Mentoring What You Can Learn From An Enthusiastic Mentee

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Mentoring: What You Can Learn From an Enthusiastic Mentee Yesterday, I posted: Mentoring: Follow This Mentor’s Example, sharing mentoring ideas from Bennett Jones Calgary partner Greg  Liakopoulos. A successful mentoring relationship in any law firm requires both a mentor, like Greg, who values helping associates succeed, and an associate mentee who is eager to learn and become a better lawyer.  Christie Conway is one of those eager associates. I asked Christie to share her thoughts on how the mentoring relationship is working. I think Greg’s post hits the important points of what makes our mentoring relationship thrive. From the Mentee’s perspective, I would only add the following: I know many law firms that have formal mentoring programs. I know very few mentoring relationships that are working as well as this one. I was particularly struck by the point Christie made about a draft being a draft and how Greg focuses on how she got the answer and what other possible answers might be. I hear senior lawyers complain that some associates are not digging deep enough and analyzing an issue.  I believe those associates might dig deeper and analyze if that was encouraged and discussed. So, thank you to Greg and Christie for sharing how a mentoring relationship might work and benefit the mentor, the mentee and their firm. I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.