The Commerce & Industry (C&I) Group has signed up one of its biggest names yet to take part in its mentoring scheme.

National Grid general counsel Helen Mahy has agreed to join the scheme, which provides support for junior in-house lawyers. She joins senior Cisco solicitor Dominic Instone and the legal director at insurance company Resolution, Randal Barker, as recent recruits.

The representative body plans to step up the scheme to include 250 senior and junior in-house counsel by early 2009.

The original pilot scheme, which was launched in June 2006, saw 13 general counsel pledge support to 24 junior in-house lawyers. Since then another 17 mentors have joined the scheme, which is open to C&I Group members with less than five years' post qualification experience.

Mahy told Legal Week: "It is an interesting scheme and one which can help junior in-house lawyers who want advice about career progression or just general support."

Other mentors include 3i head of legal Tony Brierley, Dell senior legal counsel Bruce Macmillan and Carillion legal services director Richard Tapp.

The scheme is part of C&I London chair Deepak Malhotra's two-year plan for the group, which has sparked other initiatives including a focus group on fees and a networking plan for sole in-house counsel.