Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, February 2006 (Vol. 34, No. 6). All rights reserved.

LIAISON NOTEBOOK

Liaison Notebook includes reports of Law Student Division members who represent the Division in the ABA's practice-related sections, divisions, forums, and other entities. For information on how to become a student liaison, visit www.abanet.org/lsd/elections and scroll down to "Liaisons."

GP Solo Division Offers Students a Unique Mentoring Program

by Alan Fowler

As billable-hour requirements and other time constraints have increased, the legal profession’s opportunities for mentoring have decreased. Generally, law schools do not impart the practical knowledge once taught by seasoned attorneys. The result: New practitioners often begin their career without a mentor. To address the need for mentoring in the law, the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division (GP Solo) offers the GP Solo Law Student Mentoring Certificate Program.

While most mentoring programs are based on occasional meetings between seasoned practitioners and young lawyers, GP Solo’s mentoring program does more. A certificate can only be earned by completing a series of requirements through which law students receive personal and professional rewards. Law students gain valuable insight to the practice of law under the supervision of a newfound friend and teacher. The certificate is a good conversation starter in job interviews, and it’s a tangible, ABA-sponsored certification that gives real-world texture to law students’ résumés.

One of the beauties of the program is its flexibility. Law students pick their own mentors, tailor the program’s criteria to their professional interests, and complete the program at their own pace. All law students are eligible to participate in the program, as long as they are members of the ABA and GP Solo.

Law student membership in GP Solo is free. Any lawyer can serve as a mentor, regardless of their membership status in the ABA. Certificate materials must be submitted by April 19.
For more information, please visit www.abanet.org/genpractice or e-mail me at alan.fowler@student.mercer.edu.

Alan Fowler, a student at Mercer University School of Law, is the ABA Law Student Division’s liaison to the General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division.

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