New CBA International Law Mentorship Initiative

Share your international law experience with eager mentees!

The CBA International Law Section (ILS) is proud to launch its new International Law Mentorship Initiative in collaboration with provincial CBA mentorship programs. Building upon the ILS’ networks of international law practitioners, the Mentorship Initiative aims to recruit mentors with international law experience. The profiles of volunteer mentors will be shared with provincial mentorship programs that have mentees interested in international law. Mentees are usually law students or new lawyers. They are eager to learn from mentors like you!

Why be an International Law Mentor?

• Tell your story – You built a career involving international law.  An eager audience wants to hear how you overcame any challenges and found/made the opportunities that led you to become an international law practitioner.
• Pay it forward – At the early stages or at some point in your career, you probably received advice or guidance about practicing international law.  Someone spent their time to speak with you.  This is your chance to return that important kindness.  You may even change a future/new lawyer’s career trajectory.
• Grow our community – Meet your future colleagues of the international law bar in Canada.  While the community of international law practitioners in Canada may be small compared to other fields, Canadian lawyers are well-respected across the globe in both private and public international law.  Let’s expand the membership and expertise of our community across the country.

How does the Mentorship Initiative work?

Step 1 – Please complete the Mentorship Initiative’s online initial intake form

Step 2 – Once the form is submitted, you will be contacted in the future by the respective provincial mentorship program that has a mentee who matches your profile. The provincial staff will guide and assist you about induction into their mentorship program.

This current recruitment drive for mentor volunteers is for the program cycle that will begin in August/September 2024 in line with the start of the next law school academic year. Recruitment needs to start now because of the significant challenges that mentorship programs have faced in finding enough mentors with international law experience to meet the high demand from mentees for this experience.

Quick Facts about the Mentorship Initiative

• Mentoring usually occurs online – Mentors and mentees do not have to be in the same city, province or country.  Mentoring via a video-chat platform significantly assists mentorship programs, especially in provinces where there are fewer international law practitioners.  This provides a degree of equal opportunity and accessibility for mentees, regardless of where the mentee may be located.  For example, the Mentorship Initiative welcomes and encourages Canadian lawyers living outside of Canada to become mentors.  Mentees and mentors who happen to be in the same city may wish to meet in-person, but that is optional.
• Mentors do not have to be CBA members – Depending on the provincial mentorship program, a mentor may not need to be a CBA member.
• Questions about diversity self-identification are optional but responses are encouraged – Self-identification in response to diversity questions in the intake form is voluntary.  Choosing to respond to some or all of the questions will provide more information so that provincial programs can make potentially stronger matches between mentor and mentee based upon similar self-identification and lived experiences.
• Mentoring does not require a huge time commitment; it’s what you make out of your time investment – Depending on the frequency and depth of discussion and number of mentees, mentoring may entail a few hours each month.  For more information about some of the provincial programs, please see:

Alberta

British Columbia

Ontario