Mentoring – Building Resilience And Careers at the Bar

In 2018, the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture is expanding its mentoring programme. The Association is encouraging a diverse range of practitioners across all levels of experience, practice areas and life stages, throughout New Zealand to become involved as mentors or mentees.

The mentor panel is currently made up of senior practitioners in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch who are available to act as mentors to barristers at any level of experience. The aim is to provide confidential support and guidance to practitioners, while giving mentors the opportunity to give back to the profession.

The importance of mentoring:

The mentoring relationship provides significant benefits for mentors, mentees and the profession as a whole. It encourages well-being and relationship-building within the profession, which in turn assists with increasing diversity at the bar and encouraging talented practitioners to join and stay at the bar. In recent years, mentoring schemes for lawyers have gained popularity overseas. The UK Bar Council offers tailored mentoring schemes for students, barristers who are new parents and barristers intending to apply for appointment to the judiciary or as Queen’s Counsel. The Law Society of New South Wales also provides mentoring programmes for women lawyers, new graduates and lawyers within 2-5 years’ of practice.

Recent research conducted from the UK on lawyer wellbeing notes:

“The most significant finding in our recent wellbeing research was that those who are mentored (i.e. have social support) are much more resilient than those who are not mentored. In fact, studies suggest mentoring is good for the wellbeing of both mentor and mentee.”

The NZBA is seeking:

• More intermediate level mentors (5-15 years PQE);
• More regional mentors;
• More female mentors;
• More ethnically diverse mentors.

The changes to the programme:

The duration of the mentoring relationship is for an initial six months, during which the mentor and mentee will meet up for at least three sessions. After six months, a review will take place by the mentor and mentee to either conclude or renew for a further period. The parties will be asked to report back to the NZBA on progress.

Other changes include:

• An expanded and more diverse panel of mentors;
• Barristers and other practitioners who are not currently NZBA members will also be eligible to be mentored. Junior/employed barristers and practitioners intending to join the independent bar are encouraged to register their interest as mentees.
• Mentoring for senior barristers, who could benefit from a younger mentor;
• The NZBA will take a more active role in matching mentees with mentors that will most assist them in their professional development. Where suitable mentors are not available in a mentee’s city, the NZBA will assist the mentee to develop a mentoring relationship with a mentor in another city. The NZBA Council will also play a more proactive role in promoting the programme to new NZBA members.

To sign up as a mentor or mentee, click here.

If you are interested in attending the NZBA Auckland mentoring relauch function on 8 March please click here to find out more information and RSVP.