Home - National Employment Lawyers Association/New York



NELA NY ATTORNEY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINESMentoring is a collaborative relationship in which a more experienced person shares knowledge, perspectives, skills, and wisdom acquired through the years in order to foster the professional growth and advancement of another person. The Mentorship Program’s goal is to promote opportunities for engagement among New Yorkers new to plaintiff-side employment law practice. Mentors must: be NELA NY members in good standing with the New York bar, who wish to engage and foster the next generation of New York plaintiff-side employment attorneys. Mentors must also have at least seven years of employment law experience.Mentees must: be NELA NY members in good standing with the New York bar, and interested in pursuing careers in plaintiff-side employment law. Mentees must have less than five years of employment law experience.STRUCTUREThe program will primarily function in the form of “mentoring circles.” Instead of traditional one-to-one mentorships where person A (mentor) engages with person B (mentee), mentoring circles involve a number of mentors and mentees who engage with one another in a social setting (the “circle”). This model has many benefits. First, it allows mentees the opportunity to engage with numerous seasoned professionals, therefore gaining exposure to a multiplicity of perspectives. It also allows mentees the opportunity to meet similarly situated peers, which we believe is equally valuable. This model also allows mentors and mentees the flexibility to develop, at their discretion, a traditional mentor/mentee relationship, should they find an individual in the circle with whom such relationship naturally develops. In such instances, the mentor/mentee relationship will still be governed by these guidelines. We aim to hold one mentoring circle event every other month. Each event will have a different theme and be facilitated by a Mentorship Committee Member. Mentors and mentees will have an opportunity to socialize and then engage in a roundtable discussion about the session’s theme. This program will also allow mentors and mentees to sign up for a more traditional one-on-one mentor model in lieu of the circle. The one-on-one mentorship model is an alternative to the circle. It is less structured than the mentoring circle model and allows participants the flexibility to engage in a mentor/mentee relationship in a manner that works best for them.The Committee will assign a mentor to a mentee randomly. Mentors and mentees from historically underrepresented groups will also have the option to indicate a desire to be paired with a mentor/mentee similarly situated. To provide structure we ask that each mentor/mentee:Schedule an introductory meeting as soon as possible after the mentor relationship is confirmed, both to get to know each other and to discuss shared goals and expectations for the relationship. Respect each other’s schedules, work and school commitments, and expressed boundaries.Maintain regular contact (at a minimum, once a month).Examples of possible topics of discussion: legal skill development, the importance of ethical and professional behavior in the practice of law; tips on developing and promoting client relationships; successful business development techniques; practice management and effective work habits; the importance, and value, of pro bono and community rm one another if unable to continue as a mentor or mentee.Participants are invited to choose between either model, or, if they so wish, participate in both mentoring circles and the one-on-one program. IMPORTANT NOTESThe mentor-mentee relationship is not intended to create, and does not create, an attorney-client relationship. Care must therefore be taken to protect client confidences on both sides of the mentor relationship. Client names and confidential information must not be disclosed by and between the mentor and mentee in the context of the mentor relationship.The mentor relationship is also not intended to create, expressly or implicitly, a co-counsel relationship. Consequently, legal advice related to pending or potential client relationships should not be offered or solicited, and client identities and confidences should not be disclosed.The mentor relationship is also not intended to create, expressly or implicitly, a supervisor-supervisee relationship. Mentors are not supervisors to supervisees, and have no control over actions or decisions taken by mentees. Finally, the mentor relationship is one built on respect and courtesy in sharing knowledge and experience. Neither the mentor nor the mentee should expect more from the relationship than the Program is intended to provide, and each must be sensitive both to the demands on time and resources of the other. For example, neither should promote the idea or anticipate that the relationship will lead to a future professional or employment relationship between the two.Disclaimer: NELA NY makes no warranty as to the quality and competence of any mentor. NELA NY has not evaluated or screened mentors beyond that they meet the residency and minimum practice years in employment law. Please indicate by your signature that you understand and agree to comply with these guidelines and disclaimer. ___________________________Signature___________________________Date ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download