School of Law

Seattle U Law 1L Alumni Mentorship Program Student Orientation Seattle University School of Law January 2018

Purpose To provide a rich and rewarding opportunity to learn from successful law alumni, legal leaders and seasoned professionals Serve as a bridge from education to real world Seattle U Law 1L Alumni Mentorship Program 2nd year with 1Ls Pilot program in 2013 Mention how long the programs have been around: Albers—27 years, Acct over 10 years; well established programs and well-known in the business community

Objectives Career/ Job Search advice Career transition Observe job function or industry Networking contacts Insight into legal community Community building Learn how to market yourself professionally Support, validation, growth Wisdom from someone who has “been there”

Explanation of Program Seattle U Law 1L Alumni Mentorship Program 1L students Mentors are alumni volunteers from numerous industries, practice areas, and professions Contact: Law Advancement Office, Center for Professional Development

January December Commitment Out-of-town over the summer or summer conflicts? Talk to the Law Advancement Office

Commitment MEETING SCHEDULING Meet with mentor every 4-6 weeks Ideally meetings are 1-1.5 hours SCHEDULING Preference goes to mentor Check with mentor for scheduling preferences Juggling a busy schedule- FLEXIBILITY is key Follow-up messages are your friend Sometimes mentors have their assistants help

Timeline December: Formal wrap-up, thank mentor, complete survey March– December: Ongoing meetings Jan./Feb.: First meeting January: Mentorship Orientation January: Notification

Connecting with your Mentor Job function Professional history Mentors’ objective/scope Personality connection Mentors’ connections Mentors can be extremely helpful even if they don’t work in your ideal practice area or industry

Our alumni want to hear from you. Alumni as a resource Our alumni want to hear from you. Ask mentor to attend an event Ask mentor to introduce you to their connections Use seattleulawconnect.org to expand your network Mentor and CPD can help you navigate networking and outreach

THIS IS NOT A JOB PLACEMENT ACTIVITY Elements for Success Success What do you want out of the program? Handbook Initiative Student Profile Year Plan Meeting time each month Go over some activity ideas from the handbook or structure ideas THIS IS NOT A JOB PLACEMENT ACTIVITY

What you get out of this depends on what you put into this Formula for Success What you get out of this depends on what you put into this Your Effort Your Experience

Troubleshooting Contact the Law Advancement Team or CPD Issues with mentor or questions about advice Challenges with scheduling Challenges reaching out to mentor Lack of communication from mentor Need activity ideas Schedule/circumstances require you to withdraw **Feeling uncomfortable** Great experiences too! Stephanie Howson ● Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Fund Sullivan Hall 210E ● 206.398.4305 ● howsons@seattleu.edu

Sample Questions for Mentors Tell me about your firm and current position. How did you prioritize your time at law school? How have you navigated your career? What have you enjoyed most about your career? What has challenged you? What topics do you want to focus on this year? What is your preferred communication style? Why did you choose to join this program? What can I do to help make our time together productive? *CPD can offer ideas on questions and topics for discussion.

Steps to the Program Identify goals/objectives, sign in to Seattle U Law Connect Connect with mentor for first meeting Set regular meeting times and plan activities Wrap-up program, thank mentor, and enjoy the new professional connections you cultivated over the year

Wrapping-up the program We will provide you with some ideas and ways to wrap-up the formal mentorship program as we get closer to December Some relationships continue informally Survey on program experience—please complete

All materials can be found at law.seattleu.edu/1lmentors. Questions?