The Environmental Law Section (ELS) invites you to join our mentorship program. The ELS Mentorship Program pairs newer attorneys and law students with more experienced attorneys to provide the following benefits:

For mentees. Newer attorneys and law students can broaden their network, develop meaningful professional relationships, gain valuable knowledge and insight into the profession, or even successfully transition from another field into practicing environmental law.

For mentors. More experienced attorneys can contribute to the professional  development of new attorneys and law students, identify potential new hires, develop their own communication and leadership skills, and experience the value of giving back to the profession and environmental law community.

ELS especially encourages diverse attorneys and students to apply to the mentorship program.  Building a diverse and inclusive profession is an integral part of ELS’s mission to build, retain, and maintain quality and culturally sensitive legal services to an ever-increasing diverse population.   Please see Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for more about CLA’s initiatives. 

2026 Mentorship Program Application

Prospective mentors and mentees can apply to participate in the Mentorship Program for the 2026 calendar year through the links below. The deadline to apply is December 19, 2025.

• Mentee application
  • Law Student Mentee
  • Recent Graduate Mentee
• Mentor application – Please note, if you have served as a mentor in a previous year, you do not need to submit a new application. We will contact you to confirm your interest in serving again.

Criteria

Any attorney willing to commit to the mentorship program for 1 calendar year is welcome to participate as a mentee or mentor. We ask that mentors and mentees meet at least four times during the year when they are paired. Law students can join ELS for free here: https://calawyers.org/lawstudent/

• Mentee (Law student or 0-5 years of practice)
• Mentor (5+ years of practice)

ELS will try to match mentors and mentees based upon the availability of the applicant pool and the preferences communicated in your applications (such as geographic proximity, practice areas within environmental law, or common personal backgrounds). Please note that newer attorneys will be prioritized for receiving mentors, and law students will receive mentors based on availability of sufficient mentors.

Guidelines

Participants may have different objectives, interests, or communication styles. We encourage you to develop your own personal ways for sharing your experiences with one another. At minimum, the mentor and mentee should:

• Meet and discuss their goals and reasons for participating in the program.
• Connect at least four times during this yearlong commitment.

Mentors can be a valuable resource to their mentees:

• A mentor can assist a mentee by helping develop their practice, building skills, discussing performance, sharing knowledge resources, discussing legal scholarship in shared areas of practice, or inviting a mentee to attend hearings or other proceedings.
• A mentor can provide valuable career planning advice, discuss short-term and long-term professional goals, share networks, or attend relationship-building events together.
• A mentor may assist a mentee with job searches, including reviewing resumes or offers, or conducting mock interviews. We encourage mentees to use their school’s resources for job placement. The mentorship program is not designed as a hiring program.

We also suggest the following specific activities to help mentors facilitate the relationship:

• Participate together in an Environmental Law Section or CLA networking event.
• Invite a mentee to observe a court hearing, trial, administrative proceedings, or public workshop (possibly via videoconference if remote participation is available).
• Introduce a mentee to anto a judge or another experienced practitioner, such as a judge.Read and discuss a new case or an article from the section’s Environmental Law News.

A small investment of time can have a lifelong impact. ELS appreciates your participation. Please contact Environmental@calawyers.org with any questions.

Mentor Resources

Training on Mentoring & Coaching: On March 14, 2023, the Mentorship Program Committee held a webinar-style training session for mentors. The speakers discussed program guidelines, and tips and recommendations for Mentoring and Coaching new attorneys and attorneys looking to transition to environmental law.

View slides from the mentorship program presentation

Questions? Reach out to the Mentorship Program Co-Chairs, Ashley Wener (werner.ashley@gmail.com) and Mindy Jian (mjian@smwlaw.com)