Allard Law & Canadian Bar Association Mentorship Program

Dear Class of 2022,

My name is Gabriella Guarino, and I am the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Representative on the Allard Law Careers Committee.

Allard Law’s Career Services Office and the CBA offer a mentorship program where students are matched with professionals in the legal community to foster a one-on-one mentor-mentee relationship. Your mentor is your go-to person whenever you have questions or concerns when transitioning from a law student to a professional in the legal industry. To kick-start the mentorship program, an annual reception will be held October 30th 2019, where mentors and mentees will often meet for the first time.

Your mentor has your best interest at heart and will invite you to events that may be of interest to you, such as court hearings, tours of their firm, professional lunches, or even a simple coffee chat to discuss your career development. The advantage of the mentorship program is that it is meant to naturally fit in your schedule; you can reach out to your mentor when you have time and in need of a chat or guidance, but there is also little pressure or time commitments if that’s what works best for you.

This year we are expanding the mentorship program even further to ensure that students are matched with mentors with similar interests. Solicitors and litigators working in corporate, criminal defense, immigration, environmental, aboriginal, employment, entertainment, and international law will be represented. These lawyers will be drawn from large, mid-size, and small firms as well as from the Department of Justice, Ministry of Attorney General, the judiciary, start-ups, and other organizations in which lawyers practice.

Last year, my peers and I greatly enjoyed the mentorship program and we are all still in-touch with our mentors for guidance. For me, this program was one the most rewarding experience of my 1L year. I met amazing people and was supported by some truly fantastic mentors. I strongly encourage each and every incoming student to sign up for the program, as it is a rare opportunity for a student to be formally assigned a mentor who values and prioritizes your professional ambitions.

If you have any questions about mentorship in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at ubcmentorship@cbabc.org. For now, enjoy your summer and look forward to an academic year that will be full of excitement, learning, and a wealth of new relationships!

 

Yours Truly,

Gabriella Guarino