Establishing the Mentoring Relationship

Traditional Mentorships

When a pairing is made for a traditional one-on-one mentoring relationship, the mentee is expected to initiate contact with the mentor within 14 days of the date the mentee was informed of the match. Matches of mentors and mentees are made on the basis of common interests, location, and other factors indicated on the application form. While mentors may be asked for guidance as to locations and types of practice, the Mentoring Program is not meant to serve recruitment or placement needs.
Mentees and mentors who desire a more comprehensive and traditional mentoring relationship are encouraged to meet informally for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the mentor’s office or anywhere else that is mutually convenient. Mentors and mentees are free to structure the relationship to meet the needs of both party’s availability. Such mentors are encouraged to invite mentees to attend meetings, hearings, lectures, or any special law related event when appropriate. They are encouraged to communicate by telephone rather than email in order to establish a more personal relationship. Both mentors and mentees in the traditional relationships often have busy and unpredictable schedules, so mentees are encouraged to recognize that mentors are taking time away from work and other personal responsibilities in order to share time, wisdom, and experience. Please remember that it is the quality of the relationship and the information shared, not the quantity of the time spent, that determines the success of the mentoring relationship.

Situational Mentorships

Where a mentee is seeking assistance with a single topic or issue and requests telephone assistance from a mentor, an NCBA staff member will identify an available mentor with expertise in the area and provide the mentee’s contact information to the mentor. The mentor should contact the mentee within 48 hours of receiving the contact information. If a mentor cannot commit to contacting the mentee within that time period, he or she should inform the NCBA staff member of that fact and the mentee will be assigned to a different mentor. Should a mentor and mentee participating in a situational pairing agree that they would like to continue a mentoring relationship, the pairing can be changed to a traditional pairing and the mentor will be removed from the Situational Mentorship rotation.