Litigation

California Appellate Mentorship Program: Information and Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in the appellate lawyer mentorship program of the Litigation Section’s Committee on Appellate Courts (CAC).  Here, we will describe the committee and its mentorship program and set forth guidelines for participating as a mentee or mentor.

Background

The Committee on Appellate Courts (CAC), established by the State Bar in 1970 and made a State Bar standing committee in 1973, is now a standing committee of CLA’s Litigation Section. Committee members are drawn from many sources including law firms, solo practitioners, defense and prosecution offices handling criminal appeals, appellate court research staff, and law school faculty.  Amongst the committee’s many charges is mentoring aspiring appellate attorneys.

The committee’s California Appellate Mentorship Program (CAMP) connects lawyers aspiring to appellate practice with experienced appellate practitioners in diverse fields and with diverse backgrounds.  Choosing a focus within the legal profession is a consequential decision.  An appellate focus can be extremely rewarding, but there are many other worthy areas of legal practice to consider, and charting a path to an appellate practice can be challenging.  The hope is that CAMP mentees obtain help charting that path and a fruitful connection to the appellate law community.  CAMP mentors, in turn, get to share their career experiences and help cultivate the next generation of appellate lawyers. 

Eligibility, Application, and Matching

Mentors and mentees must be current members of CLA to participate. We expect mentees will be in the early phase of their career or seeking to make a career transition.  We expect mentors will have established appellate practices.

The CAC will announce the schedule for prospective mentees and mentors wishing to submit applications for the mentorship program.  We will ask prospective mentees about their legal careers to date, their goals for the future, how they envision CAMP mentorship helping to meet those goals, and their preferences in a mentor.  The application for prospective mentors will gather similar, but reciprocal information, in the hopes of making the best mentor-mentee match possible.

Members of the CAC will review these applications and then attempt to make pairings.  Placement will depend on the applications received in a given mentorship cycle.  While we will work to match all applicants, we cannot guarantee this because we cannot guarantee how many mentor or mentee applications we will receive in any given cycle.  

Once a match is made, mentees will be invited to reach out to their assigned mentor and the mentorship will begin.

A special note to prospective mentees:  CAC periodically hosts an hour-long educational program for lawyers interested in appellate law careers.  This presentation introduces you to “a day in the life” of the appellate practitioner and provides an overview of the numerous ways one might pursue an appellate practice.  After the presentation, you should have a good sense of whether appellate law is for you.  Although attendance at this presentation is not a strict prerequisite to becoming a CAMP mentee, preference in the matching process will be given to those who, through attendance at such a presentation or otherwise, demonstrate a serious interest in appellate law.

Meeting Schedule

After matching, mentorships will, formally, last six months. Mentors and mentees must commit to meeting, in person or virtually, at least four times, although mentor-mentee pairs may choose to meet more frequently.  Mentees are expected to take the initiative in contacting their mentors.  At the outset, the mentor and mentee should discuss how they plan to conduct their meetings and how they would like to be reached.  A proposed schedule for the four required meetings is below:

  • Month 1: introductory call with mentor and mentee where goals are set
  • Month 2 or 3: meeting/discussion of choice
  • As scheduled: meet with your assigned mentor/mentee in-person at the CLA’s annual Appellate Summit (we strive to have the mentorship program overlap with the summit)
  • Month 6: final formal meeting, reviewing progress and paths forward

Meeting Topics and Ideas

Mentors and mentees may choose to discuss, amongst other topics, the aspects of appellate practice, the appellate law community, setting and achieving career goals, and ways of gathering experience. The mentee and the mentee’s goals should drive the topics of conversation.  The mentor should not only address a mentee’s concerns and questions but help the mentee realistically assess goals, modify goals as necessary, and develop strategies for success.  A mentor might assure a mentee they are on the right path or motivate a mentee to try something different.  The mentor should also offer broader guidance and role modeling, instilling professionalism and civility and orienting the mentee to other customs of appellate practice.  To the extent it is feasible and desirable, a mentor might invite a mentee and a mentee might choose to accept an invitation to watch a mentor’s oral argument or to attend a appellate-oriented legal education event.

Examples of discussion topics and mentorship events include:

  • Introductory Meeting: includes introductions, explanation and description of mentor’s involvement in appellate work and the legal profession more broadly,  as well as discussion of mentee’s current endeavors and goals for appellate practice moving forward
  • Career Paths: discussion of possible types of appellate work, appellate job opportunities, and how to realize career objectives within and without of a mentee’s current job
  • Appellate Courts: discussion of the appellate court system in California state and federal courts, differences in rules, procedures, etc., and practice opportunities
  • Professional development: discuss best practices for various aspects of appellate work
  • MCLE: mentor and mentee attend an appellate-focused MCLE program together or discuss appellate-centered educational opportunities or the State Bar’s appellate specialization program 
  • Observation: after appropriate conflict checks and confidentiality agreements if necessary, mentor extends an invitation to attend and observe an oral argument or moot court;
  • Review: after appropriate conflict checks and confidentiality agreements if necessary, mentor discusses and provides feedback on mentee’s involvement in appellate practice 
  • Pro Bono: discussion about or participation in pro bono opportunities with an appellate focus
  • Networking: mentor and mentee meet with other appellate practitioners, attorneys, or judges/justices to discuss appellate practice in California

Confidentiality and Open Communication

Open communication is critical to a good mentorship relationship.  Confidentiality is critical to open communication.  Both mentors and mentees should be mindful that an assurance of confidentiality will build trust and allow for the most open and forthright discussions.  Mentors and mentees will be expected to acknowledge that the mentorship relationship will, unless agreed otherwise, be confidential.  Mentors should be particularly mindful that mentees may not be publicizing an interest in appellate law or wishing to signal a potential job change or career shift to a current employer.  CAC will, itself, keep mentorship and mentee applications in confidence.

Voluntary Participation, Limited Scope of Mentorship Relationship, Future Employment

Mentors and mentees share responsibility for shaping the mentorship.  Each is expected to devote time to the relationship and to treat the other with the highest level of professional respect.  Participation in CAMP is entirely voluntary.  Either the mentor or mentee can terminate the mentorship relationship at any time.  CAMP is not intended to match mentees with specific employment opportunities.  Mentees should not expect a mentorship to lead to an offer of employment.  Also, the mentorship does not establish an attorney-client relationship.


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