Page 7 - Untitled
P. 7
07
Selecting a Mentor
Time
Another factor is how much time can they devote to being your mentor and does
that coincide with your vision of the ideal mentor-mentee relationship. Can s/he be
available when you have a burning question or concern? No one will be available right
away all the time, but can they get back to you in a reasonable amount of time? Do you
and they have the same outlook as to how much time you need to spend together?
They may think one phone call per month is an acceptable mentor-mentee relationship
whereas you were expecting weekly person-to-person lunches.
Selecting a Mentor
Work-Life Balance in Their Own Lives
The next factor doesn’t really have to be asked but observed by you. What else
does this person do/have in their life? It is said that the law is a jealous mistress so that
is what most of their time would probably be devoted to but what else is there? Do they
appear to be successful in their career? Do they have a family? Do they have friends?
Do they have a successful personal romantic relationship? Do they have outside
interests? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then that’s the mentor for you.
But if all they’re doing is the law 24/7/365, run away! Their advice to you will probably
not be feasible. They will likely only see one way of doing things. If anyone ever tells
you that ‘the only way to be successful in law school is …’, don’t follow their advice
because there is no “one way” of doing anything.
This pamphlet contains copyrighted
material. All rights reserved.
