Mentoring

It takes a village...

Promoting a collegial and strong bench and bar is at the heart of The Advocates’ Society, and mentoring is a key piece of our work to support the profession. Each year TAS offers members a variety of ways to seek advice and support, through group mentoring events and one-to-one connections via our new online Mentoring Portal. 

Mentoring

What's on This Page:

New TAS Mentoring Portal
Types of Mentoring
TAS Mentoring Guide

Mentors and Mentees Connect on the NEW TAS Mentoring Portal

Registered Members can access the Member-Only TAS Mentoring Portal Here.

The Advocates’ Society launched a new mentoring program exclusively for TAS members in January 2023. The program is hosted on Mentorship Rocket, a Canadian platform that supports micro-mentoring sessions. At this time, the program platform is only available in English, but we are working with Mentorship Rocket to build out a fully bilingual (French) site to launch later in 2023.

We know isolation has become a significant issue for junior counsel since 2020, so a key goal of this new mentoring program is to create a simple way for new and less experienced members to feel more connected to their professional community, and obtain some career advice from more senior members of the bar. This program model is convenient, efficient and effective:
 
·  No long-term commitments.
·  No extensive questionnaires or profile setups.
·  No heavy agendas, minute taking or long-term planning.
 
Just simple connection and conversation for junior lawyers to get some tips and connect with someone new. And if there is a fit? Great! You and your mentee can choose to connect or meet again. But that is up to you. 

TAS Junior Members* (called to the bar less than 5 years) are automatically loaded to the Mentorship Rocket portal and can access their accounts directly here https://www.mentorshiprocket.com/AdvocatesSociety_2023. New Junior Members will be added to the program when their membership is approved by the Board. 

TAS Regular Members (5+ years of call) can register to be a mentee in the program here .
Once you register to be a mentee, TAS staff will set you up in the portal and send you log on instructions by email within a few days.

Information for all mentees, once you set up your account:

  • You will have access to the gallery of 100+ TAS mentors. New mentors will be added regularly, so keep checking back.
  • Choosing a mentor is in the mentee's control. Mentees review profiles in the mentor gallery and contact mentors with available sessions for a one-hour micro-mentoring session at a time convenient to both parties.
  • The program allows up to 12 mentoring sessions during the program offering mentees the opportunity to connect with a variety of experienced counsel.
  • Mentoring sessions are intended to be an informal way for mentees to seek advice on topics important to them.
  • Mentoring sessions can be up to one hour.
*Due to program space limitations, TAS Student Members are not currently eligible to register for the Mentorship Rocket Mentoring Program. Student members who apply will be placed on a waiting list and notified if space opens up. 

Want to be a Mentor for the new program?  Regular TAS members (8+ years of call) can opt in to be a mentor on their member profile on the TAS website under the Preferences tab. TAS staff will add you to the Mentorship Rocket portal and provide you with set up instructions.  

 

Registered Members can access the Member-Only TAS Mentoring Portal Here

What is One-to-One Mentoring?

  • One-to-one mentoring can range from an informal coffee chat to a more formal, longer term relationship.
  • Developing a one to one mentoring relationship can offer excellent short or long term support to lawyers of any vintage who have questions to ask.
  • Mentors can be found at formal mentoring programs run by firms, law schools or law societies, or more informal programs like the new TAS Mentoring Portal, where members can connect with someone to gather some tips and advice.
  • If you are seeking a longer term mentoring relationship, we encourage you to read our Resource Guide for Mentoring, to help you prepare and set some goals.


What is Group Mentoring?

  • Participants can pose questions – and learn from questions posed by their peers – in an open and supportive environment.
  • The social setting promotes diversity and inclusion by demonstrating the wide variety of approaches that can be used to address challenges.
  • Formal group mentoring creates new connections for participants, both with their peers and with their experienced mentors.
  • Some group mentoring offered by The Advocates' Society:
    • Mentoring Dinners and Events
    • Mentoring Round Tables at conferences such as Fall Forum and Women in Litigation
    • Advocacy Skills Training Workshops

 
Have questions about our mentoring programs or want to volunteer to be a mentor?  We are happy to help. Contact Robin Black, Director, Marketing & Membership at robin@advocates.ca  

The Advocates’ Society Mentoring Guide

The Advocates’ Society is committed to providing effective mentoring to advocates who are in the early stages of their practice.  In addition to our regular mentoring events, we welcome you to read our newly revised publication "The Advocates' Society Mentoring Guide". This resource was developed by our Collegiality, Mentoring & Membership Standing Committee (CMM) during the 2022/2023 term. The Guide provides helpful tips for both mentees and mentors who seek to develop a mentoring relationship, including those participating in micro-mentoring sessions on the new TAS Mentoring Portal. We hope you will find this to be a valuable resource. 

The Advocates' Society Mentoring Guide