Page 14 - JanuaryFebruary26 Report

OHIO SUPREME COURT’S
Lawyer to Lawyer
Mentoring Program
Two Decades of Success and Counting
By Laura Welles Wilson
As Co-Chair of the CBA’s Professionalism
Committee and the 2025 Chair of the Ohio
Supreme Court’s Commission on Profession-
alism, I am excited to highlight a mentoring program
that has enjoyed decades of success, and which has
served as model for similar programs nationwide.
In 2006, the Ohio Supreme Court Commission
on Professionalism launched a statewide mentoring
pilot for newly admitted lawyers. A select group of
174 newly admitted Ohio attorneys participated in
mentoring to fulfill part of their new lawyer training
requirements. Participant feedback was overwhelm-
ingly positive and the Commission on Professionalism
subsequently developed a robust curriculum and
programmatic approach to mentorship designed to
foster an environment for seasoned lawyers to mentor
new lawyers during the transition from student to
practitioner. In 2008, the Supreme Court approved
and codified the mentoring program in Gov. Bar R.
XV (3) (A) (7), assigning its oversight and adminis-
tration to the Commission on Professionalism. Now
known as the Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program,
it is a permanent program offered to all new lawyers
admitted in Ohio.
Why Mentoring?
Research shows that mentorship programs benefit
participants’ wellbeing by contributing to career
progression and helping participants feel connected to
a stronger networking circle and enthusiastic about the
legal profession. The Lawyer to Lawyer program pairs
newly admitted attorneys with experienced lawyers
to provide professional guidance and share practical
knowledge that is essential for new lawyers making the
transition from law school to legal practitioner.
14 | january/february 2026 cba report
Mentees who have participated in recent years
noted their primary goal for participation in Lawyer
to Lawyer was to gain advice and insight from an
experienced attorney. Other goals included learning
practice skills, earning New Lawyer Training Credit,
and gaining new perspectives from another law prac-
tice, office, or position.
Mentors report a wide range of motivations
for participating in the program including enjoy-
ment of the mentoring experience; participating at
the request of a mentee attorney; a sense of profes-
sional obligation; CLE credits at no cost; and previous
participation as mentee. Over 99% of both mentor
and mentee participants indicated they met their
program goals.
How Does the Program Work?
The Commission provides resources as part
of the Lawyer to Lawyer program. These include
worksheets, talking points, information about bar
association events such as Courthouse Connec-
tions where mentors and mentees can network, and
opportunities to volunteer at pro bono events. The
program runs for approximately 10 months. Mentors
and mentees must meet at least six times for a total of
nine hours. Mentors who successfully complete the
program earn 12 hours of CLE credits while mentees
receive nine of the 12 required New Lawyer Training
credits. While most participants report they meet
with their mentor/mentee in-person, the program
does provide the flexibility to meet remotely, which
can be especially beneficial for mentoring pairs who
may not be located near one another, or where sched-
uling in-person meetings may be difficult due to
travel schedules or other factors.