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Home | About the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program | Implementation Plan & Program Rules | Applications | Mentoring Plan & Mentoring Agreement | Pre-approved Mentor Lists & Profiles | Orientation | Forms & Worksheets | FAQ | Faces of Mentoring | Contact Us
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which new lawyers may participate in the pilot project of the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?Am I required to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
How do I sign up for the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
When is the New Lawyer Application due?
What information is requested in the New Lawyer Application?
Who may volunteer to serve as a mentor in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?Do I have to complete the profile information on the Mentor Application?
What is a Pre-Approved Mentor?
How does the Commission on Professionalism approve mentors?
Will I be notified if I am approved to mentor?
If I am a Pre-Approved Mentor, am I guaranteed to be matched to a new lawyer as a mentor?
Will I be notified if I have been matched to a new lawyer to mentor?
How and when will I be notified of my mentor match?
May I mentor a new lawyer outside of my firm?
Can I mentor more than one new lawyer?
Will I receive CLE credit for each new lawyer I mentor?
When is the Mentor Application due?
May a judge serve as a mentor?
What should a judge do if s/he is mentoring a new lawyer who appears before the judge in court?
FAQs About the Mentoring Relationship
What is the objective of the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
What are new lawyers and mentors required to do together over the course of the mentoring term?
How often are the mentor and new lawyer required to meet?
Must participants choose a certain number of activities on their Mentoring Plan?
What are the worksheets referenced on the Mentoring Plan?
What is the Mentoring Agreement?
What is the difference between in-house and outside mentoring?
Am I required to submit any documentation during the course of the mentoring term?
Do I have to attend an orientation program to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
Who should initiate the first meeting between the new lawyer and the mentor?
Who developed and will administer the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
FAQs for New Lawyers
Which new lawyers may participate in the pilot project of the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
Lawyers who register active within 30 days of their admissions ceremony in May or November 2006, are subject to participation in the New Lawyer Training Program, and whose residence or principal place of business is in the state of Ohio have the option to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project.
Am I required to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
No. Participation in the pilot project is voluntary. The Supreme Court of Ohio has adopted a temporary provision which allows new lawyers admitted in May or November 2006, to elect to participate in the pilot project as a component to their New Lawyer Training requirement. Accordingly, new lawyers may elect to do one of the following: (1) participate in the mentoring pilot program and attend 6 hours of a New Lawyer Training course, or (2) participate in 12 hours of the New Lawyer Training course as is currently required (without participation in the mentoring program).
Do I still have to take the New Lawyer Training course if I participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
Yes. A new lawyer's obligation to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project does not negate his or her obligation to participate in the New Lawyer Training course. However, the temporary provision adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio modifies Gov. Bar Rule X(3)(H) such that new lawyers who opt to participate in the mentoring program do so in conjunction with the New Lawyer Training course. Participants would attend six hours of a New Lawyer Training class and the other six hours of New Lawyer Training credit would be satisfied by successful completion of the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program.
If I am not eligible to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program because I am out of state, am I exempt from New Lawyer Training?
No. The out-of-state exemption pertains only to participation in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program and does not affect required participation in the New Lawyer Training course. If you are otherwise subject to participation in a New Lawyer Training course but are exempt from the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program because of the out-of-state exemption, you would be required to take 12 full hours of a New Lawyer Training course as required by Gov. Bar R. X(3)(H).
As a new lawyer, will I receive CLE credit for my participation in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
New lawyers who satisfactorily complete the Lawyer the Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project will receive six hours of New Lawyer Training credit.
How do I sign up for the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
New lawyers admitted in May or November 2006, who wish to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project should complete the New Lawyer Application within 30 days of the admissions ceremony. For new lawyers admitted in May, the application deadline is June 7, 2006; for those admitted in November, the application deadline is Dec. 6, 2006.
When is the New Lawyer Application Due?
June 7, 2006 for May new admittees; Dec. 6, 2006 for November new admittees. The New Lawyer Application is due on the same date by which you are required to register as an attorney with the Attorney Registration office.
What information is requested in the New Lawyer Application?
The New Lawyer Application requests your employment information, your profile information, your mentor preferences, and your mentor nominations. While your profile information and mentor preferences are optional, you are required to provide your employment information and nominations of your first three choices of mentors. It is highly encouraged to provide your profile information and mentor preferences, because if none of your mentor nominations are approved by the Commission, you will be matched to a mentor based on your profile and mentor preference information.
