Mentoring

Open to all DiversCity in Law attendees, our mentoring scheme will connect you with an LGBTQIA lawyer or senior business services person from one of the 18 participating law firms. Let’s go into more detail about what’s involved and why having a mentor is an unmissable opportunity.

How the scheme works

By attending DiversCity in Law, you’ll have already gained a great understanding of the legal sector and what it’s like being an LGBTQIA City lawyer. The event will also have given you the chance to work out what sort of mentoring support you’d value most. So once you tell us why you’d like to be mentored and what you’d like to get out of the scheme, we’ll connect you with a suitable mentor.

Having been paired up with a mentor, you’ll get in touch with them to arrange a meeting – whether that’s over the phone or in person. This is the time to discuss what you want to get out of the mentoring scheme and how you believe your mentor can best help you. Put simply, you’ll create an action plan together. Then going forward, any future meetings will be focused on how to help you realise your goals and ambitions.

Remember that you’re the one driving this mentoring relationship forward. It’s you who’ll need to arrange meetings, communicate with your mentor and prepare for your one-to-ones to make sure you get the most out of the scheme.

Panelists from 2018 event talking and laughing

Do you need a mentor?

There are times in life and at work when we could all benefit from the experience, wisdom and knowledge of people who’ve been in similar situations. By sharing their own stories, our mentors will help you understand the legal market, how large law firms in the City work, and which support networks exist. If you’re asking yourself questions like: “Is a legal career right for me?”, “Should I be ‘out’ during the application process?”, “How should I make the most of a vacation scheme?” or “What’s life like as an LGBTQIA lawyer?” then it’s likely that you’ll benefit from the guidance of a DiversCity mentor.

What are the benefits?

There are lots of benefits of joining the mentoring scheme. For starters, mentoring can focus your career objectives and turn them into realistic goals – which your mentor will help you achieve. How? By working with you to plan your next steps and provide constructive feedback along the way. It’s also about boosting confidence: both in yourself and in speaking to those already in the legal world. Alongside all that, mentoring is completely confidential. It’s a safe environment where you can voice any concerns and be open about your worries. Your mentor is there to help you, providing reassurance, advice and plenty of support.

What we look for from you

There are a few things that we look for in our mentees. You’ll need to:

Have a genuine interest in a career in law
Engage actively in the process once you start it
Set expectations from the get-go and decide what you want from the relationship
Be prepared for your meetings, including thinking ahead about how this time can be used to assist you, what your agenda is, and any key points you want to discuss
Respect the time commitment your mentor is offering you by honouring any arrangements you’ve made for meetings or conversations
Be willing to receive, and act on, constructive feedback
Commit to drive the mentoring relationship forward by being responsible for scheduling your meetings

Remember, you need to have attended the DiversCity in Law event to apply for the mentoring scheme. Please also note that mentors will not share confidential information in relation to their firms’ recruitment processes, and this scheme won’t guarantee you access to a vacation scheme, training contract or similar.

Success stories

It’s all well and good us telling you about the positive things you could get out of the mentoring scheme. But there’s nothing better than hearing it from those who’ve experienced it for themselves.

My mentor’s input, encouragement and belief were key to helping me achieve this huge first step in my professional career…the mentoring program has proved the most valuable resource for me in reaching my goals and having the necessary support along the way.

My mentor has been outstanding in helping with my anxiety about applications, interviews and general confidence issues. He has helped to identify key areas of improvement, as well as helping to build a strategy for my future career. Not only that, he’s helped me realise my career ambitions and how to motivate myself forward even with unsuccessful applications and several rejections.