When the initial social barrier has been lifted between a mentor and mentee, the lessons that can be learned from a good mentor are the personal and meaningful lessons of practicing law. Creating mentor-mentee relationships is vital to the success of young lawyers and is critical in shaping the next generation of our profession.
The importance of a good mentor has never evaded me. Beginning in law school, I sought out strong attorney characters (most often women) who seemed to truly love the legal profession. I watched how they acted and I listened to what they said. I have been blessed to know some talented mentors, without whom the legal profession would have seemed just that much more isolated. What gave these relationships the most meaning? It is not that they proofread my work product or directed me to the right practice guide, but that they took the time to reveal to me the inner workings of what made them successful at their jobs, and encouraged my practice to develop to its potential using the lessons they had worked so hard to learn themselves.
