Dating back at least 15 years, the College has expressed concern over the "vanishing trial" and the consequent need to take action in order to ensure that the trial continues as the preferred means of resolving disputes. This requires junior lawyers to have the opportunity to get sufficient trial experience in order to hone their skills and become experienced trial lawyers. It is also essential for the College to continue to be able to identify junior trial lawyers who might qualify for Fellowship.

It is in this context that the College formed its Task Force on Mentoring. The Task Force is charged with preparing a White Paper on best practices in the effective mentoring of trial lawyers. The Task Force is led by Regents Kathleen Flynn Peterson and John Day and includes Fellows from a cross-section of practices in the United States and Canada, including Judicial Fellows.

As explained in a keynote address by your President last Fall to The Advocate's Society in Canada, "my fundamental premise is that it is an obligation of senior trial counsel to mentor, sponsor and train young lawyers and give them opportunities: (1) so that they can get meaningful trial experience; and (2) so that they can get the same or at least similar opportunities to those that many of us had as young lawyers who wanted to become trial lawyers." Read Becoming A Trial Lawyer--Now and Then

The Mentoring Task Force needs the benefit of your experience and ideas as it determines what we can do to help Fellows and others mentor and train the next generation of trial lawyers to practice our craft with skill and integrity. The Task Force is exploring not only the best practices in training and mentoring less experienced lawyers in the preparation for trial and the conduct of a trial in an effective, ethical and collegial manner, but it is also exploring how lawyers and judges can increase opportunities for court appearances and active participation in substantive trials and hearings by junior or newer lawyers.

The Task Force has started the process of gathering information from various sources in the United States and Canada on these subject. We need the benefit of your ideas and opinions and any resources you can share:

i.

If you know of a State, Province, or local Bar Association program that helps train trial lawyers, please send the Task Force the material in written form or via a link to the sponsor's website.

ii.

If your law firm or government agency has a mentoring program that you can share with us, please forward any written materials.

iii.

If a court in your jurisdiction has local rules or practices that facilitate participation by newer advocates in court proceedings please share those with us.

iv.

If you have used or are aware of effective practices, techniques, or approaches to getting newer advocates court and trial experience please share those as well.

v.

As a Judicial Fellow what has been your experience with ways younger counsel can be given opportunities to participate in court proceedings.

vi.

Please consult with the junior lawyers in your firms and give us their thoughts and ideas on how they think junior lawyers can best be trained and mentored to get experience in court in order to develop their trial skills. What opportunities to get trial experience do they think can and should be facilitated.

The Task Force is trying to gather as much material and information and as many ideas as it can to create "best practices" that will help guide our profession through our White Paper.

Please send your ideas, information and/or documents to the Task Force at:

Kathleen Flynn Peterson,

Robins Kaplan LLP

800 LaSalle Avenue, Suite 2800

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Tel: 612.349.8219 KFlynnPeterson@RobinsKaplan.com

John Day

The Law Offices of John Day, PC

5141 Virginia Way, Suite 270

Brentwood, TN 37027

 

Tel: 615.742.4880

jday@johndaylegal.com

Please note that if you would rather share your thoughts and ideas verbally, feel free to call Kathleen or John at the above numbers. We would appreciate hearing from you by March 15, 2019.

This College initiative has the potential to make a significant impact on the administration of justice in Canada and the United States. Please help us through your participation. Thank you for your contributions to your College.

Jeffrey S. Leon

President

John Day

Regent

Kathleen Flynn Peterson

Regent