By Jim Ash, Senior Editor, Florida Bar News
Registration is underway for “Counsel to Counsel,” a free, app-based mentoring program that launched a Florida Bar presidency and quickly captured the Supreme Court’s attention.
A recent graduation ceremony for second-year participants drew dozens of beginning lawyers, veteran Bar leaders, and Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz to a Boca Raton ballroom.
“All of us need to be brought along, and this is a great way to make it happen,” Muñiz said. “I know that it is going to continue to grow and thrive and I’m really excited about that. The court’s one hundred percent behind this.”
Moments before, Mentoring New Lawyers Committee Chair Jason Berger trumpeted the program’s latest success.
“The first year, we had 330 in the program, this year, we have had over 550 in the program,” he said. “The goal for next year is 800, meaning 400 mentees, 400 mentors, and we believe that’s doable.”
Thousands of Florida lawyers will soon receive one of several notices addressed to “Dear Esteemed Member.” Registration runs from August 5 to October 3. Matches will be announced in mid-October.
One notice targets lawyers with five or more years of experience who have “likely witnessed the importance of mentorship in the legal profession,” possibly as someone who was mentored.
“I’m pleased to announce that registration is now open for ‘Counsel to Counsel,’ a first-of-its kind mentorship program to propel the careers of both mentors and mentees, elevate the profession, and position Florida to be the gold standard among mentoring initiatives. We hope you will consider joining us as a mentor.”
The letter goes on to note that mentors will earn eight CLE credits, and that research shows mentors have six times greater promotion opportunities, and that mentoring contributes to career advancement by helping experienced lawyers “stay on top of changes in the profession.”
In addition to the satisfaction of helping another professional, mentors sharpen their skills “as they work to guide their mentee,” the notice states.
Lawyers with five or fewer years of experience will receive a notice reminding them that “establishing yourself as a top-tier lawyer doesn’t end at law school graduation or the first day on the job, and it doesn’t happen overnight — it takes time to build a network and learn your way around a law firm.”
The letter goes on to refer to research that shows mentorship improves job performance, increases pay, and increases job satisfaction.
“In fact, professionals with mentors are five times more likely to advance in pay grade and get a promotion, and nine in 10 professionals with mentors report feeling happier with their career.”
When attorneys sign up for Counsel to Counsel, they fill out a brief survey and the program then provides ratings on the compatibility between mentors and mentees. From there, the mentor or mentee can choose their top three options, and the technology establishes the final match based on those responses.
The program is nine months long, with four milestones and a practical experience requirement to guide mentors and mentees in their relationship.
Former Florida Bar President Gary Lesser, a West Palm Beach civil trial lawyer, was greeted with loud cheers when he was introduced at the graduation ceremony as the “heart and brain” of Counsel to Counsel.
Lesser told the audience he decided to run for president 10 years ago when he suggested a mentoring program to a Bar president who turned him down.
“Gary, we’re not doing that, if you want it, you’ll have to become president,” Lesser said. “I looked at him and said maybe I will.”
Lesser made the program a priority for his year-long tenure in 2023, appointing a special committee headed by former YLD Presidents Zackary Zuroweste and Katherine Hurst Miller.
“The beauty of this program is it’s designed to be a relationship, real conversations,” Lesser said. “I’m so proud of the way it turned out, I’m grateful for the leadership that made it happen, and I’m also especially grateful for the support of our chief justice, Carlos Muñiz.”
