We are blessed to have over 550 lawyers and judges volunteer their time to serve as mentors.  Our mentors reflect the diversity of our profession in terms of practice areas, employments settings, race and gender.  More importantly, our mentors are among the most respected members of the profession and their communities.

Mentors have a significant impact on the professional development of the student.  First, a mentor who demonstrates successful work habits, technical skills and the highest professional behaviors provides a vision of success for the law student or new associate.  Second, mentors offer suggestions on how to address a variety of professionalism issues.  For example, a mentor may provide insight on handling a full case load, servicing all clients with the same level of attention, treating others with civility and managing one’s own work.  Third, mentors serve as an invaluable resource for a student on a wide variety of issues, ranging from technical skill development, career decisions and ethical dilemmas. 

While there is room for how each mentor guides his or her student, we ask all mentors to assist in realizing the three objectives of the program: 

• To foster the highest levels of professionalism for students and mentors;
• To provide students with both an experiential window through which to view professional obligations in the real world and exposure to the diverse spectrum of work of lawyers and judges;
• To create opportunities for students to engage in conversations with mentors, full- and part-time faculty, and peers about professionalism, the practice of law, and what they are observing and learning through their mentor experience.   

Mentor Responsibilities:

1. Meet with your student sometime during the month of September;
2. Complete, with the student, the Personal and Professional Development Plan (PPDP) at the initial meeting;
3. Complete a minimum of two (2) experiences together during the year;
4. Debrief, or converse, about a minimum of two (2) agreed-upon topics during the year;
5. Meet with your student to review and discuss the student’s activity log in April;
6. Commit 12-15 hours to mentor activities over the course of the nine month school year.

We value personal contact with each of our mentors.  If you are interested in becoming a mentor we would love to tell you more about the program.  Please e-mail us at lawmentors@stthomas.edu.  We look forward to the chance to talk with you!

If you have recently changed your contact information we appreciate the chance to update our records.  Please send us your updated contact information to lawmentors@stthomas.edu .

1. Optional training session. 
   UST Law will apply for 2.0 CLE credits (professional development) for each training session.  Two sessions are offered each fall, one at the Law School and one in downtown St. Paul. Mentors are notified of the sites each Fall and can be found at (add link here)
2. Year-end Mentor Appreciation Reception.
   Be our guest at a reception held each April to honor our mentors and celebrate the end of a successful year with mentors, students, faculty and staff.  Mentors receive the date at the beginning of the year, and an invitation closer to the event.  The reception date can also be found at (add link here)
3. Continuing Legal Education programs offered by University of St. Thomas School of Law, Holloran Center, the Murphy Institute, and UST Law student organizations. 
   Mentors can earn CLE credit for free or at a significantly reduced rate as a show of appreciation for their service in the program.  Details will be provided to mentors as events are scheduled, included in our electronic Mentor Magazine, and on the Mentor Externship page (add link here)
4. Symposia, receptions, and other activities. 
   Mentors have the opportunity to socialize and network with other mentors and the UST School of Law Community.  Details will be provided to mentors as events are scheduled, included in our electronic Mentor Magazine, and on the Mentor Externship page (add link here)
5. Contribute to the Classroom Seminar. 
   Mentors are encouraged to offer insight on important classroom topics, attend classes, and contribute to class discussion to share the benefit of their experience with students.