The Commission on Professionalism must ultimately approve all matches between new lawyers and mentors. All new lawyers are required to nominate their first three choices of mentors on the New Lawyer Application. The Commission reviews your nominations to determine whether you will be matched to one of your nominated mentors, which the Commission will attempt to do in most cases. If the Commission does not approve any of the nominations made by the new lawyer, the new lawyer will be matched to a mentor based to the extent possible on the profile and mentor preference information provided in the New Lawyer Application.
Who may I nominate to act as my mentor?
You may nominate any lawyer on the Pre-Approved Mentor list which is published on the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program Web page. If you wish to nominate a lawyer not on the Pre-Approved Mentor list, you may do so. However, if you do so, you will be responsible for notifying the mentor of his or her nomination and asking the mentor to complete a Mentor Application which you must submit along with your New Lawyer Application.
How and when will I be notified of my mentor match?
The Commission will notify you in writing of your approved mentor match before the mentoring term commences on July 1, 2006 or Jan 1, 2007.
FAQs for Mentors
Who may volunteer to serve as a mentor in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
Experienced and reputable lawyers who demonstrate a clear knowledge of Ohio's Code of Professional Responsibility, who exhibit highly professional habits in their practice, who are willing to commit the time to a year-long mentoring relationship, and who meet the following criteria may apply to become mentors:
All lawyers who apply to mentor must be approved by the Commission on Professionalism. There is no guarantee that a lawyer who volunteers will be approved.
If I am an experienced lawyer who meets the mentor qualifications, am I required to mentor in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
No. There is no requirement for experienced lawyers who fit the mentor qualifications to mentor. However, the success of the program depends upon experienced lawyers volunteering their time to mentor. Further, all lawyers have a professional obligation to strive to improve the profession by assisting in the education of lawyers.
To volunteer to mentor, a Mentor Application must be completed and submitted to the Commission on Professionalism for its approval. All mentors must be approved by the Commission. By signing the Mentor Application, the applicant certifies that s/he meets the mentor qualifications and agrees to make the necessary time commitment to maintain the mentoring relationship.
Do I have to complete the profile information on the Mentor Application?
Applicants are not required to provide the profile information found in the “About You” section of the Mentor Application. However, applicants are encouraged to be as candid as possible about the information requested because it is the profile information which new lawyers will view to nominate the mentor who they believe will best meet their needs in the mentoring relationship.
What is a Pre-Approved Mentor?
A Pre-Approved Mentor is a lawyer whose application to serve as a mentor has been reviewed and approved by the Commission, regardless of whether the lawyer has been nominated to serve as a mentor to a specific new admittee. The pre-approved mentor's name is added to the Pre-Approved Mentor List, along with his or her profile, so that new admittees may review the list when nominating a mentor.
How does the Commission on Professionalism approve mentors?
All lawyers participating in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program must be approved by the Commission on Professionalism. The Commission will review the Mentor Application to determine whether the applicant meets the mentor qualifications. The Commission will check references for applicants if deemed necessary.
Will I be notified if I am approved to mentor?
No. When the Commission on Professionalism approves a mentor, the mentor's name and profile is placed on a Pre-Approved Mentor List on the program Web site. Should the Commission not approve a mentor, the mentor would not be notified, nor would s/he be placed on the Pre-Approved Mentor List.
If I am a Pre-Approved Mentor, am I guaranteed to be matched to a new lawyer as a mentor?
No. New lawyers are required to nominate their first three choices of mentors. The Commission will review the nominations to determine who ultimately will be matched to the new lawyer. There is no guarantee that a new lawyer will be matched to a mentor s/he nominates, even if that mentor is pre-approved.
Will I be notified if I have been matched to a new lawyer to mentor?
Yes. When the Commission on Professionalism approves a match between a new lawyer and a mentor, both participants will be notified in writing of the approved match before the mentoring term starts on July 1, 2006 or Jan. 1, 2007. If you are not matched to a new lawyer, you will not receive any notification.
How and when will I be notified of my mentor match?
The Commission will notify you in writing of your approved match before the mentoring term commences on July 1, 2006 or Jan. 1, 2007.
May I mentor a new lawyer outside of my firm?
Yes. If you are a Pre-Approved Mentor, any new lawyer could nominate you as his/her mentor even if you are not in the same firm with the new lawyer.
Will I get CLE credit for serving as a mentor in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program pilot project?
Yes. Mentors who satisfactorily complete the mentoring program will receive a total of six hours of CLE credit, including one hour of professionalism, one hour of ethics and one half hour of substance abuse credit. The credit will be granted for the year in which the mentoring term concludes. For the pilot project, CLE credit will be given after the mentoring term concludes in June 2007 or December 2007.
