Law school mentoring: Putting the text into context

Answers, even to questions of law, aren’t always found in textbooks or case studies. But they are often found in precedence—especially when that precedence is the lived experience of an individual eager to share personal knowledge and wisdom with those who are still finding their way.

Such person-to-person exchange is the heart—and, many would say, soul—of the law school’s mentoring program. The program pairs students with attorneys and jurists who are law school alumni. Mentors provide first-year students with practical advice and survival skills for navigating the demands of law school and developing into ethical, responsible attorneys. Upper-division students deepen their understanding of the true dynamics of the law and the legal community as they start making the transition from law school to career.

In 2006-07 the Office of Career Services shepherded 200 pairs of mentors and students. Over the past 10 years, 712 alumni and friends have mentored students. If such numbers hint at the program’s success, the following stories give voice to its value and worth.

Elizabeth A. Davis J.D. ’93
Assistant Dean for Career Services and Alumni Relations
Lewis & Clark Law School

Talking about the mentoring program, law school students and alumni invariably say the same thing: Libby makes it work. That's program director Elizabeth "Libby" Davis.

Davis appreciates the compliments but is quick to turn them around. "Students and mentors alike have incredible demands on their time," she notes. "They get out of the program what they put in. Most of them give much more than time—they share a lot of who they are and what matters to them. They make the program successful and enrich the entire legal community."

"The mentoring program fits very well with who we are as a school," Davis continues. "The culture here values relationships and seeks to be mutually supportive. It's incredibly powerful and reassuring for a law student to be mentored by a successful attorney and learn that the mentor also experienced doubt, anxiety, and apprehension in law school. Relationships broaden perspectives for all participants."

Adina Flynn J.D. '96
Law School Alumni Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee, 2006-07

Adina Flynn is eager to give back. She benefited greatly from the mentoring she received as a law student, and from the encouragement of friends and colleagues as she was establishing her financial planning practice. "You can't achieve success and happiness on your own," she notes. "Law school students struggle with having to make many adjustments. Some swim upstream, some swim with the current. The mentor shows them where the current is." Flynn's colleagues and associates who graduated from other law schools generally describe their mentor programs as loosely organized. In contrast, she says, "Libby invests a lot of time and thought in structuring opportunities for mentors and mentees to come together. When your behavior and actions are in accordance with your values, everything falls into place. The real impact of the mentor program is long-term. It establishes connections and builds relationships."

Jessie Y. Gnanananthan J.D. ’02

Jessie Gnanananthan smiles when she starts talking about the law school's mentoring program. Her student experience with Adina Flynn as her mentor was so gratifying that she eagerly takes that role now. "As a student, I was amazed at the wealth of information, knowledge, and contacts Adina made available. I was comfortable asking silly questions, because I knew she would give me the real scoop. She was a human connection to the law.

"As a mentor, I'm a resource. I've found greater joy in sharing knowledge than in acquiring it. Mentoring teaches you how much you've learned and revives the passion you experienced as a student. It also gives you the opportunity to step back and reflect on your profession. As an attorney your day is driven by answering how, what, when, and where. Being a mentor makes you stop and think about the whys—it lets you be a student again, and that makes you a better practitioner."

Matt Kress LAW ’08

Matt Kress arrived at Lewis & Clark after some 15 years of professional experience with Ford Motor Company and Consolidated Freightways, and —most importantly—accompanied by his wife and their young daughter, who is now "4 going on 14." All that perspective helped focus his decision to pursue business law. The mentoring program sharpened his focus even more. He was co-mentored by Jessie Gnanananthan J.D. '02 and John O'Neill J.D. '01 of the O’Neill Law Firm, which specializes in estate planning, probates, and small business transactions. "John and Jessie really engaged and involved me in the issues they face and how they function," says Kress. "I got an insider's view of the way they think and work, which is exactly what I wanted. I was also able to draw on and apply much of what I learned as a first-year student. It makes a difference when you see theories and information you were taught actually being put into practice."