Mentors and sponsors can be found in many different ways. The most common way is through a mentoring program, where lawyers are matched with other lawyers. Many law schools, bar associations, law firms, and other legal employers have formal mentoring programs. Other mentor relationships spring to life organically, but they don’t happen without some effort on your part. There is no way to meet a potential mentor unless you are out there, meeting people — which seems obvious, but many lawyers, particularly early in their careers, find themselves so busy that they do not prioritize networking.
In general, make it a priority to be meeting and getting to know new people for your entire law career. Mentors can be found anywhere, but they won’t be found unless you’re out there getting to know them. When a relationship clicks and two people find they have an interest in one another that is more than passing, a mentoring relationship can blossom. Either party might suggest a mentoring relationship, or a mentoring relationship might unfold organically without ever being named by either party.
One of the things that distinguishes a mentoring relationship from other kinds of professional friendships is that the parties agree to meet on a regular basis. It can be once a week, once a month, twice a year, or whatever works for the two people involved, and those meetings can be virtual or in person. They can involve a regular Zoom meeting, a regular coffee date, or a meeting in the office.
Similarly, sponsors can be found in different ways. While formal sponsoring programs are much less common than mentoring programs, they do exist. In that case, a person is matched with a sponsor through the program. But sponsor relationships can also happen organically. Sponsor relationships require even more explicit communication between the two parties about the responsibility of each party, and a sponsor relationship can never be assumed. You may encounter someone in your professional life who chooses to do something to advance your career, but that does not by itself rise to the level of sponsorship.