Unprecedented Turnout And A Big Success!

This year’s CBA/UBC Mentorship Program, jointly sponsored by both the Canadian Bar Association and the UBC Faculty of Law Career Services Office culminated in the CBA/UBC Mentorship Program Reception held at Cecil Green House on the evening of October 24th, 2006.

The purpose of the CBA/UBC Mentorship Program is to facilitate and build mentoring relationships between the practicing bar in the Greater Vancouver area and law students. It is a way to try to bridge the gap between the study and practice of law, and an opportunity for students to learn from and network with lawyers.

This year over 170 local lawyers were matched with UBC Law students, which is about a 25 per cent increase from last year’s program. While most mentees were first year students, there were also a large number of second year mentees, and even a handful of third years.

The turnout at the reception doubled from last year, and one could feel the energy of all the mentors and mentees at Cecil Green House at UBC, as they drank, ate, mingled, and got to know each other. It was a successful networking event and many mentees and mentors found themselves in conversations with mentees or mentors other than their own. It was also a great chance for students to catch up with their friends, and for lawyers to catch up with their peers who they may not have seen each other for awhile due to their busy practices.

Two prestigious CBA Awards were also awarded at the ceremony to two students for their outstanding academic achievement, as well as their service to the law school and the community. This year’s recipient of the CBA B.C. Branch Award was Ashleigh Keall, Law II, and the recipient of the CBA Finance Services Award was Stephanie Case, Law III.

As the CBA/UBC Representative, Candace wanted to thank all of the lawyers who signed up to be mentors and to all who attended the Mentorship Reception. She encourages you all to follow-up with your mentees throughout the year, and to arrange for other, more casual meetings over coffee or lunch to continue building on your mentorship relationships. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about the mentorship program, please don’t hesitate to e-mail Candace Cho, at ubc_cba_mentorship_program@yahoo.ca.

This article was published in the December 2006 issue of BarTalk. © 2006 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.