Mentoring Myths
Four reasons not to become a mentor, and why none of them hold water
Mentoring isn’t as widespread in the legal profession as it should be. Lawyers who could offer mentorships are often reluctant, worried about the time commitment or whether they have anything worthwhile to pass on. So we’ve collected four of the most common myths about mentoring, all ready for debunking.
Myth #1: Mentoring takes too much time.
Fact: Participants in many mentoring relationships report that it takes less time than they expected: one or two short phone calls a week is often all that’s required. More formal mentoring relationships will take longer, but in either case, the key to making it work is effective time management. If both parties are on the same page time-wise, then the mentoring relationship really takes off.
Myth #2: Mentor and mentee must be in the same place.
Fact: In an increasingly globalized and far-flung profession, this traditional characteristic of mentoring relationships isn’t feasible. But communication (Web, e-mail, cellphone, Instant Messaging) and other new technologies make long-distance mentoring more feasible and more common, with some face-to-face meetings when practical.
Myth #3: Only seasoned practitioners make good mentors.
Fact: Many lawyers who’ve been in practice just five or ten years are often in a better position to mentor than those who’ve been practising 15 or 20. They have more current experience handling the issues that a recently called lawyer would be struggling with, and would be in a better position to help. In fact, many law firms today assign senior associates, not partners, to mentor new lawyers.
Myth #4: Only newly called lawyers make good mentees.
Fact: Mentoring benefits even an experienced lawyer. For example, if you’re expanding your practice into a new area, access to a lawyer with experience in that field of law would significantly shorten your learning curve. Similarly, an experienced lawyer joining a new firm could benefit from a short-term mentoring relationship.
Adapted from Managing a Mentoring Relationship, published by practicePRO, the risk management arm of LawPRO (www.practicepro.ca).
