mentees or enact the role of counselors as they aid their mentees in resolving problems.

Despite the numerous benefits of mentorship, Ms. Lynch concedes that a formal mentorship program can still result in a myriad of potential issues, particularly when it comes to the mentor-mentee pairing. According to the research conducted by Ms. Lynch and her cohort of attorneys, law firms should ideally reassign junior associates to new mentors after their first year working at the firm with the associates’ input. Because the new associates will possess a deeper insight into their environments, they will also in a better position to assess the effectiveness of their mentors. New attorneys should be ready with a list of attorneys and different practice areas in which they would like to practice for reassignment purposes.

The Mentorship Program does not insinuate that it is a senior associate or partner mentor’s responsibility to constantly reach out to the mentee. Rather, the mentee also holds responsibilities under the Mentorship Program and should seek out their mentors when they face difficulties or have questions. Junior associates must also look for opportunities and share the obligations that mentors hold under the Mentorship Program.

Components of the Mentorship Program

The Mentorship Program recommends law firms assign a mentee two mentors each, consisting of a sibling mentor and a senior associate mentor. Inspired by prior research conducted by the ABA, Meritas recognizes the benefits of multiple mentors at different stages of the law firm hierarchy. The idea behind two mentors is to provide the optimal level of mentorship and cover all bases, assuming that the law firm does possess the resources to provide both mentors. The sibling mentor serves as a tier one resource and has similar experiences as the mentee. “A sibling mentor is someone who just went through what [the mentee] is going through, someone who can assist in the transition from law school to law firm, invite them to associate functions, get them involved,” Ms. Lynch explained. Thus, the addition of a sibling mentor offers the new associate with guidance from someone within their own peer group. The desired result is more open communication between the two as the mentee may not be as comfortable going to a senior associate with certain issues or topics.

Another notable component of the Mentorship Program is the partner mentoring program, where seasoned partners impart their wisdom to junior partners. The logic behind this is that when associates are asked to be partners, they have previously only been privy to the associate realm and have held a completely different set of obligations.  These incoming partners must learn to manage staff and associates, head practice groups and place more emphasis on business of law issues, as well as to perform their legal work. The most profitable situation for the law firm would be if junior partner were well-equipped earlier in this phase of their legal careers.

Tips for topics a mentor and mentee should discuss:

• Mentee’s quality of work

• Firm expectations for an associate, from how many hours to bill to work efficiency

• Business development, such as how to build a book of business

• Business of law issues

• Law firm economics, including how associates’ work affects the bottom line of the firm

Tips for how a law firm can ensure that it has a successful mentoring program:

• Hold expectations that a mentor take interest in a mentee’s professional development by taking the young attorney to meet clients, attend bar association meetings, etc.

• Develop a culture of mentorship where a firm recognize mentors and rewards their work

• Facilitate open communication between mentor and mentee

• Cultivate an atmosphere where an associate knows how her work fits into the firm

• Focus on feedback and provide feedback not just during reviews but on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, whenever a mentor meets with her mentee

Please access Part I of this article here.

Summary by S. Merchant