UB Law Mentor Program: Connecting Students with Legal Professionals for Professional Development
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For over 20 years, the UB Law Mentor Program has paired every 1L student with a practicing lawyer mentor by collaborating with the law school's Career Services Office and the UB Law Alumni Association. The mentors, who understand the challenges of law school and the legal profession, offer guidance and build relationships with their mentees. The annual matching reception, attended by around 200 students and mentors, is a highlight of the academic year, where mentees meet their assigned mentors for the first time. Mentors who are located outside of Buffalo connect with their mentees virtually. LAA President Elizabeth A. Kraengel '07, a partner at Duke, Holzman, Photiadis & Gresens LLP, emphasizes the value of mentoring for professional development and expanding networks. Sara Beyer '25, a 1L student, feels welcomed by the law school community and is encouraged by the tight-knit legal community's willingness to support UB's 1Ls.
John Godsoe, an LAA board of directors member and chair of the association's mentor committee, states that the mentorship program has seen great success, with alums and friends volunteering as mentors, including those out of town. The program aims to connect students with mentors with expertise in their desired area of practice or a particular geographic location of interest, providing them with an opportunity to build relationships, which is crucial in the legal profession. As a mentor himself, Godsoe tries to empathize with the concerns and fears of law school students and reassure them that they do not need to have everything figured out right away. The mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street, with mentors benefiting from reconnecting with UB Law and students' energy: Kerisha H. Hawthorne-Greer, a principal law clerk to Hon. Stephanie Saunders, in the New York State Court of Claims, mentors law students and is motivated by the guidance she received as a student. She believes in giving back and making herself available to students who want to tap into her knowledge and resources.
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