Mentor Match

Welcome to the Mentor Match Program of the Indiana State Bar Association!

Before we get to the nuts and bolts of the new program and its curriculum, let’s begin with how we got here. In 2005, subcommittees of the Professional Legal Education, Admission and Development Section (“PLEADS”) of the Indiana State Bar Association (“ISBA”), led by then ISBA President, Clyde Compton, developed the first formalized young lawyer mentoring program in Indiana. That ISBA Young Lawyers Section Mentoring Program was given the moniker “MENTORmatch.” Over the next few years, MENTORmatch was administered by ISBA personnel and successfully paired dozens of young lawyers with seasoned mentors across Indiana. In October of 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court Commission for Continuing Legal Education (the “Commission”) suggested that a structured mentoring program approved by the Commission could satisfy the Applied Professionalism Program (“APC”) requirement placed upon newly admitted Indiana attorneys by Rule 29, Section 3 (c) of the Indiana Rules for Admission to the Bar and Discipline of Attorneys. Further, the Commission indicated that up to twelve (12) Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) credits, which includes up to twelve (12) ethics credits, would be made available to the mentors who completed the approved program. The PLEADS Section of the ISBA then reconstituted the MENTORmatch Committee (“Committee”) to undertake the process of compiling and submitting a program for approval.

After review of the voluntary and mandatory mentoring programs utilized by other states, the Committee, chaired by the Hon. Caryl Dill, Magistrate of the Marion Superior Court determined the program implemented by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism would best fit the stated goals of the Commission. After obtaining a generous license from the Ohio Commission to utilize all facets of their Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program, the MENTORmatch Committee completed the transformation of those materials for submission to the Commission.

The Commission has approved these materials for CLE and APC credits upon the certification of a sponsoring organization. Thus, any lawyer in Indiana meeting the requirements of these materials to serve as a mentor or mentee may obtain CLE and/or APC credits by complying with the requirements of these materials, as administered by the MENTORmatch Committee of the PLEADS section of the ISBA or any other organization approved by the Indiana Supreme Court Commission for Continuing Legal Education to sponsor mentors and mentees in this endeavor (the sponsoring groups are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Approved Organizations”).

Program objective

The purpose of the program is to elevate the competence, professionalism, and success of Indiana lawyers through positive mentoring relationships. Mentoring creates an opportunity for an experienced lawyer to provide professional guidance and share 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; contribute to a sense of integrity in the legal profession; promote collegial relationships among legal professionals and involvement in the organized bar; improve legal ability and professional judgment; and encourage the use of best practices and highest ideals in the practice of law. Mentoring works on several different levels to foster the development of a new lawyer’s career while creating a sense of pride and purpose in the mentor.

Here we go ...

The first step in this process is to find a mentor. Look around and see if you have noticed someone who represents the best of what lawyers are and do and ask them to be your mentor. If that is not possible, then contact the ISBA and we will help you locate a mentor from our data base. For those attorneys in a larger firm, contact the managing partner to see if they have a mentoring program in place and can match you with another lawyer in the firm (although that is not mandatory).

Once you have a mentor, schedule the first meeting with your mentor and review Worksheet A and submit the “Mentoring Agreement” to the ISBA. Once the ISBA has received and acknowledged your participation, the clock starts ticking. The ISBA will send you a Mentor Orientation Manual for your use in the program. This manual will outline the whole program and the timelines for the program. The forms and curriculum are available on the website and can easily be downloaded. Once you design your individual curriculum for the program to receive your CLE/Ethics/APC Credits, all the features of the program and the curriculum can easily be downloaded from the ISBA website. You will be given some materials to read for the program. Some are on-line and some are linked to the articles necessary. The links are necessary because of copyright law.

Lastly, if you have completed the necessary 6 hours of mentoring time and have concluded all four quarters of time and discussion with your mentor, you can submit the Certificate of Completion signed by both you and your mentor to receive the appropriate accreditation. At the same time that you complete your Certificate of Completion, please fill out the evaluation forms on the website and send those in with the other form. We will be constantly updating the curriculum and program based on your feedback.

Is the program over?

The program is not over unless you want it to be. It is the hope of the committee that you have formed a long term relationship with an attorney that can answer questions and guide you through your experiences in your professional life and in turn when you have become more experience that you will share your time and talents with another young lawyer.

Good luck!

Video

Mentee-Mentor Application

Mentoring Agreement for Outside Mentoring Relationship

Mentoring Agreement for In-House Mentoring Relationship

Mentor Match Program Mentoring Plan

Certificate of Completion

Mentoring Orientation Manual

Mentoring Forms and Materials

Participant Surveys

FAQs