The second component of Mentoring in Action is the Alumni Mentor Program.
For this component, prior to the start of their second year, all J.D. students are offered the opportunity to work with an Alumni Mentor. Mentees are assigned to a mentor individually or in small groups.
A collaboration among the College of Law Student Mentoring Committee, the Office of Advancement and External Affairs, and the Office of Career Services, the goals of this component are to:
- Provide a bridge between law school and practice.
- Help students understand and begin to navigate the expectations of the profession and the meaning of professionalism.
- Provide students with resources and ideas for how to conduct their professional lives.
- Expand students’ legal networks and introduce them to the law alumni community.
- Challenge students to explore lawyers’ roles as community leaders and advocates.
- Provide a source of guidance and support for students as they develop their professional identities.
- Boost student engagement.
FAQs
At the end of their first academic year, students will be offered the opportunity to be paired with an Alumni Mentor during their second year. Considerations in the matching process include preferred practice area or geographic location of interest.
The Mentoring Committee and the Advancement and External Affairs team will work together to match students with each Alumni Mentor. Mentors and Mentees are encouraged to meet in person when possible, but no student will be excluded from participation based on their geographic location.
Alumni mentors are expected to:
- Meet with assigned student mentees as a group, where applicable, at least once in the fall semester.
- Speak to each student individually at least once a semester.
The Mentoring Committee will sponsor a webinar at the start of the year to provide information and guidance about the program to students. It will also offer support to alumni mentors and student mentees on scheduling and programming the meetings, recommendations for individual meetings, and other program protocols. The Committee will prepare written guidance for each group, offer informal discussions about respective roles, and provide individual guidance as needed.