Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey

Thank you for your support and participation! Below you will find information on what is expected of you as a mentor in the program. The Committee remains available to answer any questions you may have and offer support. The following is intended to provide some insight into the program and the upcoming events. Please visit us at www.njhba.org to keep abreast of the latest events and receptions!

“The fundamental purpose of mentoring is learning. A mentor is someone who takes an interest in you and helps you learn what you need to know to become a successful lawyer. As you form your professional identity, having mentors lets you learn from people with more experience, diverse perspectives, and different personal styles. By observing and interacting with a mentor, you learn more quickly than by trial and error; you get individual attention, encouragement and feedback; you are challenged to stretch, grow and become more self-reliant; and you gain important personal contacts and access to professional resources.” Ida O. Abbott, Esq., author of “The Lawyer’s Guide to Mentoring,” in “Learning From Your Mentor,” NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL (September 19, 2000).

I. Suggested Meetings

A. First Year Students

First Month (September)
Attend the MEET YOUR MENTEE/MENTOR RECEPTION (September 19, 2007 at 8:30 p.m. at 27 Mix, Newark, NJ)
Begin the process of getting to know each other
Tell them what to expect from law school
Discuss expectations and roles

Second Month (October)
Status Check: Have you met with your student at least once?
Make a general inquiry as to the student’s workload, how they are adjusting to law school and what their study habits are like.
Assist in any of the aforementioned areas

Periodically (November, December, January)
Status Check: Same as above
Telephone contact may be more practicable although not as desirable as personal contact
Consider inviting your student to lunch, office and Bar Association holiday parties, etc.

Fifth Month or Sixth Month(January/February)
Provide Summer Employment/Job Search Assistance
Provide Cover Letter/Resume Writing Review
Provide Interviewing Tips
(Set up Mock Interviews)

Eighth Month
Status Check
Last Minute Tips
Provide Summer Employment/Job Search Assistance

B. Second Year Students
First Month (September)
Attend the MEET YOUR MENTEE/MENTOR RECEPTION (September 19, 2007 at 8:30 p.m. at 27 Mix, Newark, NJ)
Begin the process of getting to know each other
Discuss the student’s first year experience both legal and otherwise (if poor, clean slate, if good, build on strengths)
Discuss expectations and roles

Second Month (October)
Status Check: Have you met with your student at least once?
Make a general inquiry as to the student’s workload, how they are adjusting to law school and what their study habits are like
Assist in any of the aforementioned areas

Periodically (November, December, January)
Status Check: Same as above
Telephone contact may be more practicable although not as desirable as personal contact.
Consider inviting your student to lunch, office and Bar Association holiday parties, etc.

Fifth Month or Sixth Month(January/February)
Provide Summer Employment Assistance
Provide Cover Letter/Resume Writing Review
Provide Interviewing Tips
(Set up Mock Interviews)
Bring Your Mentee to Work Day

Eighth Month
Status Check
Last Minute Tips
Provide Summer Employment Assistance

C. Third Year Students
First Month (September)
Attend the MEET YOUR MENTEE/MENTOR RECEPTION (September 19, 2007 at 8:30 p.m. at 27 Mix, Newark, NJ)
Begin the process of getting to know each other
Talk about employment opportunities and answer questions
Discuss expectations and roles

Second Month (October)
Status Check: Have you met with your student at least once?
Make a general inquiry as to the student’s workload, how they are adjusting to their third year, what the status of their employment search is, their career goals, do they have an updated resume?
Assist in any of the aforementioned areas

Third Month (November)
Provide Resume and Cover Letter Review & Reworking
Discuss Networking Opportunities
Periodically (November, December, January)
Status Check: Same as above
Telephone contact may be more practicable although not as desirable as personal contact.
Consider inviting your student to lunch, office and Bar Association holiday parties, etc.

Fifth Month (January)
Focused Employment Search (Research with your student the requirements for practice in your student’s area of interest)
Focus on Interviewing Skills (set up Mock Interviews)
Discuss & Provide Networking Opportunities

Sixth (February), Seventh (March), Eighth (April), Ninth (May) & Tenth (June) Month
Help student prepare for Bar Exam by giving practical advice, study tips, etc.
Networking, Networking, Networking
Bring Your Mentee to Work Day
Bring Your Mentee to Court Day
Bring Your Mentee Home to Dinner Day
Periodically (July, August, September)
Check in to see how Student/Mentee is doing and if they can use your help in anything.

The primary goal of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey’s (HBA-NJ) Mentorship Program is to partner Hispanic law students from New Jersey’s law schools with attorneys who can help them adjust to the rigors of law school, help them choose a career path and prepare for that career path. A mentor should also help the student learn how to deal with the inevitable stress associated with these challenges.

II. Program Description

A. Formal Mentoring

HBA-NJ’s Mentorship Program includes first, second and third year law students from all three of New Jersey’s law schools. The program partners with the law schools’ Latino student organizations who serve as our liaisons to the students. This year each law school has a designated liasion. (See below for contact information.)

HBA-NJ will organize four (4) panel discussions and workshops throughout the year. They will cover topics ranging from networking and career alternatives to how to write an effective resume and cover letter. Our workshops will be held at the law schools and will be open to students as well as HBA-NJ members. They will be free of charge. Panelists will include Hispanic attorneys from the New Jersey/New York area. The panel discussions and workshops will serve as a resource guide for students about the opportunities that are available to them and what they need to do in order to take advantage of them. HBA-NJ will also host two receptions - one at the opening and the other at the conclusion of this year’s mentorship program. At the receptions, the students will have the opportunity to meet with each other, get to know their mentors, and network with other attorneys.

First and second year law students will be partnered with a mentor who will focus on helping the student make the transition to law school, finding internships and securing summer employment. Mentors are expected to provide thoughtful counsel when it is requested of them and should not hesitate to share both their wisdom and experience on any relevant topic. Mentors are also asked to meet with the student on a regular basis. Third year law students will be partnered with a mentor who will be asked to focus on career development in a more student specific manner. This should include, but not be limited to, advising and assisting them in planning how to obtain challenging work assignments, while successfully managing heavy workload demands and competing priorities. Mentors will be assigned based on their areas of practice and a student’s interest in that area. Students who participate in the program each year will be given the opportunity in their third year of being assigned to one of their former mentors. First and second year students will be given new mentors, whenever possible, in order to expose them to a number of different attorneys.

B. Informal Mentoring

The core of HBA-NJ’s Mentorship Program is informal mentoring. HBA-NJ strongly encourages its mentors to develop a highly meaningful and professional relationship with our students.

III. Program Administration

HBA-NJ will coordinate all panel discussions, workshop and/or mixers in conjunction with the law school student organization liaisons, will prepare and distribute study kits, and will provide assistance and guidance to mentors participating in the program. The HBA-NJ Mentorship Program Committee Members for 2007-2008 are Jaclyn Medina, Committee Chair and Carol Dominguez and Maria Hernandez, Committee Vice-Chairs. Our contact information is below. Any questions regarding the 2007-2008 Mentorship Program should be directed to the Mentor Liaison assigned to your Mentee’s School. Carol Dominguez is the Mentor Liaison for Seton Hall Law School ; Maria Hernandez is the Mentor Liaison for Rutgers School of Law- Camden and Jaclyn Medina is the liaison to Rutgers Law School- Newark.