In 2023, 50 organizations across the state used the Commission’s free, open-source mentoring curriculum as the foundation for their lawyer mentoring programs.
Since we began developing our professionalism-based curriculum for attorney mentoring programs in 2011, it has been used by law firms, bar associations, government offices, law schools, court districts, professional organizations, and a corporation.
The McLean County Bar Association (MCBA) has had a mentoring program for their members since 2011, and uses the Commission’s lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring curriculum. MCBA Mentoring Program Coordinator and Committee Chair Jaime Ganschow said mentoring not only benefits attorneys in McLean County, but everyone that those attorneys serve.
We spoke to Ganschow about the MCBA mentoring program and building a sense of community among MCBA members.
Why does the McLean County Bar administer a mentoring program?
Mentorship is a two-way street, whereby all involved become better, including those ultimately served by the mentors and mentees. Mentorship, relationship, civility, and high-caliber legal services all go hand-in-hand. The McLean County Bar Association is committed to supporting and investing in the development of its attorney membership.
As a diverse geographical hub of corporate headquarters, universities, healthcare systems, and rural communities, the McLean County community is better served when our local attorneys are routinely growing and learning.
How can your members benefit from becoming mentors or mentees?
The McLean County Bar Association mentorship program is one way our attorneys continue to learn from each other, build relationships, and stay committed to civility among the Bar. In a day and age where communication is more remote, interaction is less personal, and calendars are more full, the mentor/mentee relationship is an intentional step toward maintaining and building a sense of community among our local attorneys.
It is when we are in community and relationship with each other that the most learning can take place.
A recent example of a great local mentor/mentee pair involved a young attorney and a retired judge. While the women did not previously know each other and had very different professional backgrounds, they learned so much from each other and have remained friends beyond their time in the mentoring program.
How can the bar association as a whole benefit from lawyer mentoring?
While lawyer mentoring encourages reciprocal learning, it is also true people tend to stay where they feel known and valued, and where they sense a feeling of community and belonging.
The community-building that results from a strong mentoring program contributes to our local bar association’s objective of recruiting and retaining high-caliber legal professionals in the McLean County area.
Mentoring, when done well, is a foundational investment in the lawyers who will serve the people of central Illinois now and in the future.
How can McLean County Bar members get involved in the mentoring program?
To become involved as a mentor or a mentee with the McLean County Bar Association Mentoring Program, attorneys should reach out to the MCBA at mcba.illinois@gmail.com, to request more information.
Their interest will be shared with the MCBA Mentoring Program Committee Chair, who will help match the individual with a mentor/mentee (if one is needed) and will help the mentor/mentee pair begin the easy-to-follow structure of the mentoring program.
Why should other bar associations administer a mentoring program?
Mentoring programs are valuable additions to local bar association programs. The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism has created a plug-and-play mentoring program structure for local bar associations to adopt and utilize.
While the relationships between mentors and mentees always happen organically, the simple structure of the Commission’s mentoring program provides an easy framework from which to launch and support mentoring in your local area.
Staying up to date on issues impacting the legal profession is vital to your success. Subscribe here to get the Commission’s weekly news delivered to your inbox.
17th Judicial Circuit Aims to Elevate Civility as a ‘Cultural Norm’ Through Mentoring
How UIC Law Uses the Commission’s Mentoring Program to Benefit Alumni