AttorneyMentoring.com Coaching Resources

Determining Whether You Need a Coach and
How to Select One

There are many reasons why you would invest your time
and money in hiring a coach, such as to improve your self-
confidence and communication skills, to support decision
making, to identify goals and focus priorities, to help
identify self-defeating patterns of behavior and improve
productivity, to develop and practice presentations, and
often to act as a sounding-board for various business
situations that arise during the course of a career.

The key, however, is to find a qualified coach that suits your
personality and can motivate you to spend the time to work
out the issues that you feel need attention. In the absence
of a referral from a friend or colleague, you can locate a
coach through your various accredited organizations,
including your Bar Association, law school, local University’
s Business School, and various accrediting authorities. In
all cases, ask for references and check them out.
Schedule an interview with at least 2 to 3 coaches to
compare their approaches and fee structure.

In preparation for your selection of a coach, identify which
specific goals you wish to achieve through the coaching,
how much time you plan on setting aside for the coaching
sessions as well as related personal work that comes
with it, do you prefer a structured or unstructured approach,
do you wish to meet in person or via email and phone, and
what budget do you have in mind to spend on coaching.
Coaching fees vary widely but generally coaches provide a
combination of face-to-face time and telephone and email
contact.

When you interview the prospective coach, ask questions
about their background, education, experience, industry
knowledge, coaching methodologies, and success
stories. Ask specific questions about a typical coaching
session and the typical length of engagements. And,
request a copy of their engagement terms up front. While
coaching is relatively recent to law, it has been used quite
successfully in other industries, and it can help you
enhance your performance and professional skills.

AttorneyMentoring.com may offer sponsored links to coaching services from time to time as a courtesy to its visitors
and does not endorse any coaching firm. Please conduct your own due diligence and ask for references. Check out our
bulletin board to see if any participants have recommendations.

Legal Coaching Firms are welcome to contact us at info@attorneymentoring.com to be listed in this section.

Why Become a Mentor?

Being a mentor is simply good business. If you build a
team around you that is loyal and knowledgeable, you will
succeed beyond your expectations. It takes some time,
effort and patience but the rewards far exceed the relatively
small amount of time you take to answer questions, review
work product, provide advice, offer positive reinforcement
and career guidance. Your mentoring need not be formal
and structured. You can simply be open to answering
questions and sharing your experiences with those that
work with you.

Formal business studies and anecdotal experience clearly
show that mentoring works. Many successful people
attribute their start to some mentor's advice early in their
career. And, those that have experienced mentoring are
probably the greatest proponents, having experienced first
hand the benefits.

Consider offering your pearls of wisdom to our visitors by
joining our network of attorney mentors.

Tips on Selecting a Mentor and Benefiting
from the Relationship

Identify role models that exhibit personal and
professional characteristics that you admire.
Be open to advice from all sources, including your
Superiors, Peers, Secretary and Support Staff.
Be considerate of a potential Mentor’s time and
availability.
Evaluate the Mentor’s advice as it applies to your
specific goals and ideals. Be gracious and
thankful even if you disagree with your Mentor's
advice.
Have reasonable expectations of the
relationship/advice. You still have to do the work
yourself.
Even the worst Mentor has something to teach you.
Be the Mentor to others that you would like to have
for yourself. Articulating your pearls of wisdom for
others reinforces those messages in yourself.