The Mentorship Academy of the State Bar of Georgia's Labor & Employment Law Section recently celebrated the graduation of its 2018-2019 mentee/mentor class at the Center for Human and Civil Rights. More than 100 members of the section have participated in this successful program since its inception just three short years ago. 

The academy is the first of its kind at the State Bar of Georgia and serves as an example of how state bar sections or other legal organizations can provide professional growth opportunities for their members.

The academy's program is an amalgam of mentorship programs developed by the Georgia Affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association, private practice law firms like Fisher & Phillips and similar programs utilized by various federal government agencies. Its leadership is composed of past or present section members and seasoned practitioners who serve on the advisory board, as mentors and subject matter experts presenting CLE and other sessions. 

Founded to provide its members with opportunities for networking, professional and personal development and educational enrichment, the academy's focus is to pair seasoned lawyers who serve as mentors with more junior labor and employment lawyers for a full year of coordinated activities. The participants are expected to commit to spending time and energy attending meetings and generally working together to grow and learn from the relationships that the Academy fosters.

Participants in the academy have access to educational programs, regular one-on-one mentoring meetings and networking events. Additionally, participants attend meetings with local judges who provided practice tips. This year, the Academy held three new “courtroom experiences” where participants argued a motion on a current issue in employment law before a real federal judge in the judge's courtroom. The academy owes a debt of gratitude to Judges Mark H. Cohen, Walter E. Johnson, Leigh M. May and Catherine M. Salinas for their tremendous support and participation in these events.

Part of the success of the academy is rooted in the fact that it brings together lawyers who represent employees and employers, unions and management interests, government employees and government employers. In addition to the networking aspect of the program, the goal is to increase respect and civility among participants. Because of this, participants gain different perspectives and feedback that may have not otherwise been available to them at an in-house mentorship program. History shows that the combination of these different interactions helps attorneys form lifelong bonds with their colleagues practicing in the same area of law but perhaps on differing sides.

Just this year, the state bar's Health Care Section adopted the academy's model for their own mentorship program. The academy is encouraged by the support from incoming state bar president Darrell Sutton on its efforts to groom the state's next generation of lawyers and looks forward to working with other sections to adopt some variation of this program for their members.  

Bert Brannen is managing partner of the Atlanta office of Fisher & Phillips. James Rollins, Jr. is a partner at Schwartz Rollins.