Colorado Law :: Student Alumni Mentoring

Student- Alumni Mentoring Program

“Your Present. Their Future.”

The Alumni Mentoring Program is a student-run program that pairs current Colorado Law 2L and 3L student mentees with volunteer alumni mentors in the student’s desired area of practice. We hope that alumni find guiding law students a very rewarding activity and that students return someday to become mentors.

Program Details

The formal mentor-mentee relationship lasts for six months. Contact after the six-month period is voluntary by both parties and outside the bounds of the Program.
Within the six-month period, the alumni mentor and the student mentee will meet face-to-face at least twice and need not exceed three hours of total face-to-face time. Additional time is greatly encouraged and the Mentor should indicate their time availability. During the six-month period, Mentors should be available to the Student via email and phone for questions. Find face-to-face meeting discussion and activity ideas below.
Alumni mentors and student mentees will fill out a follow-up survey at the end of the six-month period, which will allow for the development of the program through problem solving, feedback, and marketing.

Become an Alumni Mentor

Any Colorado Law alumni working in Colorado is encouraged to sign up to become a mentor. We hope to expand the program beyond Colorado soon.

To sign up, please complete the Alumni Mentor Sign-up Form and email it to the Alumni Mentoring Program Coordinator at lawmentor@colorado.edu.

Once you are paired with a student mentee, you will receive an email that will include their contact information, personal statement, and resume. Your student mentee is responsible for contacting you to set up an initial meeting.

Become a Student Mentee

Colorado Law students who wish to participate must be a 2L or a 3L* and must know the general area of law in which they would like to practice (e.g., firm/government/public or family/business/environment).** If you do not meet both of these requirements, you will not be matched with an alumni mentor at this time. The program is not intended to provide job placement or individual tutoring.

To sign up, please complete the Student Mentee Sign-up Form and email it to the Alumni Mentoring Program Coordinator at lawmentor@colorado.edu.

Once you are paired with an alumni mentor, you will receive an email letting you know their name and preferred contact method. You are responsible for contacting your alumni mentor to set up the initial meeting.

NOTES:
*1Ls are encouraged to participate in the Women’s Law Caucus 1L Mentoring Program. They send program information to incoming 1Ls the summer before their 1L year. Students may sign up for the Alumni Mentoring Program at the end of their 1L year, and will be considered a 2L during the summer following their 1L year.

** If you are not yet sure of your area of practice, but would like to talk to a lawyer in a given area of practice, the Career Development Office can give you names and contact information for alumni who are willing to have a one-time conversation about that practice area.

Conversation Starters

Student Mentees should come to face-to-face meetings with 1-2 specific topics he or she would like to discuss with Alumni Mentors. Students should let Mentors know what topic(s) they are hoping to discuss at the meeting so that the Mentor has time to prepare. Otherwise, it may be beneficial to decide together at the beginning of the meeting which topic(s) to discuss. Discussion topics can include:

Mentor’s advice on going into the field of work
Mentor’s career path advice for Student in today's job market
Mentor’s experience in his or her field, including their opinions about the field, commonly faced ethical issues, and future of the field
Mentor’s typical day, courtroom experiences, case load
Critique of the Student’s current resume
Law school courses that may benefit the Student
Strategies and opportunities for networking in Mentor’s field, including professional associations, boards, and institutes to join
Paid and volunteer opportunities in the field
Mentor’s pro bono legal work or non-legal volunteering
Techniques for maintaining relationships or non-legal interests, and Mentor’s favorite places to socialize outside of work

Activities

The first face-to-face meeting should be somewhere where you can talk uninterrupted, such as a restaurant, coffeehouse, or the Mentor’s office. Students and Mentors can also take advantage of numerous legal and networking settings, especially for future meetings:

Mentors could invite Students to attend law firm and bar association events to introduce the Student to other practitioners with whom the Student could network.
Mentors could invite Students to “shadow” them for part or all of a workday.
Mentors could invite Students to observe a court hearing, deposition, or other legal activity. It may be a good to schedule a short “debrief” time afterward to discuss the activity.
Mentors could invite Students to observe or participate in a legal volunteering opportunity like “Legal Night at Mi Casa” or one of the Denver Bar Association’s Clinics. It may be a good to schedule a short “debrief” time afterward to discuss the activity.

Comments and Questions

If you would like to comment on the program in general or on your own experience as a mentor or mentee, there is a place to do so on the Colorado Law Alumni LinkedIn Mentoring page. LinkedIn is a networking website for professionals. For instructions on how to sign up for the Alumni Mentoring Program page on LinkedIn, please click here.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the Alumni Mentoring Program Coordinator at lawmentor@colorado.edu.

Resources

Whether you a Mentor or Student, please make the most of this opportunity and be prepared. A successful relationship is one in which the Student is prepared and appreciative and the Mentor is forthcoming and available. Here are some additional sources for understanding mentoring within the law:

Other Student-Mentor Programs

The University of Colorado at Boulder Law School

Mentoring Resources

Student- Alumni Mentoring Program