Texas Tech University School of Law American Inn of Court

Mentoring Program

I.  Goals of the Texas Tech University School of Law American Inn of Court Mentoring Program

            Mentoring is intended to help less experienced attorneys flourish in the practice of law.  Mentoring efforts will strive to help attorneys become more productive, efficient, and knowledgeable-not only about procedural and substantive law, but also about the custom and tradition of local practices.  Mentoring efforts will be consistent with the suggestions of The American Inns of Court through its web site. 

II.  Matching Mentees and Mentors

            The Inn will consider pupils and associates to be Mentees. The Inn will consider masters and barristers to be potential Mentors.  Each year, the Mentor Committee will ask all Mentees to complete a profile.  The Mentor Committee will then recruit Mentors and make recommendations about matches to the Executive Committee.  Each Mentee will have at least one Mentor, but may have multiple Mentors.  The Mentor Committee should match attorneys who will have a good rapport. The Executive Committee will confirm the pairings through a list. 

III.  Mentor Meeting

            Before or shortly after a new Inn year commences, the Executive Committee will coordinate a Mentors Meeting where the structure of the mentor program will be discussed.  During the meeting, the Inn President and the Chair of the Mentor Committee-or their designees-will outline appropriate mentoring-related activities and topics, and stress compliance with same for purposes of consistency among all Mentees, allowing some personal deviations.  This outline will include a requirement that Mentors introduce their Mentee to attorneys in the Mentor's practice area and have the Mentee accompany the Mentor to a certain number of law-related events.  The Mentor will also solicit and help with any career and ethical concerns of the Mentee.          

V.  Initial Group Meeting

            The Mentors and their Mentees will be introduced to each other at a meeting, preferably a lunch, organized by the Mentoring Committee no later than October 1. At least one member of the Executive Committee will attend.  The Mentoring Director will preside and explain the program. Mentors will sit with their Mentees at the meeting. 

VI.  Sharing Approaches to Mentoring

            At least once a year, the Mentors will meet as a group to share their mentoring experiences and approaches, and ensure that the program is active and effective.  This may occur at a gathering or by conference call, but should occur no later than January 15.  At this meeting, the Mentoring Committee will encourage Mentors to enlist the aid of other seasoned members of the Inn if they were confronted with a particularly challenging mentoring issue.

    VII.   Monitoring the Mentoring Experience

              Members of the Mentoring Committee, several times throughout the year, will contact Mentees to discuss their experiences and ensure that the program is valuable and useful. Each year, Mentees will be requested to complete a survey regarding their mentoring experience. The results and other communications will be used to evaluate and improve the program. The chair of the Mentoring Committee may recommend to the Executive Committee changes to pairings at any point during the year if they deem a change necessary. A change may be necessary if a Mentor is no longer able to commit time to the project, a serious conflict develops, or if the relationship simply is not productive.

VIII.   Awards

            Service by Mentors will be acknowledged at the annual Spring Social. The Mentor Committee may also develop criteria for a Mentor of the Year Award, and may make recommendations to the Executive Committee about the proposed recipient.