The value of mentorship or sponsorship is hard to quantify in a lawyer’s career, but if you talk to any practicing lawyer, they’ll probably tell you that one or more mentors have played an important part in their career. Traditionally, becoming a lawyer has been something of an apprenticeship, with recent law school graduates and newer lawyers learning from more experienced and senior lawyers. Historically, becoming a licensed lawyer involved an actual apprenticeship. In some jurisdictions, apprenticeships still provide a pathway to becoming a licensed lawyer, and the articling process in Canada provides an apprenticeship on the way toward being called to the bar. Many summer jobs that 1Ls and 2Ls take also serve as apprenticeships of sorts. In today’s world of lawyering, mentors fill many roles that traditional apprenticeships used to fill. Mentors can help you unravel some of the mysteries of the practice and the profession, and they can provide access to seemingly mysterious aspects of the profession, such as local practice rules or the office culture of a particular workplace. They can also be sources of inspiration and encouragement when you’re tired, frustrated, or feeling like you’re just not getting it — feelings that all lawyers go through at one time or another.
Mentors can be part of a formal mentoring program, or they can spring from relationships that happen organically through networking or other types of social or business interactions. Many law firms have formal mentorship programs, too. At their best, mentors can provide you with a different perspective, boost your self-confidence, broaden your network, and increase your job performance and satisfaction.
While nearly every lawyer will have one or more mentors during their professional lives, not everyone has a sponsor, but the value of a sponsor can be enormous. If mentors are like coaches, sponsors are more like agents who represent you and work to advance your career. Mentors can suggest pathways, but sponsors can take you down those pathways and open doors for you along the way. Sponsors invest in you in a different way and stake some of their reputation on your success. Sponsors are loyal supporters of your career advancement, and that loyalty should be reciprocal. They have placed their trust in you and your success, and you should honor that trust by working your hardest to succeed. It’s important that both the sponsor and the person being sponsored have a clear understanding of what the relationship is about, what its goals are, and what the responsibilities of each person in the relationship will be. While much rarer than a mentoring relationship, a professional sponsor relationship can be exceptionally valuable and should be respected for the gift it is.