Background:
UCLI’s Mentoring Program for diverse students is an evidence-based, comprehensive mentoring program that promotes equity and inclusion within Utah’s legal profession and justice system. It provides students from underrepresented backgrounds with resources, opportunities, and networks of support to facilitate their success in the legal profession. Finding its roots in a mentoring program founded by Holland & Hart law firm and the Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA), the program aids in the professional and academic development of law students. Paired with the efforts of the above organizations, Utah law students can cultivate talents outside the classroom and be better prepared to practice.
Mission statement:
The mentor program aims to empower historically underrepresented students to thrive in the legal profession by connecting them with current attorneys as mentors. It is designed to build a sense of belonging in Utah’s legal community, to expose mentees to a wide range of career opportunities, and to help in developing the necessary professional skills to succeed in law school and beyond.
How it works:
Based on “best practices” of student mentoring programs, we assign two attorney mentors to each law student. After creating a personalized plan from the program manual, mentor groups meet monthly in whichever format works best for them. Groups rotate every six months to expand the law students’ networks.
From a Mentee:
“My mentors seem like they are very dedicated to their roles as mentors, and they seem like people I would normally be friends with. They’ve made it clear that no conversation is off the table. I love this. And I’m so grateful! I’m often envious of my classmates that have parents or other family members who are lawyers that can help them figure out this strange world […] I just wanted you to know how incredibly valuable this is to those of us who are embarking on this journey somewhat blindly.“
Law Students’ Information:
Student mentees are equally enrolled at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law and Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Attorney Mentors’ Information:
To date, over 100 attorneys have participated from the following firms and organizations:
- Adair Law Firm
- Anderson & Karrenberg
- BitTitan, inc.
- Blackley & Wingad, Attorneys at Law
- Blue Source, LLC
- Bountiful City
- Buchalter
- Burbidge | Mitchell
- Byington & Goble, PLLC
- BYU Office of the General Counsel
- Cohne Kinghorn
- Contigo Law
- Cordell & Cordell
- DAI Utah
- Dentons Durham Jones & Pinegar
- Dorsey & Whitney
- Encircle
- Fabian VanCott
- Felix Weinberg PLLC
- Foley & Lardner LLP
- George Tait Law, LLC
- Harris Bricken
- Holland & Hart
- Juab County Attorney’s Office
- Jennings & Medura
- Jones Waldo
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Kirton McConkie
- Kunzler Bean & Adamson
- Lexington Law
- Lowe, Hutchinson, Cottingham & Hall
- Maschoff Brennan
- McConkie Hales & Gunn
- Midvale City
- Ogden City
- Parr Brown Gee & Loveless
- Parsons Behle & Latimer
- Pluralsight
- Quackenbush Legal, PLLC
- Regime LLC
- Rogers & Russell
- Salt Lake County DA’s Office
- Salt Lake Legal Defender Association
- Siegfried & Jensen
- SixFifty Legal Product Associate
- Snow Christensen & Martineau
- State of Utah Office of Guardian ad Litem
- State of Utah, Office of the Attorney General
- Steele Adams Hosman
- Stoel Rives
- Strindberg Scholnick
- Strindberg Scholnick Birch Halam Harstad Thorne
- Strong & Hanni
- Tanner Immigration & Family Law
- Timpanogos Legal Center
- Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
- Unicity International
- United States Attorney’s Office
- Utah Attorney General’s Office
- Utah Court of Appeals
- Utah State Bar
- Utah State Courts
- Utah Supreme Court
- Vincent Law
- Washington State University
- Woodbury Corporation
- Young Hoffman, LLC
- Zimmerman Booher
- Zions Bancorporation, N.A.
