THE WORD “MENTORSHIP” CAN BE A BIT OF A PROBLEM —it conjures images of a
wizened old master determinedly
bombarding a young protégé with
knowledge through rigorous training
and, if movies are any indication, a
lot of exaggerated beard-stroking.
This stereotype can be a hindrance
for the mentor-mentee relationship
because it implies an overly
burdensome time commitment and
an expectation that the mentor is an
expert with all the answers at the ready.
But for legal professionals, the reality
is likely far less intense: a successful
mentoring relationship might consist
of a few emails or phone calls—maybe a
cup of coffee or casual lunch—to answer
questions or bring light to topics that
don’t get much coverage in law school.
If you ask Kate Moglia how she
found her most recent mentor, she’ll
tell you “I figured I would just keep
emailing her as long as she kept
answering my questions.”
Moglia met her mentor, Kristina
Larry, at a WSBA MentorLink Mixer
earlier this year. (It should be noted
that MentorLink Mixers are single-day
events and are not intended to establish
a long-term mentoring relationship;
rather, experienced legal professionals
are encouraged to share their
experience and knowledge with other
legal professionals that are
newer to the practice. Learn
about upcoming mixers at
https://www.wsba.org/connect-serve/
mentorship/mentorlink-mixers.)
Larry, who’s been practicing law in
Washington since 2009, never really
considered her relationship with
Moglia to be an official mentor-mentee
relationship. Mostly, she wanted to
pass along tips she’d learned herself
after moving from Houston—where
she earned her J.D. from the Texas
Southern University Thurgood Marshall
School of Law in 2009—and starting
a solo practice in Washington. Larry
was a young lawyer in a new state and
not working at a firm where there were
readily available experts.
“I feel like when I moved here,
I didn’t have anyone I could ask
questions of,” she said.
So she largely had to learn things
on her own, as law school focused
more on the law than on managing a
law practice. Now Larry often attends
MentorLink Mixers to share what she’s
learned. The format of these mixers
is more structured than a networking
event, where “table coaches” are at
the ready to answer questions from
attendees. Larry said many of the
new and young legal professionals
she’s met have asked questions at
the mixers and a few might follow up
with a thank-you email or a request
for a form template to use. Moglia just
happened to be someone who kept
asking questions.
Back in California, where Moglia first
started practicing criminal defense law
on the Central Coast, she had plenty
of experienced lawyers to answer her
questions. But when she moved to
Washington and eventually started her
own practice, she found herself once
again with new questions to ask, but
no one at the ready to provide answers.
So she went hunting for help. Moglia
joined the WSBA Solo and Small
Practice Section, she signed onto the
Solo and Small Practice list serve, and
she attended the MentorLink Mixer,
where she met Larry.
“I don’t know what I would do without reaching out for help,” Moglia said.
But there wasn’t a formal agreement
that Moglia would be Larry’s mentee.
“I think mentorship, for me at least,
works better if it happens organically,”
Larry explained. For her part, being
a mentor is a relatively modest time
commitment, and she’s happy to do it to
help other legal professionals succeed
based on the knowledge she’s gained. “I
would say just don’t be afraid to share
your knowledge.”
In addition to MentorLink Mixers,
WSBA provides a number of resources
to help connect mentors and mentees
and develop mentorship programs such
as the Find a Mentorship Directory, the
Mentorship Program Toolkit, and the
Mentorship Curriculum, all of which,
and more, can be found at https://www.
wsba.org/connect-serve/mentorship.
Many bar associations make
mentorship programs available
HELP A NEW OR YOUNG LAWYER DURING NATIONAL MENTORSHIP MONTH
In 2002, the National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health spearheaded
National Mentoring Month to bring awareness to a national need for mentors and to recruit individuals, businesses, government
agencies, schools, faith communities, and nonprofits to serve as mentors. To learn more about National Mentoring Month,
visit www.mentoring.org/our-work/campaigns/national-mentoring-month/.
Many new and young lawyers in Washington need mentors to help them start their careers. To find opportunities to lend your legal
know-how, visit https://www.wsba.org/connect-serve/mentorship.
A glimpse of mentoring relationships and
mentoring resources for the real world
Keep It Casual
By Colin Rigley
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