Legal Mentoring For Lawyer Professional Growth
Discover How One On One Legal Mentoring Can Help Lawyers
I remember in my early days of practising law when mentoring happened in the pub after a bad day at the office.
There were quite a few of these early on! Bad days that is.
The legal mentoring I got there was well meaning, empathetic and sufficiently executed by the older and wiser around me, to get me back to work the next day, and survive a few more weeks until the next “mentoring” session.
In those days, any formal sense of legal mentoring and/ or lawyer coaching for legal professionals (especially junior lawyers!) were almost foreign concepts, rarely undertaken at the scale we see today.
Seeking professional help or career development advice from a professional like a lawyer coach was seen as a last resort, even when things looked like they were going decidedly south and pear-shaped. There were no such things as law firm mentoring programs of any scale. If it was done, it was on the quiet, often seen as a sign of weakness or even something to be ashamed of. You certainly did not tell your managing partner or HR you were getting it.
The Early Days Of Legal Profession Mentoring
The culture of self-development for lawyers was different then.
It was about resilience and stiff upper lip then.
It was more focused on surviving as a lawyer, than developing yourself as a more rounded legal professional as it is today.
Again neither mentoring nor legal career coaching was nothing like the accepted and mainstream thing it is today.
Lawyer career pathways to success were pretty defined and almost singular then, and were all pretty much attuned to climbing the ladder towards the elusive golden chalice of partnership.
The guiding mantra was pretty hard core, and yet simple - “Work really hard, bring in the fees and one day, some of this might also be yours.”
As I said above, lawyer career advice was often sourced from ad-hoc discussions with other legal profession colleagues and friends, well-meaning but, more often than not, hit or miss.
The “mentoring” received was no doubt sincere in its intention, yet unpredictable in its execution and effectiveness, leaving much to chance.
What worked for one lawyer may not for another. Why would it?
Success therefore was almost an unpredictable and accidental mix of hard work, experience, trial and error, hit and miss and, for more than a few, a bit of luck.
The Evolution Of Lawyer Mentoring
Thankfully, times have changed for the better.
We have seen how mentoring benefits lawyers more and more over the years.
Mentoring nowadays is about having a professional sounding board you can keep going back to, one who gives you confidence for what you are trying to achieve, as well as as the clarity about a pathway towards it, so that the transition from A to B is not overwhelming for you and indeed the journey makes you a better person and lawyer.
It took a lot of time and quite frankly pretty much a generational shift in thinking for the professionalisation of mentoring to occur.
This generational shift has not only changed how we approach lawyer professional development, but also how we discuss and prioritise mental health, work-life balance, alternative career development pathways and our ultimate career satisfaction.
Seeking advice as a lawyer or legal professional is no longer seen as a sign of weakness, but rather a strategic move towards a more holistic well rounded long-term success.
The legal profession itself now more readily recognises the myriad of, often unprecedented challenges we face, many of which impact us in ways we could never have expected nor predicted.
This is also coupled with a myriad of opportunities in law and legal practice that never previously existed, and goes well beyond any expectations of our initial university education and vocational training.
This shift in perception has seen lawyers being more proactive in identifying and tackling issues head-on, sooner than later.
Ad hoc well meaning lawyer mentoring on its own is no longer the solution for the above.
Curious how professional mentoring may work for you?
Book a consultation with Paul Ippolito today - we have mentoring programs that stretch from 3 to 12 months in time.
Paul Ippolito - Legal Mentor
Legal Profession Mentoring Today
As you can tell from above, I believe you should have paid professional legal mentoring from someone who has done it for a long time.
Full disclosure - that is us!
I am not against well meaning unpaid legal mentors but by paying for advice, in my opinion sharpens your attention to and appreciation of what you are trying to achieve.
You tend to listen more when you pay for advice as well!
Investing in paid legal mentoring is more than just a financial commitment, it’s a more personal thing, one more connected to one’s personal and career growth, career development and aligned with a more longer term and more holistic success.
Whether you’re navigating a career transition, launching a new business venture, facilitating your personal development, or managing professional relationships, a mentor can be your confidant, your sounding board, and your trusted advisor.
The Difference Between Legal Mentoring & Lawyer Coaching
Legal profession mentoring is about providing ongoing support and insight as you progress your certain times of your professional life.
Lawyer coaching is more specific in terms of what it is trying to achieve and therefor more one off.
Mentoring is more working on your longer term career.
“Paul was my mentor during 2019 as part of the Law Society NSW mentoring program for women. It was the first time that I had embarked on anything like this and Paul put me at ease and made the process productive, informative, relaxed and enjoyable. Paul provided constructive suggestions in relation to relatively 'small' actions, which were therefore easily achieved. Achieving many small goals elevated my confidence both at work and in general. Paul is able to understand that raising confidence enables the achievement of much larger goals. Paul is very committed in his role as mentor. He travelled into town for meetings and took time out of an overseas holiday to read through a lengthy application and provide advice on my accompanying resume. He is knowledgeable in his role as mentor as well as the law in general and the legal industry.”
What Makes A Good Legal Mentor For Career Growth?
I think a good legal professional mentor should offer:
experience - been there done that - not much can beat that.
empathy - arising from the above
professional relevancy - they still practise and / or teach / or do what they are helping you with.
they get It - they know what is going on in the modern world.
they hold you to task - they are kind, yet they do not sugar-coat what needs to be said.
Looking For A Professional Mentor To Guide Your Legal Career?
We have a mentoring program here available here for you - 3,6 and 12 months options are available
Paul only takes a limited number of people at a time.
Book a consultation with Paul Ippolito today.
Paul Ippolito is Principal of Ippolito Advisory. He is a legal futurist, lawyer coach and consultant to the legal profession. Paul is available for media enquiries, speaking and consulting. You can contact him here.
