From the President: Mentors Make Transition Smoother for Young Lawyers

by Denise Warner

Community – one of the reasons why I love DeKalb County. A couple of months ago, after a civil trial calendar call, I spoke with two seasoned attorneys regarding a case. At the end of the conversation, one of them commented that one of the attorneys at the calendar call was the grandson of another attorney with whom they practiced around 30 years ago. It warmed my heart to see two attorneys reminisce about their successful careers and take pride in another generation of DeKalb County attorneys.

We are members of a profession – an occupation requiring considerable training and specialized study. As such, we have respect for the hard work and dedication it takes to succeed. Let’s not forget that once we were young attorneys who could always benefit from a mentor.

To assist beginning lawyers in their transition from student to professional, the Supreme Court of Georgia authorized the State Bar of Georgia to create the Transition Into Law Practice program, an educational program that combines a Mentoring component with a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) component. The core of the program is to match beginning lawyers, after admission to the Bar, with a mentor during their first year of practice.

The purpose of the program is to afford every beginning lawyer newly admitted to the State Bar of Georgia with meaningful access to an experienced lawyer equipped to teach the practical skills, seasoned judgment, and sensitivity to ethical and professionalism values necessary to practice law in a highly competent manner.

“Several” years ago, I appeared before a judge who had the patience of a saint. At the end of the day, I thanked him for his patience. His reply, “What, I was never a young attorney?” I encourage you to reach back to a young attorney in your area of practice, and volunteer as a mentor in the Transition into Law Practice program. If you don’t have time to volunteer with the program, invite a young attorney to lunch or sit with him or her at the next DBA luncheon and discuss your experience in court or how you handle discovery disputes.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou