Protege Application
Mentor Application
Protege Disclaimer and Release
MentorMatch Handbook

Please send application and/or release forms to:
Oklahoma Bar Association
OBA MentorMatch
P.O. Box 53036
Oklahoma City, OK 73152

Or save the PDFs and e-mail them to MentorMatch@okbar.org

Or fax to (405) 416-7001

OBA MentorMatch - A New Approach to Mentoring
By Jon Parsley

The OBA Board of Governors recently voted to implement a pilot mentoring program called OBA MentorMatch that officially began in late September.

The practice of law is challenging. New attorneys need the opportunity to share in the wisdom of older attorneys. So much of what is learned about practicing law comes from learning from other attorneys. Some new attorneys are lucky enough to go into practice with a more seasoned lawyer or work in a firm with other attorneys available to act as mentors. All too often, however, attorneys are opening their own practices or are starting into new areas of practice with no where to turn. The Oklahoma Bar Association is attempting to provide some help in those situations.

In the past, the OBA has attempted to provide a mentoring program for new attorneys. Honestly, those past programs have largely failed. The OBA Mentoring Task Force was created this year by President Stephen Beam to revive and reorganize mentorship for the OBA as one of his special projects. The Mentoring Task Force has studied the programs in other states and has tried to develop a program that will stand the test of time.

The MentorMatch program will attempt to match new attorneys with mentors based on certain criteria for compatibility. The program will attempt to utilize group mentoring, individual mentoring and also limited mentoring to maximize the goals of the program. The program is designed not only for new attorneys but also for experienced attorneys who may be venturing into a new area of the law.

The program will begin with a pilot program. The goal is to make 50 matches of mentors and protégés the first year. These 50 matches will be closely monitored so that any necessary changes to the program can be made before the outright launch of the full program in 2008. Limiting the pilot program to 50 matches for the first year was a hard decision. The task force did not want to leave any protégé without a mentor. However, the lessons learned from other states led the task force to believe the limitation was the prudent course of action.

At the recent New Attorney Experience seminars in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, forms were distributed for recruiting potential protégés. Mentor recruitment began at the same time and will run through early November. It is the plan that the 50 matches will be made in late November. A match will be a commitment by the mentor and protégé for a one-year period. All persons who submit an application will be notified of whether or not they will be included in the pilot program.

VOLUNTEERS TO MENTOR NEEDED

All attorneys wishing to become mentors are encouraged to fill out and submit a mentor application as soon as possible. The program provides for a one-year match with the mentor and protégé – or group of protégés. It is recommended that the mentor have at least monthly interaction with the protégés. The OBA MentorMatch handbook is also available online and will be provided to all mentors and protégés. The handbook outlines proposed activities and seeks to answer common questions.

The Mentoring Task Force will follow up with each of the matches with easy to complete e-mail update forms or make contacts in other ways to make sure the matches are working. There will be a final evaluation at the end of the one-year period. The mentor and protégé match may then continue after the one-year period outside the program if the parties wish to continue the relationship.

All new attorneys or seasoned attorneys wishing to venture into a new area of practice are encouraged to complete and submit a protégé application as soon as possible. The protégé agrees to a one-year match with a mentor selected based on preferences in the application. Even if protégés are not selected for the pilot program, every effort will be made to find that person a mentor after the full launch of the program in 2008. It is hoped that the OBA MentorMatch will provide much needed assistance to new attorneys long into the future.

Mr. Parsley practices in Guymon and chairs the Mentoring Task Force.

Questions?
Contact Jim Calloway
jimc@okbar.org
(405) 416-7051
(800) 522-8065 ext. 7051