Professor Linda Sugin, faculty director of the Office of Professionalism, wrote an article for the April NALP Bulletin+, examining peer mentorship and its effects on law students’ development, as well as the professionalism program at Fordham Law.
Every law school should have a peer mentorship program that helps students develop their professional identities, cultivates professional networks, and fosters student support for one another in career ideation. A good program requires institutional support and commitment, but peer mentorship produces personal and professional development benefits for both student-mentors and student-mentees that far exceed the costs.
Fordham’s Program
I started Fordham Law School’s peer mentorship program in 2018 out of concern for students struggling to find authenticity and a sense of belonging in law school and the legal profession. It was designed for students returning after their first summer internship, many of whom are confused about their professional direction and plagued by self-doubt. Returning second-year students participate as mentees, on a voluntary basis. The program connects them with institutionally supported, compassionate, and generous third-year and fourth-year student mentors who provide comfort, information, advice, and connections. To date, our program has supported more than 350 second-year students, helping them form and grow their professional identities.