IndyBar: Has Practicing Law Really Changed? A Collaborative Column

By Scott A. Chinn, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, IndyBar Masters Division Chair Monica McCoskey, Paganelli Law Group, IndyBar Young Lawyers Division Chair

This is a joint column co-written monthly by the Chairs of the Masters Division and Young Lawyers Division to compare, contrast, and relate practicing law 25+ years ago to practicing law today. Each column will examine a new general subject.

MEANINGFUL MENTORSHIP

Mentoring takes many forms across the profession, and IndyBar is expanding its mentorship repertoire this year in line with IndyBar President, Lee Christie’s, emphasis on mentoring and the Masters Division’s acquisition of many functions of the former professionalism committee. A strong mentor-mentee relationship is needed more than ever in our everchanging legal landscape, and there can be little doubt that a special relationship between the profession’s more senior lawyers and its newer lawyers exists. The question then becomes, how do we make that special relationship flourish instead of just exist – and guarantee that it does not flounder? The effort has three major parts.

First, it takes work. Mentorship is a full-time job. A good mentor is someone who actively listens, provides guidance, helps facilitate solutions, celebrates achievements, and most importantly, who actually shows up. A good mentee is someone who enthusiastically engages, implements feedback, is eager to learn, demonstrates respect, and clearly communicates their goals. All these traits take time and effort. A successful mentor-mentee relationship cannot thrive unless we lay the proper foundation and continue to nourish it. At IndyBar, section and division chairs under President Christie’s encouragement are focused on laying the foundation to make this work fun and exciting—existing mentorship efforts are getting an upgrade, new programs are in the pipeline, and opportunities for mentorship-focused events are plenty. We are especially excited about the Young Lawyer Division-Master Division joint programming this summer.

Second, stereotypes will not do. Let us rid ourselves of the vision of a young “student” visiting a gray and (theoretically) wise “master” under a tree to receive wisdom. What wisdom senior lawyers prepare to impart should best come paired with humility. Some things are the same as thirty years ago, and several things are different. Attorneys of all experience-levels have value to add. Successful mentorship requires appreciation for the value of tried-and-true experience, while simultaneously embracing the insight and perspective from those early on in their own legal-evolution. This is a two-way street. That principle has animated the Masters Division to invite the chair of the Young Lawyers Division to be an ex-officio member of its executive committee. Monica McCoskey will be present to add value to the planning of events and implementation of these tenets in practice.

Finally, do not let fear or insecurity stand in the way of growth. Let your walls down. Failing a little bit is not floundering. Not every meeting between a mentor and mentee will produce magic. Not every program will take off. Not all good advice will be taken, and not all bad advice will be avoided. But one thing remains true: a mentor who listened and a mentee who felt heard is a fruitful effort, nonetheless. Do your best to stay encouraged and recall these learned experiences as you tackle future endeavors with clearer eyes, resulting in better outcomes.

Mentorship is (and should remain) a core mission for the legal profession. If we commit to approaching mentorship with genuine interest, compassion, and good faith—the sky’s the limit.•

Scott Chinn is a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where he represents public and private clients in state, municipal, and public sector legal matters. He provides advisory, transactional, and general counsel representation for public finance, procurement, regulatory, infrastructure, environmental, and economic development matters. Prior to joining the firm, he served as counsel to Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and as Corporation Counsel to the City of Indianapolis. Chinn currently serves as the Chair of the Masters Division, is a member of the IndyBar Board of Directors, and is a past president. Chinn is also a Distinguished and Life Fellow of the IndyBar Foundation. He earned his B.A. from Indiana University and his J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Monica McCoskey is an attorney with Paganelli Law Group where her practice concentrates on business and real estate litigation. Prior to joining Paganelli Law Group, McCoskey was an associate attorney with a law firm in Northern Indiana, where she practiced securities litigation and represented plaintiffs and defendants in various legal matters. She is the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division, a member of the IndyBar Board of Directors, and Co-Chair of the Social Subcommittee for the Litigation Section’s Executive Committee. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.