“What you do / still betters what is done.” (Shakespeare, A Winter's Tale, IV, iv)

I have been truly lucky thus far in my short legal career to have already had several powerful, inspiring mentors. In asking my young lawyer friends about mentoring advice, I received several responses showing me that they were also fortunate to have strong, encouraging mentors. Being that we are “young” lawyers, you may think that it is a bit premature to wax nostalgic about lessons learned. However, no matter if you are a first or a tenth-year lawyer it is never too early to begin to motivate others. Be it your fellow lawyers or your legal assistants and paralegals - it is always time to teach others and create ownership in the workspace and environment you occupy.

The best mentoring advice that I have received so far is not necessarily advice, but shows the power of simple words. When someone you work with, work for, or who works for you does a good job - tell him or her so. One of my current mentors will just pop in my office every other day or so and tell me, “Alyssa - I'm so glad you work here.” The praise is neither monetary, nor will it directly raise my station with the company, but it invests me in what I am doing. I have never had someone so simply and honestly make me feel so good about the job I am doing. Never, ever underestimate the power of simple and direct kindhearted words. Thank somebody directly today - let that person know that you are glad that you work together. Let people know the value that they add to the process by telling them so.

Something that my first legal mentor taught me is to never minimize others due to their lack of seniority. From day one, aside from the administrative duties of being my boss and my senior attorney, she never treated me or my ideas as junior. She threw me head-first into the meatiest of issues without question. When I began to feel overwhelmed, I simply reflected that I had been entrusted with a job that she felt I could handle. Of course I would ask for her help, that is what she wanted me to do, and we both learned from the process. This is also a common response I have heard from others – “do not be afraid to ask for help.”

I asked some of my young lawyer friends the following question: “What is the best thing you have learned from a mentor?” Here are some of their answers:

• “Treat your clients, opposing counsel and judges with equal respect and courtesy in and outside of the courtroom. Our profession was built on showing respect for one another and it should not be limited to only when we are trying to present our best case in front of the court.” A good lesson in general - the lawyer's Golden Rule.

• Same friend as above, a family lawyer - “One of my law school professors and dear friends told me to never take my work home, especially if I was going to continue to do family law. It would be a disservice to my clients to ride the same emotional rollercoaster they were on.”

• “Try to give people the benefit of the doubt because there are two sides to every story.” A dialectic maxim that we as lawyers should be especially certain to understand.

• “Be active with your local legal associations.” Being active in your local legal associations allows you to be a mentor both inside and outside of the legal community.

• Sometimes, the mentoring advice is as simple as taking the time to freely discuss ideas – “My mentor is almost always able to pick up his phone and give me an answer to my questions based upon prior experience with similar issues. If my question involves a case of first impression, he and I will generally sit back for 20 or 30 minutes and bounce ideas off each other until we reach a consensus position. I often find his advice to be dead on, and the time saved asking a more experienced attorney for guidance is invaluable.”

• From a particularly eloquent friend, who was advised by a 30-year, successful, well-known attorney - “Be versatile. Don't become too much of a specialist.  Be good at many things and keep at least a finger in those practice areas at all time.  It may be good, for a period of time, to be an expert in a niche subject.  When someone needs counsel regarding the sort of matter in which you are the expert/specialist, you are the one (or one of the experts) people are sure to turn to—and therefore you will have, for at least some period of time, a busy schedule and thick book of business. That being said, things always change—always. The economy swings, new statues are enacted by legislatures, new case law is handed down, markets get saturated with product or service providers, etc. Being versatile not only provides gap fillers when times are slow, but it creates synergies. Instead of just working a real estate transaction, having the ability to negotiate and draft the corporate governance documents for the entities involved creates a great deal of additional work for an attorney and adds efficiencies for the client. Having the ability to review and/or draft the commercial lending instruments associated with financing a stock purchase or real property purchase, generates a great deal of additional work for an attorney and adds efficiencies and value for the client. The happier clients are with you or your firm the more likely they are to give you additional work and refer you to others in the industry.”

• And finally, “Probably just that the practice of law is something that you are always learning about and improving on and striving to do better. Never get too comfortable and confident with where you are at because there is always more to learn!”

So, I ask you: “What is the best thing you have learned from a mentor?” Whatever your answer to the question – take a moment to share it. In simply sharing the advice we have been given, we can help to better one another, our communication, and our profession.