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Ohio's first-ever statewide lawyer mentoring program has been extended to include the upcoming class of bar-admitted attorneys this fall, the Supreme Court of Ohio announced today.
The Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, a one-year voluntary pilot program for new lawyers, is designed to help ease the transition from law school to law practice through an ongoing relationship with an experienced attorney. The program began this month and was available to all interested attorneys admitted to the Ohio Bar in May 2006. With the extension of the program, attorneys admitted in November also may participate.
The mentoring program was initiated by Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer and Justice Terrence O'Donnell and developed by the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, with input from law schools, bar associations and law firms throughout Ohio.
“I commend the lawyers who have volunteered to mentor,” Moyer said. “I am grateful for their dedication to improving the practice of law, their willingness to participate and their desire to help shape the future of the legal profession.”
Currently there are more than 550 attorneys statewide participating in the mentoring program. Any lawyer who volunteers to mentor must be approved by the Commission on Professionalism after it is determined that the lawyer meets minimum qualifications, including being an attorney admitted to practice in Ohio for not less than five years who is registered active in good standing with no discipline actions against the lawyer.
A complete list of attorneys serving as mentors in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program as well as application forms for both mentors and new lawyers can be found at www.supremecourtofohio.gov/mentoring.
At the completion of the pilot program, the Commission on Professionalism will evaluate the program's effectiveness and make recommendations to the Supreme Court concerning the permanent implementation of a mentoring program.
Contact: Andrea M. Strle at 614.387.9250 or Denise Platfoot Lacey at 614.387.9317.