We believe engaging in intersectional feminist mentoring both as a Women’s Legal Mentorship Program (WLMP) Student peer mentor and also working with a WLMP Legal Mentor provides all self-identifying female law students the opportunity to develop their own empowering customized diverse mentorship circles and networks.
Through the WLMP’s University Program, which is part of the WLMP’s Canada wide National Student Program, WLMP Law Student Members use our mentoring platform to access various mentoring styles such as empathetic formal, informal, episodic and group mentoring circles. On both a peer mentoring and a professional student-lawyer mentoring level.
We’ve combined the integrating skills-based leadership and professional development programming and strengths of our University Program model and offer it as a virtual mentoring mode through our National Student Program.
Also, while our one-of-a kind National Student Program combined with our copyrighted integrative university mentorship program begins at the law school level, it goes beyond the classroom.
The WLMP National Student Program brings together self-identifying female, non-binary and gender nonconforming (which includes 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC self-identified women) law students from across Canada. Helping them develop a national mentorship and professional network that grows with and travels with them wherever they choose to practice law.
Our WLMP National Student Program provides access to various mentoring styles such as empathetic formal, informal, episodic and group mentoring circles on both a peer and a professional student-lawyer legal mentoring level. Allowing WLMP Law Student Members to create their own diverse legal mentorship experiences.
PLEASE NOTE: The WLMP opens its mentorship matching in-takes three times a year: Spring/Summer, Fall and Winter. You can pre-register to become a WLMP Legal Mentor by filling in the application form below. We process all WLMP Memberships three times a year ahead of these in-take periods.
Student-Lawyer mentoring is critical to breaking down systemic barriers within the legal profession. Not all law students have access to a legal role model or mentor. In fact, their first legal mentor may be through the WLMP Program.
To address inequities in access to legal mentoring, the focus of the WLMP Student-Lawyer Mentoring is on engaging the WLMP Law Student mentee through professional mentoring and fostering active connections within the greater legal community.
Three times a year, the WLMP offers 3 intakes for its Student-Lawyer Mentoring Program during the Spring, Fall and Winter. Both WLMP Legal Mentors and WLMP Law Student Mentees fill out our WLMP Student-Lawyer Mentorship form. This form helps tailor the mentoring matches. Once a match is made, the WLMP connects the legal mentor and mentee. During the first meeting, both the registered WLMP Legal Mentor and WLMP Student Mentee work together to fill out the WLMP Student Legal Mentor Expectations Form™.
As with all of the WLMP’s copyrighted forms and mentorship tools, the WLMP Student Legal Mentor Expectations Form™ is specifically designed to enhance the student-lawyer mentorship experience. It is fundamental to the WLMP’s equity principles and practices.
Many WLMP Legal Mentors select group mentoring. This usually involves 2 to 3 WLMP Law Student Mentees. This creates a WLMP Student-Lawyer Mentoring Circle. It is up to each individual WLMP Legal Mentor to decide if they want to engage in customary one-on-one mentoring or a mentoring circle.
Each WLMP Legal Mentor makes a time commitment of 1 to 2 hours per month to meet virtually or in-person if they are in the same city or region with their WLMP law student mentee or law student mentoring circle.
If both the WLMP legal mentor and the student mentee are members of the WLMP Mentoring Community, they can connect through our members area on our mentoring platform through its private messaging system.
Our National Student Program’s Student-Lawyer mentoring is open to all self-identified female lawyers, who:
The WLMP Student-Lawyer Mentoring in-take happens only three times a year: Spring, Fall and Winter.
The WLMP is the first to offer a Canada wide National Peer Mentoring Program which launched in September 2021.
The focus of the WLMP National Student Program’s peer programming is on helping all WLMP Law Student Members build their own peer mentorship circles and networks across Canada. We’ve found the peer mentoring part of the WLMP’s unique program is particularly beneficial to first year law students.
Traditionally, peer mentoring programs stay within the walls of their law school environments. This is great when you’re on campus and physically navigating the law school. But what if when you are planning your law career outside the region where you are currently going to law school? Or if you are shifted back to an online learning and in a virtual law school environment?
The WLMP’s National Student Peer Mentoring in-take happens only once a year in Fall. Members are notified through our e-newsletter The Spark.
WLMP peer mentoring takes only 1 to 2 hours a month. Each WLMP peer mentoring match creates a flexible mentoring schedule. The 1 to 2 hours can be broken up throughout the month.
You can arrange to meet in person if you are in the same city or region, or use the WLMP online community, connect through our private email system, Facetime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, WhatsApp or whatever communications platform works for them.
Over the years, WLMP peer mentors and mentees have attended WLMP online workshops and events together, connected in person to tour and watch court cases together at the Provincial Court, Federal Court, Supreme Court of Canada. When possible attended law firm hosted events, the LEAF Persons Day Breakfast, and the WLMP Legal Leadership Breakfast™ Awards together. They’ve collaborated virtually on OCI and job interview prep and more.
WLMP Peer Mentoring is open to all self-identified female law students, non-binary and gender nonconforming (which includes 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC self-identified women) law students, who:
The WLMP built equity principles and methods into its mentorship programming. Right down to how we do our mentorship matching.
Mentorship matching, whether it’s done using the customary mentor-matchmaker method or because of the closed format of the information gathering process can unintentionally introduce latent unconscious bias into the matching process.
That’s why, the WLMP integrates an automated WLMP mentorship matching system. Removing the first layer of unconscious latent bias that creeps into traditional mentorship matching.
Professional and leadership development opportunities are critical to closing the gap in the retention of all self-identifying women, 2SLBGTQI+, non-binary, gender nonconforming and BIPOC persons in the law.
All too often pre-law school access to leadership and basic professional development opportunities are limited. Frankly, not all self-identifying female, 2SLGBTQI+, non-binary, gender nonconforming and BIPOC law students have the same access to professional development, leadership or mentorship opportunities and networks. This inequity adversely impacts an individual’s progress and potential for staying in the legal profession.
That’s why the WLMP’s National Student Program integrates professional and leadership development into its programming.
Starting at the law school level and building professional and leadership development into our programming helps WLMP Student members gain confidence. They get exposure to critical soft and hard skills through the WLMP’s Certification Programs. They also get a chance to practice using these skills in a safe space. The goal is helping open doors and promote lifelong leadership and professional education.