Mentorship

Mentor Application (pdf)

Mentee Application (pdf)

Based on an ongoing need from the legal community, the Gate City Bar Judicial Section has developed a Mentorship Program. This program will serve three areas in the legal community: First, to assist new judges with their transition onto the bench; Second, to partner judges with minority attorneys in an effort to assist the attorneys interested in pursuing and attaining judicial office; Third, to assist judges within our membership in a collaborative consultative manner with quicker responses to critical questions on issues that may arise through their carrying out the business of their respective courts.  

The mission statement for this program is “To provide newer judges with advice and counsel from more experienced judges in an environment that encourages open and practical exchange, to support the American Bar Association’s efforts to attain greater diversity in the judiciary, and to provide systemized and structured advisory support to the membership of the Gate City Bar Association Judicial Section “.

The following will serve as an outline of action steps for establishing components of the program –

Judge to Judge Mentorship Program

1. A qualified list of experienced judges who are willing to participate in the program as mentors will be developed.
2. The program coordinator or committee chair shall seek out judges who have more than five (5) years experience on the bench, and have completed at least one term on their present court. The coordinator will specifically seek out retired judges to serve as mentors.
3. Once accepted as a mentor, the judge will serve as such until that judge asks, or is asked to be removed from the program.
4. Any judge that is a member of the Gate City Bar Judicial Section, may apply as a mentee.
5. Upon application of a judge as a mentee, the coordinator of the program shall meet with that judge to choose a mentor from the list of available mentors.  The coordinator shall be responsible for contacting that mentor to check for availability and willingness to take on the mentee judge.
6. Once matched, the mentor and mentee shall meet the following benchmarks to complete the initial mentorship program requirements.
   1. Initial contact shall be the responsibility of the mentor. The mentor will be asked to contact their mentee within 10 business days of assignment.
      
   2. The mentor and mentee shall have their initial meeting in a mutually agreed upon place.
      
   3. The mentee shall be invited to do observations with the mentor in any required courtrooms
   4. The mentor may find it necessary to make references for supplemental judicial development, suggested training courses, and reference materials.
   5. The mentor may share a copy or make reference to The Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, as the mentee should be encouraged to familiarize themselves with this code and ask the mentor any questions that they may have concerning the intent, clarity or practical interpretation of the code.
   6. Additional mentorship activities are encouraged to provide the mentee with access to critical information, court resources, and one on one interaction, counseling, relationship building and guidance.
7. The duration of the mentor/ mentee relationship shall be determined by the participants, but should not be shorter than 6 months.  However, we encourage it to continue beyond this period.

Judge to Lawyer Mentorship Program

1. A qualified list of judges who are willing to participate in the program as mentors will be developed.
2. The program coordinator or committee chair will seek recruit mentor judges from ranks of judges who were both appointed and/or elected to their present positions.
3. Once accepted as a mentor, the judge will serve as such until that judge asks, or is asked to be removed from the program.
4. Any attorney who has a membership in one of the National Bar Association affiliated organizations within the state of Georgia, and has at least five (5) years of documented legal experience, may apply as a mentee. The attorney must also have demonstrated commitment to community service or public service.
5. Upon receipt of an application of an attorney as a mentee, the program coordinator shall meet with that attorney to determine eligibility.
6.  If the attorney is accepted into the mentorship program, they will be asked to meet with the coordinator to choose a judge from the list of available mentors.  The program coordinator will notify that mentor and check for availability and willingness to take on the mentee lawyer.
7. Once matched, the mentor and mentee shall have to follow benchmarks to complete the initial mentorship program requirements.

1. Initial contact will be the responsibility of the mentor. The mentor will be asked to contact their mentee within 10 business days of assignment.
2. The mentor and mentee shall have their initial meeting in a mutually agreed upon place.
3. The mentor and mentee are encouraged to meet outside of the professional environment in order to foster a more personal relationship.
4. The mentee should be invited to do observation in the mentor’s courtrooms while in session.
5. The mentor is encouraged to provide professional advice and guidance where needed in their everyday practice of law.
6. The mentor and mentee shall maintain regular contact at least once a month for the initial 6 months of the mentorship program.
7. The mentor shall provide references to any material or suggested training courses that will help the mentee in developing their resume and skills for application to the bench.
8. The mentor will share a copy or make reference to “The Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct” and “The Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct”. The mentee should be encouraged to familiarize themselves with these codes, and ask the mentor any questions that they may have concerning the intent, clarity or practical interpretation of them.  
9. Additional mentorship activities are encouraged to provide the mentee with access to critical information, court resources, and one on one interaction, counseling, relationship building and guidance.  

8. The duration of the mentor mentee relationship shall be determined by the participants but should not be shorter than 1 year, or, until the mentor takes a judicial position.

Emergency Response Mentorship Program

1. A qualified list of experienced judges who are willing to participate in the program as mentors will be developed.
2. The program coordinator or committee chair shall seek out judges who have more than five (5) years experience. The coordinator will especially seek out retired judges to serve as mentors.
3. Once accepted as a mentor the judge will serve as such, until that judge asks or is asked to be removed from the program.
4. Any member of the Gate City Bar Judicial Section may apply as a mentee.
5. The mentee shall contact the coordinator (name to be published on the website and all other public documents of the judicial section) to inform that are in need of the service from the emergency response mentor.
6. The coordinator will assign a mentor from the list within one business day. The mentor’s list will not be kept in a particular order but will rotate based on last assignment.
7. The coordinator shall contact the emergency mentor and provide only the information that the mentee would like to share for contact purposes.  The mentee will also be provided with the contact information for the mentor.
8. Both the mentor and mentee are asked to make initial contact within one business day of assignment.
9. The mentor will only be asked to work with the mentee per emergency issue. They will not be required to develop an on going relationship.