1. School of Law

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

3. 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

4. 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”

5. 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

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

7. Commitment MEETING SCHEDULING Meet with mentor every 4-6 weeks
Ideally meetings are 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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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 ● ●

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

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