The Law Society leadership mentoring programme 2023/24 programme is now open for applications. The closing date is 22 June.
The aim of the programme is to support women who wish to grow personally and professionally and advance their careers to a senior level.
Both male and female mentors are now sought by the Law Society.
The 2023/24 programme is now in session.
Mentoring partners generally commit to meeting once a month for around an hour over the course of eight months.
Mentees are offered guidance on how to progress to their next role, as well as how to network and build connections.
Mentors pass on their experience and knowledge in a rewarding fashion, both sharing wisdom and actively listening to mentees.
The mentor panel is made up of senior solicitors (female and male) from the public and private sectors.
The Law Society welcomes applications from solicitors from all sectors of the profession and all parts of the country. Training and guidance is provided in the form of Law Society Skillnet and peer support.
The training is in two parts and is coordinated by Law Society Skillnet.
Matching of mentoring pairs takes place next month.
Matched applicants
In August matched applicants will be contacted and provided with access details to the Law Society Skillnet mentor and mentee self-paced online courses.
This course must be completed in advance of the training session in September 2023.
In September there will be a one-hour training in best-practice mentoring techniques session. Training will be onsite or online and the follow up sessions are eligible for CPD hours.
The mentoring relationship begins in October with a contact deadline of 13 October.
The mentoring relationship comes to an official end in May 2024.
Testimonial
One participant said: "I’m really enjoying the programme. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2007, I got married, moved abroad, made a career change and started a family.
“Having returned from the US to live in rural Ireland and following on from the lockdown situation I decided to return to work in law again.
“I was excited and apprehensive at the same time to be returning to this career after such a substantial break from law and by chance I came across an advertisement for the Women in Leadership programme and it struck a chord with me.
“The idea of the Law Society establishing a programme that emphasised women being supported in their careers by fellow colleagues, felt very progressive and inspiring.
“I was very pleasantly surprised to learn during the initial online introductory session, that many of the other participants had similar stories to myself, each with a varied career path, and they were mostly looking to gain confidence and some form of support.
“My mentor has been a great source of assurance for me. She is very kind and generous with her ideas, resources and time. She has become a great sounding-board and a safe place to brainstorm ideas.
“I have really enjoyed being part of the programme. I’ve found it very accessible, motivating, and non-judgmental and I would highly recommend it anyone.”