Mentors-in-law

Southwest Missouri native Joshua Christensen fulfilled a lifelong dream when he passed the Missouri bar exam in July 2011. An alumnus of the University of Alabama, Christensen said he knew he wanted to move back to the Springfield metro area, but didn’t have many legal connections to build upon.

“It’s hard to break into the industry when you are just starting out,” he said. “After submitting my resume to firms around town, I got lucky, but that isn’t always the case.”

Currently an associate at the Springfield offices of Kansas City-based firm Lathrop & Gage LLP, Christensen said he’s building his knowledge base through the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association’s mentorship program.

“Last month was our first meeting, and we toured the Greene County courthouse and met the prosecutor,” he said. “Lathrop has a lot of great internal resources, but this program gets us out there in the community and that’s exactly what I need.”

Free to SMBA members, graduates say the 10-month program is not only a benefit to them personally, but, also to their firm and the community as a whole.

“We constantly reiterate the importance of learning what is out there, both in needs and opportunities, finding your unique place, how you can contribute as a professional and as an individual,” said SMBA Executive Director Crista Hogan. “If the lawyers are more effective, the business community will benefit.”

Young “profreshionals”
Designed to ease a new lawyer’s transition from the academic environment to the professional environment and foster professionalism and collegiality as they are introduced to the legal community, the SMBA piloted the mentorship program in 2007 to rave reviews and has since graduated about 100 young lawyers.

The current group comprises about 15 to 20 lawyers and typically meets at noon for mentorship Mondays at the SMBA office, however, times vary depending on attorneys' schedules.

“Firms should absolutely encourage participation,” Hogan said. “These 20 or so new lawyers have a unique opportunity to start their careers with a supportive peer group that will pay great dividends both professionally and personally as they establish themselves in our community.”

About 25 to 30 new lawyers pass the Missouri bar each year, Hogan said, with another 20 of varying levels of experience trickling in throughout the year, following December graduations or job relocations.

With a thriving group for young “profreshionals,” as Hogan calls them, eager to participate, the mentoring program has become a staple of the SMBA. Hogan said 19 young graduates have moved directly into SMBA leadership roles since 2007, five serving on the SMBA board of directors and others as committee chairs.

One such young lawyer, Brian Shepard, an associate at Bruer Wooddell & Harrell PC, is a 2011 graduate of the program and served as chairman for the 2012 class.

“There are a lot of TV notions out there of what a lawyer should be, but that’s typically not the case,” Shepard said. “Exposure to what life is really like as a lawyer and especially the people and places who make up law in the Springfield area is crucial training. It helped me, and it was great to be able to pass that knowledge along.”

In addition to field trips, including a Greene County jail trip and tours through the municipal and federal courts, Shepard said the group welcomes guest speakers and often spent meetings simply talking through issues with each other.

“We talk about legal issues, but also about how to handle ourselves in certain situations,” he said. “For example, many of these guys have never had a secretary before and didn’t know how to act. It was helpful to talk through sexual harassment laws and procedures amongst the group to make sure everyone was in line.”

In addition, Shepard said the 2012 class took on a service project doing pro bono work for the Springfield Community Land Trust.

Business sense
With Shepard joining Bruer Wooddell & Harrell straight out of school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, shareholder Steven Harrell said the program was an “invaluable tool” for the firm’s young hire.

“I think it helps give them more exposure and it’s important for him to get outside these walls and continue to learn,” he said of Shepard.

“The more people you know and the more business knowledge you have makes you more of an asset to the firm.”

Though Shepard is the first from the Springfield firm to take part in the program, Harrell said he encourages all young lawyers to participate in the program because it makes smart business sense.

“Investing in these young lawyers is investing in the success of the firm,” said Harrell, who is also SMBA treasurer.

While the program may prepare young lawyers for the real world, Hogan said it’s still a tall order for young graduates to predict the current job market, but she’s seeing reassuring employment trends in recent months.

“I have been encouraged by the employment options for this new group of attorneys,” she said. “There is a definite uptick in firms hiring associates, and there has been some momentum created by associates moving up the ladder, creating openings as they make those moves.

“It is a good sign for our overall economy.”