BU Law Career Development Office Seeks Alumni to Participate as Alumni Mentors for the BU Law 1L Class of 2022

You are invited to mentor BU Law 1L students! The Class of 2022 is now on campus and eager to connect with alumni. Mentoring is a manageable time commitment throughout the year, and it means a lot to our students to have alumni as resources as they begin to think about their own legal careers.

If you are interested in participating and connecting with our 1L class, please email Chloe Morse, Assistant Director for Employer Relations and Outcomes, at cgmorse@bu.edu with the following information:

  • Current employment/employer
  • Any relevant past areas of practice
  • BU Law Graduation Year
  • # of students you would like to mentor
  • Affinity group affiliation (if any)

The program includes the following recommended touch points:

  • Introduction (November): Your 1L mentees will contact you this semester to introduce themselves. We invite and encourage you to set up an introductory phone call, or meeting if you are in the Boston area.
  • Mid-Year Check-In (December/January): Wish your 1Ls good luck on exams! Get together if they will be in your area during break (December 21 – January 7). This would be a great time to discuss your practice area and how you chose it, as well as their upcoming summer job search.
  • Spring Recess (March): Touch base with your 1Ls to see if they will be in your geographic area during the recess. Invite your 1Ls to visit your office, or bring your 1Ls along to observe a court proceeding, a deposition, or a closing.
  • End of Year/Summer Check-In (May/June): Wish your 1Ls good luck on exams! Meet up over the summer to discuss their summer job and their 2L job search.

Optional 1L Shadow Day

This year, in addition to the suggested four touch points throughout the year, we suggest that you allow your mentee to shadow you for part of a typical work day, if possible (optional, of course). This is a great way for the student to become acquainted with the legal workplace and to get a better sense of your practice. We recommend that you schedule a half-day with your mentee to the extent possible. What the student observes is entirely up to the mentor and the student, but a valuable shadow experience should provide the student:

  • A glimpse into a legal professional setting (for some, this may be their first exposure)
  • The opportunity to see what the practice, versus the study, of law looks like
  • Tips on what it takes to be a successful practitioner

Depending on the day and your organization, we understand different exposure activities will be possible. However, the goal will remain the same. Some possible shadow activities include:

  • Sitting in on a meeting or a call (client counseling, pitch, team strategy, trial prep)
  • Observing a deposition, hearing, trial
  • Taking a tour of the organization’s building to understand where events happen and by whom
  • Conducting informational interviews with members of your organization
  • Getting an introduction to key technologies used by the organization to provide services

These touch points are designed to facilitate interactions at key points throughout the year, and are to be coordinated directly with mentees. You are, of course, welcome to have more frequent contact with your 1Ls.

Please email cgmorse@bu.edu if you wish to participate and/or if you have any questions about the program. We hope you will be able to serve as an alumni mentor!

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