Law Times

Page 12 May 25, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com firms, organizations seeking options to facilitate mentoring By marg. Bruineman For Law Times W hen Ryan Kniznik articled at MacDonald & Partners LLP, he noticed a culture of support at the family law boutique. So when he joined as an associate last year, he took advantage of in-house mentoring opportunities. Being new to the practice of law, Kniznik realized there was a lot he didn't yet know about business and business develop- ment. "There are constantly new issues coming up," says Kniznik, who has developed a mentoring arrangement with man- aging partner Gary Jo- seph and is comfortable seeking guidance from any of the firm's senior lawyers. The relationship with Joseph is especially ben- eficial, says Kniznik, who's carving out a niche in appeal work. Joseph has developed a large family law appeals practice in addition to his other family law responsibilities. "That's why I've been able to quickly get into this," says Kniznik. Despite the obvious benefits of men- toring, it seems it often remains one of those items that never advance beyond the to-do list. "Mentoring is in huge decline, not just in law but in all professions, because of time," says Linda Robertson, a Vancou- ver-based lawyer coach. "We practised law in a different era and at a slower pace than today. . . . They have huge billable quotas now." While lawyers can receive continuing professional development credits for be- ing either a mentor or a mentee, mentor- ing doesn't necessarily contribute to the firm's bottom line. Client development and revenue generation increasingly trump any activity that doesn't directly contribute to profit. "Law firms need to create an environ- ment to do it and tie it around compensa- tion or it won't happen," says Robertson. But with a clear desire to encourage mentoring, the profession is respond- ing. The Law Society of Upper Canada is currently looking at mentorship issues through its consultation paper on the challenges faced by racialized licensees. It also has a mentoring task force that's looking at mentoring and advisory ser- vices for lawyers and paralegals. Several organizations undertake ef- forts around mentoring when it comes to mutual interests or concerns. The Women's Law Association of Ontario, South Asian Bar Association, Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, and The Advocates' Society's young advocates committee all have their own mentoring programs. Robertson participated in the devel- opment of the mentoring program of the Canadian Bar Association British Co- lumbia branch's women lawyers forum that matches mentors with mentees. The concept is to find a mentor for the prov- ince's women lawyers whether they're in Vancouver or an outlying community. Someone in a small community, for in- stance, may want a mentor who practises elsewhere in order to avoid potential con- f lict issues. The hope, says Robertson, is to take the program national. The Legal Leaders for Diversity launched its mentoring program in Sep- tember, matching 25 mentors with men- tees. The organization, along with the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Net- work, aims to promote inclusion and diversity in the legal profession. Av Maharaj, a corporate lawyer who works on business development at Fasken Martineau Du- Moulin LLP and is him- self a mentor, developed the program with Mark Hemingway, senior vice president of corporate development and gover- nance and general coun- sel at CIBC Mellon. After compiling the list of mentors and men- tees and making the matches, organizers held a training ses- sion to orientate all of the participants who then arranged their own one-on- one meeting dates. "This is a step to people having more positive role models and inf luences in their careers," says Maharaj. Both Maharaj and Robertson say having more than one mentor can also be advantageous. In fact, lawyers with multiple mentors proved to benefit most, Fiona Kay and Jean Wallace concluded in their longitudinal survey of lawyers in 2010. Their goal was to evaluate the im- pact of early career positions and aspira- tions on the chances for mentorship. "Professionals with multiple mentors were the big winners in that they obtain greater and more diverse career rewards over those with one or no mentors," the researchers wrote in the paper. They also cited previous studies that found advantages in earnings and career advancement with those with multiple mentors reaping more diverse career rewards. Additional benefits included enhanced self-esteem, positive work at- titudes, and increased motivation to seek out new experiences. Mentors also gained from assistance on projects and by building their repu- tation for developing new talent at law firms in addition to the personal benefits of friendship, respect, and recognition of their senior status and expertise. Kniznik's mentor, Joseph, saw the value of mentorship when he served as a mentor to several lawyers through the law society program. It's an approach he now encourages at his firm as several of its partners are now mentoring other young lawyers. The mentoring can involve one-on- one meetings, outings to a baseball game or even a trip. The firm also strives to put on monthly associate meetings where it brings in speakers addressing client management, organization, and busi- ness issues as well as substantive topics in family law. "I think it's a big part of our responsi- bility to mentor," says Joseph. "We have a diverse program all with a view to grow them professionally." 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