Mentoring lays the foundation for legal careers grounded in civility and professionalism.

You graduated from law school, passed the bar, and secured a job in the legal profession. Now what? This is where a mentor comes in. Mentors can help set the tone for your career, turning theory into practice to help new attorneys navigate the profession’s ins and outs, convey confidence in delivering legal services, and build a robust professional network.

Our unique one-year mentoring program provides a guided—yet flexible—curriculum that goes beyond substantive legal education to explore how attorneys can build careers based on integrity and professionalism. Topics explored include maintaining civility in highly charged environments, supporting diversity in your organization, and how to develop new business effectively and professionally.

In addition, we recently launched our “Underrepresented Attorneys Mentoring Toolkit,” which supports the advancement and retention of attorneys from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession.

Since 2011, over 8,000 lawyers have participated in our mentoring program. Of these, 99% would recommend the program to other attorneys.

To participate, mentees must be in their first five years of practice in Illinois and meet certain eligibility requirements. Those who complete the program earn 6 hours of professional responsibility CLE credit, including 1 hour of diversity and inclusion CLE and 1 hour of mental health and substance abuse CLE. 

Mentors are essential to shaping the character of the legal profession. Mentors help establish the customs and norms of the next generation of lawyers, filling in the experiential blanks where law school left off.

In this process, mentors often experience reverse mentoring, benefiting from fresh ideas, innovative practice tools, and unique cultural perspectives of attorneys who have recently completed law school. Many mentors have even reported that mentoring has reinvigorated their passion for the practice of law.

Our unique one-year mentoring program provides a guided—yet flexible—curriculum that not only focuses on legal practice strategies but provides opportunities to develop a career rooted in civility and professionalism.

In addition, we recently launched our “Underrepresented Attorneys Mentoring Toolkit,” which supports the advancement and retention of attorneys from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession.

Since 2011, over 8,000 lawyers have participated in our mentoring program. Of these, 99% would recommend the program to other attorneys.

To participate, mentors must have practiced law for 5 or more years and meet certain eligibility requirements. Those who complete the program earn 6 hours of professional responsibility CLE credit, including 1 hour of diversity and inclusion CLE and 1 hour of mental health and substance abuse CLE.

Mentoring is vital to the future success of the profession. Organizations engaged in mentoring reinforce the profession’s highest aspirational goals in new attorneys and reignite a passion for law in more experience attorneys, helping them to better serve their clients and the profession.

Nurture this pipeline of attorneys by joining the law firms, bar associations, government offices, law schools, court districts, professional organizations, and corporations across Illinois that have used our mentoring curriculum in their programs. These organizations use our nationally renowned Mentoring Plan and training expertise to develop their attorneys’ legal skills and talents, preparing them for a successful legal career.

Attorneys who complete the one-year program earn 6 hours of professional responsibility CLE credit, including 1 hour of diversity and inclusion CLE and 1 hour of mental health and substance abuse CLE.

How to enroll as a Sponsoring Organization

Organizations can enroll as an open-enrollment or in-house program.

Open-Enrollment Program: Any attorney is eligible to participate in the program; however, some organizations have a membership requirement. This option is suitable for bar associations, court systems, law schools, and professional organizations.

In-House Program: Participation is available to the organization’s employees only. This option is suitable for law firms, government offices, and corporate legal departments.