Can I mentor more than one new lawyer?
Yes. A mentor may be matched to more than one new lawyer. However, a mentor is limited to mentoring two new lawyers because of the significant time commitment required to maintain a close mentoring relationship with each individual new lawyer.
Will I receive CLE credit for each new lawyer I mentor?
No. If a lawyer mentors two new lawyers, s/he may only receive credit for mentoring one lawyer.
When is the Mentor Application due?
Mentor applications will be accepted on an on-going basis.
May a judge serve as a mentor?
Yes, a judge may serve as a mentor if the judge meets the minimum mentor qualifications, completes a Mentor Application, and is approved by the Commission on Professionalism. An approved judge may mentor a new admittee who works for the judge (for example, as a law clerk) or who works in the local community.
What should a judge do if s/he is mentoring a new lawyer who appears before the judge in court?
Participants of the mentoring program are expected to abide by any relevant rules of disclosure or recusal should the new lawyer appear in the judge's courtroom.
FAQs About the Mentoring Relationship
What is the objective of the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
The purpose of the mentoring program is to elevate the competence, professionalism and success of Ohio lawyers by creating mentoring relationships pursuant to which an experienced lawyer provides guidance to and shares practical knowledge and skills with a new lawyer during the critical transition from law student to legal practitioner. Specifically, the mentoring relationship should foster the development of the new lawyer's practical skills and increase his or her knowledge of legal customs; should create a sense of pride and integrity in the legal profession; should promote collegial relationships among legal professionals and involvement in the organized bar; should improve legal ability and professional judgment; and should encourage the use of best practices and highest ideals in the practice of law.
The mentoring term refers to the year in which the new lawyer and mentor will participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program. The pilot project's mentoring term is from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 for those new lawyers admitted in May 2006, and the mentoring term for November new lawyers is Jan. 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2007.
Although the mentoring term is only for approximately one year, the participants are encouraged to informally continue their relationship beyond the mentoring term. Certainly, as the new lawyer moves into his or her second and third years of practice, the mentoring relationship can continue to provide a valuable learning setting in which to discuss relevant practice and professionalism issues and participate in the activities in the Mentoring Plan that the new lawyer did not originally elect.
The aim of the Commission on Professionalism is to create meaningful relationships between new and veteran lawyers so that they each want to continue the relationship beyond the mentoring term. Therefore, if both participants wish to continue their mentoring relationship beyond the mentoring term, they are encouraged to do so by the Commission. However, such a decision on the part of the participants is outside the scope of the program and wholly within their discretion.
What are new lawyers and mentors required to do together over the course of the mentoring term?
The new lawyer and mentor will be required to complete the activities that they choose together on the Mentoring Plan during at least six one-hour in-person meetings throughout the mentoring term. The activities on the Mentoring Plan cover lawyering skills and core concepts and values of the legal profession which attorneys are expected to know in their professional practice of law.
How often are the mentor and new lawyer required to meet?
The mentor and new lawyer are required to meet for at least six one-hour in-person meetings over the course of the mentoring term. However, the Commission would encourage more than the minimum number of meetings. For example, it suggests monthly one-hour in-person meetings throughout the mentoring term with a number of other regular contacts throughout each month.
The Mentoring Plan is the curriculum that the new lawyer and mentor will individualize within 30 days of the start of the mentoring term by choosing the activities in which they wish to participate over the course of the mentoring term. The activities on the Mentoring Plan cover lawyering skills and core concepts and values of the legal profession which attorneys are expected to know in their professional practice of law.
Must participants choose a certain number of activities on their Mentoring Plan?
Yes, participants must choose at least the minimum number of activities indicated in each category of the Mentoring Plan:
What if the mentor does not feel qualified to talk to the new lawyer about a particular subject-matter that they chose on their Mentoring Plan?
The Commission on Professionalism has developed what it calls “Worksheets” to correspond with each activity listed in the Mentoring Plan. These Worksheets are intended to be tools for participants to use for facilitation of discussions or for references to other resource materials which may be helpful for discussion during each activity. Additionally, in mentoring relationships, sometimes the best assistance the mentor can give to the less-experienced “mentee” is to invite another individual to talk with them about matters in which the individual is more experienced than the mentor. In the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, the mentor can introduce the new lawyer to another experienced lawyer who would be willing to participate in the discussion between the mentor and the new lawyer about a topic in which the mentor is less experienced.
What are the worksheets referenced on the Mentoring Plan?
