Mentoring

Ice Miller believes that mentoring is crucial and important to the integration and long-term success of new lawyers. Each new lawyer is assigned one associate/counsel, one partner and one representative of the Professional Development Committee. This team works with the new lawyer for two years to assist him/her with his/her growth and acclimation into the practice group and with the Firm.

Each quarter, the Legal Personnel Group assists the Professional Development Committee in the monitoring of the teams. Mentor training is conducted for the entire team, including the new lawyer. The Firm also hosts a dinner and various other out-of-office activities for the teams.

At the end of two years, the attorney is asked to select a mentor. This mentor will assist them in areas such as substantive law, client management, practice management and leadership.

Each partner, counsel and associate who are on a mentoring team have identified themselves as "voluntary and interested" mentors. A new lawyer will not have a mentor "forced" upon them. These mentor teams are assisting the new lawyer because they want to be involved!

The Firm realizes that a failed mentoring relationship can affect the new lawyer's outlook on the practice of law and on the Firm as a whole. Between mentor teams, our career development partner, the Professional Development Committee and Legal Personnel Group, a new lawyer has a variety of lawyers and professionals who are committed to his/her success at the Firm.