Invitation to Participate in the NALP Foundation's New Research Study on Mentoring Relationships

Dear Colleague:
 
The NALP Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of an important and timely new research study on age-diverse mentoring relationships within law firms.  The NALP Foundation is partnering with the University of Maryland, College Park and George Mason University to undertake this research in order to gain additional insight into mentoring relationships and the role that age disparity can play in the successes or challenges of the relationship.
 
Mentoring programs and mentoring relationships can have a significant influence on employee performance, organizational satisfaction, and employee commitment to his/her organization.  However, not all mentoring relationships are created equal, and bad mentoring experiences not only fail to benefit both parties, but they can also lead to negative outcomes for their organizations.  The goal of this project is to examine the unique needs, assumptions, obstacles, and benefits associated with different types of formal mentoring relationships and to test the utility of short, easy-to-implement exercises in improving mentoring experiences.
 
We kindly ask for your assistance in identifying 3-5 lawyer mentor/mentee pairs within your firm to participate in this study.  Your firm's participation is critical in our ability to report back to you with new, reliable information and best practices about mentoring relationships.  We are seeking pairs of mentors and mentees who are in formal mentoring relationships, meaning that they were either assigned to a mentor/mentee or that there is some formalized component of their mentoring relationship outlined by the organization (e.g., a certain number of required meetings, guidelines for mentors/mentees).  Please do not include brand new lawyers who are in the first few months of practice. 
  
Participants in the study will fill out two surveys at two different times points (six weeks apart), assessing their attitudes toward their mentor/mentee and their relationship.  Some participants will be randomly selected to participate in a short written exercise (~5 minutes) aimed at improving their mentoring relationship.  We will be able to assess the utility of these written exercises by comparing results to a subset of participants who will not complete any written exercises (i.e., a control group).  For your convenience, we have attached a copy of the surveys and exercises in PDF format in case you would like to review the questions in advance.  Please note the surveys must be completed online by the mentors and mentees.  Please do NOT distribute printed copies of the surveys for completion.
 
Participating firms will receive a summary of results that will include trends in the cumulative statistics based on firm size.  They will also receive valuable information on short, easy-to-implement exercises that have the potential to improve mentoring outcomes and could be easily incorporated into an existing mentoring program.  Mentors and mentees will both benefit from reflecting on their mentoring relationships and developing a deeper understanding of their mentor/mentee and their mentoring relationship.  In addition to surveying law firm associates, we are also surveying a group of medical residents in formal mentoring relationships. We will be able to provide a summary of results that compares mentoring outcomes and experiences across these two industries/fields. 
 
Participating mentors/mentee will be entered into a drawing for one of two mini iPads.  In addition, 1 out of every 20 participants will be randomly selected to receive a $25 gift card at the completion of the study.
 
The mentor and mentee contact information (name and email address) of eligible pairs can be shared with the researchers at the following secure site. The deadline for submitting the mentor and mentee contact information is December 15, 2016. 
 
LINK:  https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/SE/?SID=SV_dgpH4DGtcG87YsR 
 
Please accept my thanks in advance for your time and support of this research study.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at research@nalpfoundation.org
 
Kindest regards,
 
Tammy A. Patterson
CEO and President
The NALP Foundation
for Law Career Research and Education
6624 Lakewood Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75214
(214)-828-6000
(214)-828-6001 (fax)
tpatterson@nalpfoundation.org
www.nalpfoundation.org