The worksheets are intended to be tools for participants to use for facilitation of discussions or for references to other resource materials which may be helpful for discussion on topics found in the Mentoring Plan. Completion of worksheets is not mandatory, but participants are encouraged to use them if not in facilitation, then in supplementation of the discussions that they have for Mentoring Plan activities.
What is the Mentoring Agreement?
The Mentoring Agreement is an agreement that defines the parameters of the mentoring relationship and limits potential liability for participation in the mentoring program. The Mentoring Agreement must be signed by the mentor and new lawyer at their first meeting and submitted with their Mentoring Plan at the start of the mentoring term.
There are two Mentoring Agreements, one called an In-house Mentoring Agreement and the other, an Outside Mentoring Agreement. How do I know which Mentoring Agreement to sign?
The In-house Mentoring Agreement should be signed if the mentor and new lawyer are employed by the same employer (which are referred to as “in-house mentoring relationships” for purposes of the mentoring program). The Outside Mentoring Agreement should be signed if the mentor and new lawyer are not employed by the same employer (which are referred to as “outside mentoring relationships” for purposes of the mentoring program).
What is the difference between in-house and outside mentoring?
In-house mentoring refers to mentoring that occurs between a mentor and new lawyer who are employed in the same office or firm. Outside mentoring refers to mentoring that occurs between a mentor and new lawyer who are not employed by the same office or firm. Participants in in-house mentoring relationships may discuss many different matters relating to clients because of the shared responsibility of liability and the confidentiality that extends to office employees. However, lawyers participating in the program in outside relationships must be especially cautious since no such safeguards exist. As a result, outside mentoring relationships require clear parameters, which essentially limit outside mentors and new lawyers to having non-confidential, hypothetical, and educational discussions regarding cases and matters. The Outside Mentoring Agreement which participants in outside mentoring relationships are required to sign makes clear those parameters.
Am I required to submit any documentation during the course of the mentoring term?
Yes. The completed Mentoring Plan and Mentoring Agreement signed by both the new lawyer and mentor during their first meeting must be submitted to the Commission on Professionalism at the start of the mentoring term. The deadline for the Mentoring Plan and the Mentoring Agreement for May admittees is July 31, 2005, and for November admittees is March 2, 2007. Additionally, at the end of the mentoring term, the participants must sign a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion to be submitted to the Commission in order to receive CLE or New Lawyer Training credit. The deadline for the Certificate of Satisfactory Completion for May new lawyers is July 30, 2007, and for November new lawyers is Dec. 31, 2007.
Do I have to attend an orientation program to participate in the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
Yes. Both new lawyers and mentors are expected to attend an orientation program about the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program if they wish to participate in it. Details about the orientation programs will be announced on the mentoring program Web site.
Who should initiate the first meeting between the new lawyer and the mentor?
The first meeting should be initiated by the new lawyer, who will be responsible for contacting the mentor to schedule the meeting. Either party may initiate meetings thereafter, although it is ultimately the responsibility of the new lawyer to ensure that the mentor is contacted to schedule meetings. Participants are encouraged to discuss during their first meeting their preferences regarding how they would like to schedule their future meetings.
If a mentor and new lawyer encounter problems during the mentoring relationship, what should the participants do?
If the mentor and new lawyer experience problems in their mentoring relationship, such as migration, turnover or non-responsiveness, the new lawyer shall have the duty to notify the Commission on Professionalism so that an alternate mentoring relationship or plan can be decided so that the new lawyer can complete the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program. In situations where the new lawyer has become incapacitated, has disappeared, or has died, the mentor has the duty to notify the Commission.
If the new lawyer and mentor experience a breakdown in their mentoring relationship for some other reason, they should attempt to discuss and resolve the problem together. If such attempt fails, they should immediately contact the Commission on Professionalism to discuss the problem. In most situations, the Secretary of the Commission will mediate the dispute between the participants to attempt to salvage and strengthen the mentoring relationship. Such resolution will normally be attempted because of the great value in learning to work with more senior or junior members of the profession despite imperfections in those business relationships. In compelling circumstances, the secretary may determine that the breakdown in the mentoring relationship cannot be repaired, and the relationship must be severed. In those instances, the secretary will determine how the new lawyer should complete his/her mentoring term.
Who developed and will administer the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program?
The Commission on Professionalism developed the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program with input from bar associations, law schools and lawyers in Ohio and with final review and approval from the Supreme Court of Ohio. The Commission on Professionalism will administer the program. Any questions about the program should be referred to the Commission.