Building Connections and Finding Mentors

 With the summer winding down and fall semester looming just around the corner, now is a good time for law students to pause and reflect on their summer work experience. What did you learn about your chosen profession? What skills did you acquire?

Another important aspect of summer work is building connections. Socializing with judges, lawyers, law firm staff, and other interns via your summer job will help you grow your professional network and open future opportunities. It can also help you find mentors.

A mentor, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a trusted counselor or guide.” There are many benefits to having a mentor. Your mentor can offer practical insight into the real world of legal practice that you won’t get in doctrinal classes. Mentors may also help you determine which areas of legal practice are right for you and offer suggestions on tailoring your course selections and work experiences to achieve your goals. Mentors can also serve as personal cheerleaders, pushing you to take on new challenges that will help you grow professionally. While you should not expect your mentor to automatically offer you a job, your mentor can help open doors to other employment opportunities.

You can also look for mentors outside of work, such as one of your professors, who can offer guidance and expertise in a particular subject, and potentially letters of recommendation.

C|M|Law Alumni Association offers a Mentor Program that matches first-year students with C|M|Law graduates in a formal mentoring relationship, providing opportunities for school and career advice, job shadowing, and networking.