For the seventh year in a row, the career services office at Texas A&M University School of Law has partnered with the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association to offer the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Young Lawyers and Texas A&M University School of Law Student Mentorship Program.

The program seeks to match law students with young lawyer mentors who can give them information on what the practice of law is really like, and advice to help guide them through law school and in their future careers. 

“The program benefits our students by giving them an opportunity to see what it is that attorneys do. For some of the students who participate in the program, this may be their first time to talk to practicing attorneys about their jobs and get insight into the profession, and we encourage mentors to be candid when talking with their mentees about the rewards and challenges of practice,” Courtney Key,assistant director of career services, said.

This year 26 law students were partnered with 26 mentors. Participating students were selected on a first-come, first-served basis and were matched with attorneys in their areas of interest.

As part of the program, students are required to meet with their mentors at least three times each semester,although they are not limited to that. A kick-off reception was held on Thursday, Sept. 12, to allow students and their mentoring attorneys a chance to network and socialize before they begin their work together in the upcoming months.

In the past, mentors have met their mentees for coffee, answered their questions by phone and email, invited their mentees to their offices, taken them to bar association events, and invited their mentees to observe them in court.

“We are fortunate to have a legal community that is supportive of our law students and our programs,” said Arturo Errisuriz, the director of career services.