A Mentorship Program for Newly Called and Early-Career Family Lawyers (0 -10 Years of Practice) – by Carm Runco, Runco Law
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
— Benjamin Franklin
Over the last few weeks, I have contemplated the past few years of this decade. I have dealt with my own personal health challenges, along with the illnesses and/or deaths of family members and colleagues. It has not been an easy road, but I am keenly aware of the sobering reality that our time on Earth here is finite, and that we must make the most of the time we have, as none of us know exactly when our time will be up.
As such, I have decided to make significant changes to my career, to ensure that any legacy that I leave to others in the profession is a positive one. I have come to truly love the practice of law; the challenges, the clients, the colleagues, the hours of preparation, the courtroom battles won and lost. It looked so different to me when I started in 1992 as an articling student. Being a lawyer seemed so daunting a task. Those already practicing ahead of me seemed like gladiators in a colossal battle, scarred by the many victories and defeats they had endured. I remember the words of one of my articling principals who would regularly say that it is called the “practice of law, because we will rarely get 100% right, but we must always strive to perfect the skills we have as lawyers.”
How I Learned the Practice of Law
It is this last line that has made me ponder the timeliness of this blog. I was fortunate enough to have articled with several exceptional lawyers in Hamilton, and I continued to learn at the feet of many more lawyers over my first few years of practice in the 1990s. Difficult financial times made for interesting opportunities. These were the days before the internet, where the answers were not so readily accessible online as they are now through ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
I learned by watching others, by asking them how they did what they did, and asking them why they did what they did, by watching what they did, and by asking questions and remembering the answers.
The Mentorship Gap Facing New Lawyers Today
As my hair colour has changed from brown to gray, I have seen a steady stream of new lawyers come-and-go in the practice of law. Most, if not all, come with a solid background of academic credentials and practical skills developed during their articles or other life experiences. Yet I see many of them asking the most basic questions, procedural, substantive, and ethical. I don’t judge them for asking these questions, but rather, it has made me wonder, why do they choose to ask questions from strangers online, in chat forums, and in many cases, anonymously? Why don’t they have a mentor to ask questions of, and to bounce ideas off of, whether they be practical issues, case-specific issues, or moral ones?
This made me remember a key line from “Robots,” a favourite animated movie of mine from over 20 years ago. The main character is unsure of his worth in the world, so he tells himself, “See a need, fill a need.” With that motto to guide me, I see that there is a desperate need for young lawyers to have ready access to willing and able senior lawyers, to act as mentors who can help guide them through the challenges they will face in their ordinary practice of law.
What Senior Counsel Mentoring Actually Looks Like and Common Struggles I See in Young Advocates
I am not talking about answering quick one-off questions about what form to use, or what section of an Act to quote, or what case law to reference for a point of law. Instead, I am talking about building a meaningful and longstanding mentor-mentee relationship.
As of the time of writing this blog, I have a regular group of about 10 lawyers who will contact me several times a year for usually one-on-one calls to discuss case-specific questions. I enjoy the time we talk and the gratitude they express that they can reach out to me to address their usually urgent needs. With one of them, we discussed the necessity to prepare for a motion, only to learn that they had never prepared a motion on their own before, let alone argue a motion on their own. This made me realize that for some, the law school or articling experience may have missed the component of developing these practical litigation skills.
Sadly, I have also seen firsthand an astonishing number of lawyers who experience tremendous difficulty in effectively expressing their client’s position during conferences, motions, and even extended hearings. The consequence of the same was not only a loss in court, but a demoralization of the person’s confidence as a young lawyer.
As I am a senior lawyer, I have taken some of these young lawyers aside, off camera (if virtual) or out of sight (if in-person), to talk to them about the negative experience, to listen to them explain that they don’t know what they don’t know, and to offer some insight and direction to become better advocates for their clients in the future.
