Are you willing to mentor a colleague in 2021? Applications for the 2021/22 Women in Leadership Programme will be available online from May 2021.
Women in Leadership Mentoring Programme
The Law and Women Mentoring programme aims to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion by supporting female solicitors to advance their careers.
The success of the programme depends on the number of available mentors and we are currently seeking to recruit solicitors with over 15 years PQE, who would like to support a more junior colleague. Both male and female mentors are welcome.
How it works
Applicants will be invited to take part in training in best practice mentoring techniques. Training will take place in Blackhall Place and will be eligible for CPD points. Following this, mentors will be matched with a suitable partner.
Once matched, mentoring partners generally commit to meet once a month over the course of the year. During this time, they will have the opportunity to meet other participants at networking events.
If you would like to register your interest as a mentor, please contact Michelle Nolan.
Testimonial - Justine Carty
Justine has been on the Law Society Council for eight years and currently sits on the Education Committee, the Guidance & Ethics Committee (Chair), and the In-House & Public Sector Committee.
She has been a Women in Leadership mentor for five years.
"This is my fifth year as a mentor on the Law Society’s mentoring programme and I would highly recommend it to everyone. In particular, I think that anyone who is new to the profession or anyone who has made, or is looking to make, a transition or progress in their career would benefit from mentoring. Mentoring really is about sharing experiences, approaches, successes and failures with someone in a confidential and trusted setting. It’s an opportunity to meet a colleague in a safe environment to talk through concerns and seek guidance on possible solutions. Over the years, I have found that the concerns most mentees have, I have encountered myself at some stage over my career so it’s a great opportunity now to be able to act as a sounding board for those concerns. I think I have been very fortunate throughout my career to have had colleagues around me who supported me and helped me develop and progress as a solicitor. These colleagues effectively acted as mentors to me, even though it wasn’t a formal mentoring relationship nor were they aware that they were a mentor to me! Unfortunately not everyone has been as fortunate and not everyone has the confidence to discuss concerns with a more experienced colleague, so this is why the mentoring programme is so effective. Great consideration is given to pairings between mentors and mentees so I would advise everyone to fill in the application form with as much detail as possible so that you get the best possible match. Each year training and feedback sessions are provided to both mentors and mentees. I have really enjoyed these sessions as it is an opportunity to meet colleagues, discuss the programme and most of all an opportunity to reflect on how I approach challenging situations myself. Mentoring can bring about significant change in a mentee’s career by helping them to understand expectations and perceptions around what a new role might involve and the challenges that someone may face. I found that the sessions are an opportunity to talk through a particular challenge and by simply talking it through, it can help the person take the necessary steps to tackle the challenge. Mentees are encouraged to think for themselves using the benefit of the shared experiences with the mentor to help the mentee through their own unique situation. With each of the mentees I was matched with, despite our work environments sometimes being very different, there were a surprising number of commonalities in the work we do and the various steps I have taken in my own career, and in some cases, the differences proved to be helpful contrasts and new perspectives to a particular challenge a mentee may be facing. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the programme, particularly as I learn so much from it myself.