“It is fun and fulfilling, especially if your desire is to give back to our community and great profession.”
Dr. Chika B. Onwuekwe has been involved in mentorship in Calgary, Canada and Nigeria for many years and has been a mentor with the Law Society’s Mentor Connect program since 2017.
Why he became involved with Mentor Connect:
“I see it as a small way to give back to the profession, community and the larger society. I have had the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues, albeit informally. It provides me an opportunity to help younger colleagues find solutions to burning issues, career choice questions/dilemma or fears which they are not comfortable discussing with employers, supervisors or direct reports.”
A bit about his current mentoring relationship:
“Very professional and respectful. I have been privileged to provide guidance to my mentees for success in their work places. Our meetings are both formal and informal (such as occasional coffee or lunch meetings). I let the mentees set the times that work best for them, as well as the format. In some meetings, we follow the guidelines provided by Mentor Connect, and in others, we go with how the mentee wants it to flow, including what is uppermost for them. I also make self available to them when needed, especially when an important question or idea cannot wait until the next scheduled meeting. Overall, a very good relationship.”
What he enjoys the most about being a mentor with the Mentor Connect program:
“Being able to:
- be a sounding board to my mentees;
- provide a platform from where they can test out their professional decisions;
- answer some of their questions or navigate them to figure out the answers themselves;
- work with them to create a career plan;
- share experiences;
- listen to them, including when they want to vent on frustrations with the profession, work, etc. and
- provide candid responses, including being honest to request for a time to research and get back to them on something that I do not know.”
What he hopes his mentee learns from working with him:
“1. Regain their self confidence, if that was an issue.
2. Understand the dynamics in the work place and remain professional at all times.
3. How good they can be in our great profession if they keep up with their self development.
4. That I am there for them to help find solutions.”
What he has learned from working with his mentee:
“Mentees are very smart, and are looking for proper guidance in order to advance their career and professional development. They see a value in sounding off some other colleague, who they can trust outside their work place on various professional and career development initiatives and/or challenges. They love the program, eager to learn and I will not be surprised if some of them become mentors in future.”
If a lawyer is thinking about becoming a mentor, they should know…
“It is fun and fulfilling, especially if your desire is to give back to our community and great profession.”
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.