Skills & Experience I Can Help You Build
As I am well onto the “back nine” of my career, I truly see that it is part of my obligation to the profession to impart some soft and hard skills to younger lawyers; skills that are not usually taught in any textbook, course, or CPD event. I would like to sit down with a young lawyer and talk to them about their development needs and coach them to become the best lawyer they can be. I do not profess to have all the answers, or to be the best lawyer in town. But after 32 years of practice, I do have significant lived experience in various facets of being a family law lawyer, including, but not limited to:
- Running a small law practice as a profitable business, and not a charity event
- Marketing for new clients
- Meeting/greeting clients during the interview process
- Maximizing time to answer the necessary questions
- Drafting effective court documents
- Essential preparation for court appearances
- Examination and cross-examination skills
- Developing mediation/ADR-focused skills
- Preparing for trial, running a trial, and winning a trial
- Getting paid on a file, whether through private clients, legal aid, or otherwise
- How to deal with difficult clients, other lawyers, judges, and others in the justice system
In the past, I would answer questions related to all of these aspects of the practice of law for young lawyers, and I would think I did a good deed, patting myself on the back. But I realized that all I did was “give a hungry person a sandwich and feed him for the day.” I did not teach the person to fend for themselves, to help develop the necessary skills that they will need to be successful and self-sufficient, and perhaps, to one day see them pass on their own breadth of knowledge to future young lawyers in the years to come.
Senior Counsel Mentoring Fees & How to Get Started
I offer my services for a reasonable price, regardless of whether the young lawyer has a client on a private retainer or via a legal aid certificate. If it is a private retainer, I will charge the lawyer $150.00 per hour plus HST, for a minimum of 3 hours. If it is a legal aid retainer, they can make an application to LAO to seek a second-chair mentorship certificate for me to work with them. I have already done so several times over the past few years, and it has been a very rewarding experience, if I don’t say so myself.
My time as your senior counsel mentor will certainly include discussion and practical instruction, but I will also offer direct supervision and assessment during client meetings, document drafting sessions, mediation sessions, and if necessary, in-court observations, followed by debriefing. I can offer the young lawyer “bespoke” mentoring services, tailored to fit their needs.
If a new lawyer wishes to develop the skills they require to be a successful family law practitioner, they must be prepared to make a commitment, both in terms of cost and time. I see the service as an extension to one’s articling experience, a beginner course for some, a refresher for others, and a “beyond the basics” for the rest.
A key component of the success of this arrangement will be whether the young lawyer and I can build a rapport, just as we all need to do with clients, colleagues, and other justice partners. It’s a two-way street.
Ready to Build a Stronger Legal Practice?
If this opportunity sounds enticing, please feel free to give me a call to discuss the matter in greater detail, to see if I can help you build a successful legal practice, or simply tweak the bustling one that you already have.
Remember, every case is unique, just like you are. If you are facing real legal problems, you need the right legal solutions.
Please contact Runco Law at 289-799-3080 or email me at carm@runcolaw.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Senior Counsel Mentoring Services for?
New and early-career family lawyers, roughly 0–10 years into practice, who want ongoing, hands-on guidance rather than one-off answers to procedural questions.
What does mentoring with Carm Runco cost?
$150.00 per hour plus HST for private-retainer mentoring, with a 5-hour minimum. Lawyers working on a legal aid certificate can instead apply to Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) for a second-chair mentorship certificate.
What areas does the mentoring cover?
Running a profitable practice, marketing, client interviews, drafting court documents, court preparation, examinations and cross-examinations, mediation/ADR, trial preparation and advocacy, getting paid on a file, and handling difficult clients, lawyers, and judges.
What does a mentoring session involve?
Discussion and practical instruction, plus direct supervision and assessment during client meetings, document drafting sessions, mediation sessions, and in-court observations, followed by debriefing. Services are bespoke and tailored to each lawyer’s needs.
How do I contact Carm Runco to get started?
Call 289-799-3080 or email carm@runcolaw.ca to discuss whether mentoring is a good fit.