IABA introduces CLE-eligible Mentorship Program!
This year, IABA becomes the first minority bar associations to implement the guidelines of IL Supreme Court Rule 795(d)(12), allowing bar associations to offer structured mentorship programs that allow program participants to earn 6 Professional Responsibility CLE credits.
Under the terms of this program, eligible participants meeting the following guidelines can earn 6 Professional Responsibility Credits upon completion of the program:
1) Mentors must have been a member of the IL bar since May 2006 or earlier. They must be in good, active standing.
2) Mentees must have been admitted to the IL bar no earlier than June 7, 2010, and they must also be in active standing.
3) The mentorship program is approximately one year in length. No CLE credit is given for partial completion. CLE certificates are provided only at the end of the program.
4) All mentors and mentees must attend the IABA orientation event. At the orientation event, mentoring pairs will be announced and mentoring pairs will agree on a Mentoring Plan. While the Mentoring Plan must include requisite categories, the mentoring pair has the flexibility to select their particular action items in each category. Categories of issues to be covered in the mentorship program range from billing and record-keeping to client retainer and/or payment schedules, filing system and procedures, to document retention plans. A complete summary of the mentorship program and associated documents can be found at: http://ilsccp.org/mentoring/illinois_supreme_court_rule795d12.htm. Participants also have the option of simply adopting the Mentoring Plan offered by IABA.
5) Mentoring pairs must meet in-person on a minimum of eight different dates over the one-year program to complete the selected actions items in their Mentoring Plan. IABA may host mentoring events throughout the year-long program that mentoring pairs can attend to count towards fulfillment of their in-person meeting requirement.
IABA will act as the mentorship program administrator. Our specific role will include the following:
- Obtaining pre-approval from the IL Supreme Court to act as program administrator
- IABA will offer a structured mentoring plan that program participants can adopt and follow
- IABA will host several events during the course of the year to assist mentoring pairs in fulfilling the 8-meeting requirement.
As stated in the Supreme Court Rules, “mentoring creates an opportunity for an experienced lawyer (the mentor) to provide professional guidance and share practical knowledge and skills with a new lawyer (the mentee) during the critical transition from law student to legal practitioner. The intent of a Lawyer-to-Lawyer mentoring relationship is to facilitate the transfer of valuable information and insight from experienced lawyers to those lawyers just entering the practice of law. Although legal theory and application can be learned during law school, the practice of law is learned in the workplace, whether in private practice, government service, or public interest work. An effective and successful mentoring program will serve to elevate the competence, professionalism, and success of new lawyers.”
“Skillful mentoring takes time and attention. How the mentors introduce young lawyers to the profession forms a foundation for their continued growth and development as practitioners. Skillful lawyer mentors stretch and expand the new lawyer’s abilities and capacities for professional thinking and problem solving. Skillful mentors facilitate the development of civility and ethics through consulting, collaborating, and coaching their mentees. By building relationships between new and experienced lawyers, experienced lawyers pass on fundamental skills and core values of professionalism essential to the practice of law at the highest levels of professionalism.”
If you wish to participate in the Mentorship Program please download the applicable application below and email it to us at mentorship@iabachicago.org. Mentors and Mentees participating in this program must be members of IABA.
To download the New Lawyer Application click here.
To download the Mentor Application click here.
All applications must be received by May 15, 2012. The program will be limited in size and those interested are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. IABA will pay close attention to the backgrounds of both mentors and mentees accepted into the mentorship program and structure mentorship pairs in the most effective manner.
This program represents a real opportunity for new and experienced attorneys alike to not only earn CLE credits but also to gain professional satisfaction. We look forward to your participation!
- Tejas Shah, IABA Vice President of Professional Development
- Aseet Patel, Chair of the Mentorship Program
For more information, please visit http://lawyermentor.ilsccp.org/iabac/.
