“It is a personally enriching and rewarding experience that is well worth the modest and flexible time commitment it involves.”
Kelly Dawson has been involved in mentorship since 2017 and is a mentor with the Mentor Connect program.
Why he became involved with Mentor Connect:
“’I received an email invitation to consider and agreed.”
A bit about his current mentoring relationship:
“I have a past mentee whom has remained in contact by way of an annual lunch just to catch up. Within the past couple of months I was matched with a new junior practitioner with whom I have arranged a couple of meetings with to get to know each other and to ascertain her particular interests and needs. Shadowing criminal cases that my firms conducts is one of her primary interests and this has been set up.”
What he enjoys the most about being a mentor with the Mentor Connect program:
“Meeting new and usually junior lawyers and learning their personal and professional stories. It provides a window into their perspectives which is invaluable to me as a managing partner of my firm and supervisor to our own associates. The genuine help I can provide to them with their difficulties based on my experience and their receptiveness to same make the experience mutually rewarding.”
What he hopes his mentee learns from working with him:
“A sense that they can calm their fears by taking small, pragmatic steps to changing some elements of their practice, together with an assurance that a work/life balance in our profession is indeed an achievable goal.”
What he has learned from working with his mentee:
“Some fascinating life stories and how determined newer lawyer are to make a difference in their communities and profession by being the best that they can be as persons and lawyers.”
If a lawyer is thinking about becoming a mentor, they should know…
“That it is a personally enriching and rewarding experience that is well worth the modest and flexible time commitment it involves.”
The Law Society of Alberta offers Mentor Moments to acknowledge the contributions made by volunteer lawyers in their mentorship programs and to encourage other Alberta lawyers to consider participating.
We do not attempt to verify mentors’ statements in their Mentor Moment profiles and the opinions expressed are solely their own. The Law Society of Alberta does not endorse any individual profiled or contents provided.