The mentoring program is mandatory for all qualifying lawyers. A qualifying lawyer is any lawyer admitted under Rule 402, SCACR, on or after April 1, 2012, if that lawyer (1) is a resident of the State of South Carolina or practices law in an office located in South Carolina on more than a temporary basis; and (2) has not previously practiced law actively in another jurisdiction for more than two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What am I expected to do? Mentors are expected to provide their mentee with about one hour of support and interaction per month. Most of this interaction will take place via email and other web-related tools (for example, instant messaging) or face-to-face, as appropriate. Mentors should work with their mentee to determine what kind of support will be most useful—specific feedback related to finding jobs, general career advice, information on higher studies, technical information, personal encouragement, and so on.
- How long will the mentors be available? We ask our mentors to make commitments of at least six months to one year in order to ensure that the mentee is able to fully benefit from the relationship. If a mentor must leave the relationship early, we request at least one month's notice in order to search for a replacement mentor with similar background.
- Are there any potential risks to me or my company? No. It is not appropriate for mentors to engage in any business transactions with their mentees; instead, the relationship should only involve the flow of general information and advice.
- Relationship is not going well or I am concerned about membership, what to do? We encourage letting the mentor know about the situation and contact the Admin Immediately. We will provide our full support to resolve the situation in a positive and satisfactory manner.
Mentee DO's
- TAKE A PROACTIVE ROLE IN SHAPING THE RELATIONSHIP
- Understand what you want from the mentoring relationship and communicate your goals and aspirations to your mentor. Balance personal and professional relationship with your mentor.
- Set aside time for the mentoring process and keep all scheduled appointments with your mentor and display professional behavior.
- PUT THE TIME WITH MENTOR TO THE BEST USE. Come to meetings with your mentor prepared with planned topics.
- Respond in a timely manner to your mentor's feedback. Respond to emails from your mentor at most two days after receipt.
- Be open and honest with your mentor about your challenges and weaknesses.
- If something concerning the mentor needs to be discussed with others, it should first be discussed within the mentoring relationship.
Mentee DON'Ts
- Ask for advice on everything. Have a purpose in each request.
- Blame the mentor if his or her advice doesn't work out.
- Expect the mentor to know all the answers.
- Commit yourself to obligations you cannot keep.
- Cancel meetings/visits with your mentor at the last minute.
