Written by Tyler Hurst, Lex Tecnica Law Clerk
I have been fortunate to have many mentors at different stages of my life.
When I was pursuing my master’s degree, I had to choose a thesis chair to guide me through the process of researching, writing, revising, and ultimately defending a substantial academic project. The professor I chose was currently teaching in the English department (which my thesis was about and where I was studying for my master’s degree) and had experience with many of the same pedagogical ideas I was interested in. We also shared an interest in creative writing, which mattered because much of my work focused on how creative writing concepts could be applied in the classroom to reach previously unreachable students.
At the time, I wanted to become a teacher or professor, so I was not simply looking for the most senior person in the English department available. I was looking for someone who understood the kind of work I wanted to do and who could help me improve.
Later, when I was teaching high school English in Texas, a step on my anticipated path at the time to college professorship, I found another mentor in a very experienced art teacher who taught at the same grade level who became my mentor and friend. On paper, that pairing may not have seemed obvious. We taught different subjects. Our classrooms looked different. But he understood students, the stresses of teaching, classroom management, and the pressures that came with being a newer educator. We are still friends today.
More importantly, both of those mentors shared certain qualities. They were patient. They were approachable. They were willing to answer questions without making me feel foolish for asking them. And they were genuinely invested in helping me improve.
Experience Is Not Enough
When you are new to the law, it can be tempting to think that finding a mentor simply means attaching yourself to the first experienced attorney willing to give you advice.
Experience matters, of course. A good mentor should know things you do not know. They should have encountered problems you have not yet seen and made mistakes you have not yet had the opportunity to make.
But experience alone does not make someone a good mentor.
A mentor also needs to be willing to teach.
There is a difference between someone who knows a great deal and someone who is capable of passing that knowledge on. A brilliant attorney who has no patience for questions may be valuable to observe, but may not be the person who helps you grow the most.
Consider, as an example, the differences in the mentorship styles of Harry Potter’s Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall. Severus’s entire modus operandi as a teacher is one of being intelligent, imposing, and unapproachable whereas McGonagall is compassionate, stern, and honest. Who would you prefer to trust with your instruction?
The mentor-mentee relationship also has to make sense for the person being mentored. Shared interests certainly help. So do shared professional goals, similar ways of thinking, or simply a personality fit that makes honest conversations easier. But, in the end, mentorship is personal. What works for one person may not work for another. You need to know what you need from your mentor.
Look for Someone Who Will Invest in You
The best mentors I have had made me feel as though my development mattered to them. However, they have also challenged me. A good mentor should tell you when your work needs refining. They should point out weaknesses you may not see in yourself and push you toward assignments that make you uncomfortable. Good mentors, with their breadth of experience, can see flaws that you might not yet see in your own work.
For a young attorney or law clerk, that kind of guidance can be invaluable. There will be motions you have never drafted, hearings you have never attended, unfamiliar areas of law, and questions you do not yet know enough to ask.
A good mentor helps close that gap.
They do not simply hand you the answer. They explain why an argument works, why a draft does not, what they would have done differently, and what you should be thinking about next time.
That kind of teaching can compress years of trial and error into individual conversations.
Mentorship as Craftsmanship
There is something almost craftsmanlike about good mentorship.
Greek mythology offers an interesting image in Hephaestus, the god of the forge, who was associated with creating extraordinary objects through skill, patience, and careful work. In some traditions, the bronze giant automaton Talos (a being who protected the island of Crete from pirates and invaders) is attributed to Hephaestus as one of those creations.
Good mentoring is rarely dramatic. It happens through repeated effort. How many hammer strikes do you think it took Hephaestus to create Talos? The point is that it took the focused effort of Hephaestus, and the pliability of Talos, to make the process work.
The story of Daedalus and Icarus offers a different lesson.
Daedalus gives Icarus the tools he needs to fly and warns him about the dangers ahead. He tells him not to fly too low or too high. Icarus ultimately ignores that guidance, flies too close to the sun, and falls when his wings melt.
There is a lesson there for both sides of a mentoring relationship. A mentor can teach, warn, and prepare, but the person being mentored still has to listen. Guidance is only useful if someone is willing to receive it.
Find Someone You Can Learn From
A good mentor should be someone you respect, but also someone you can be honest with.
You need to be able to say, “I do not understand this.”
You need to be able to bring them a draft that you know is not perfect.
You need to be willing to hear, “This is not working,” without treating the criticism as a personal failure.
That kind of relationship requires trust from both sides.
You may not know immediately who your best mentors will be. Some may emerge from obvious places, like a supervising attorney in the practice area that interests you most. Others may surprise you, just as an art teacher once became one of the most valuable mentors I had as an English teacher.
For new attorneys, there are few resources more valuable than someone who has already walked the road ahead and is willing to turn around and help you navigate that same path.
Look for someone experienced, knowledgeable, and willing to challenge you. But also look for someone patient, willing to explain, and who keeps your best interests in mind. Then do your part to match that mentor’s investment.
A good mentor can help shape the kind of attorney you become. But like any good craftsman knows, the material has to be willing to be worked by the Forgemaster in order to create the finished product, You.
This article has been reviewed and approved for legal accuracy by Kathleen Ireland, Esq. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
