The IPL Section Membership Board is delighted to announce our NEW mentoring program for the IPL Section. Many of us have benefited from being mentored over our careers and greatly enjoy mentoring others. In our experience, the mentoring relationships that one develops informally within the IP Bar are a wonderful supplement to those that we may experience in our workplaces or through other programs. This program is another step in our goal to promote inclusivity in the Section, as well as to ensure that the next generation of lawyers have the skills and opportunities they need to thrive and flourish in the profession, by providing a formal vehicle through which more of our members can access mentors. Since not everyone is able to find mentors on their own, our hope is that a program such as this will be helpful in making that opportunity more accessible to all.
ABA-IPL Section Mentoring Program
About The Program
The program is being run by the Mentoring Sub-Committee of the Membership Board, and someone from our sub-committee will be assigned to each mentor/mentee pair to act as a Membership Board liaison. Mentors and mentees will be expected to meet monthly (via Zoom or in person as schedules and locations permit) and to develop at the outset of the program a specific set of goals for the mentee to explore. At the end of the six months, the Mentoring Sub-Committee liaisons will solicit feedback on the program (what went well, what could be improved, etc.) and, if it seems generally well received, we hope to launch a larger mentoring program in the near future.
Because we want to ensure successful matches, we will not be selecting mentors/mentees on a first-come-first-serve basis. Instead, we will select from the applicant pool that seems to match best with one another. We will give preference in our selection to the order in which someone applied, as well as where the mentees have clear and well defined goals for the program that we believe can be achieved. Anyone not selected for this program will be put on a waitlist and given priority in the next round of matches.
2024-2025 Applications
Questions?
If you have any questions about this pilot program please contact Malissa Magiera, Mentoring Sub-Committee Chair, at: [email protected].