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Mentorship and mindset: Advice for new lawyers
There’s much more to learn from a mentor than simply learning the law through them, says Jemma Barnard, associate at Travis Schultz & Partners.
Jess Feyder
Last week, Jemma Barnard spoke to Jerome Doriasamy on Lawyers Weekly’s Protégé Podcast. She discussed the essential lessons that mentors can impart, how and where to find mentors, and how to embark on one’s own journey of mentorship.
After finishing university, Ms Barnard had a strong sense of wanting to work on personal injury claims in insurance law and felt drawn to wanting to work with, and learn from, Travis Schultz at his firm. “He’s a leader in his field, he’s so experienced, and he loves the law,” she said.
“I just stuck myself out there and said, ‘look, I’ve got experience on three files, but I’m willing to learn’.”
She stated that both Mr Schultz and Tim McClymont were extraordinarily essential for her growth as a lawyer.
“Probably one of the stand-out aspects that I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from both Travis and Tim, with respect to the legal profession itself, is what type of practitioner I want to be,” said Ms Barnard.
“Both Tim and Travis are incredible lawyers, not only for their knowledge of the law, but their compassion and their ability to connect with their clients.”
Ms Barnard gave insights on how and where graduates and law students can find mentors: “Sometimes mentors can be found in the most unexpected places, and they’re not necessarily lawyers themselves.
“In my experience, there have been so many paralegals and law clerks that I learned so much from, that had a different teaching style and a different way of conveying information that actually was just as good or if not better, sometimes, than lawyers themselves,” she said.
“I would say to graduates, be really open minded. When you’re looking for that mentor, look in the most unexpected places. Look in your community legal services. There are some fantastic lawyers there, so that would be a fantastic place to start.”
Ms Barnard reflected on becoming a mentor herself: “Sometimes you just don’t know how integral you are to somebody else’s career progression until they tell you, and often it’s just the biggest surprise.
“I think with respect to leading others and teaching others that are coming through the ranks, it’s so important to keep sight of the fact that you were once there yourself.
“Certainly, with my experience, law is really difficult. Sometimes it takes you multiple times to get your head around a particular concept or a particular way of drafting. Be patient, be kind, be compassionate to those people.”
“You have so much knowledge that perhaps you’re not even aware of that you’ll pass down to them,” she said.
Ms Barnard reflected on some of the most important lessons she has learnt to impart to new lawyers coming through the ranks: “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that your mindset is key.”
“Sometimes, young lawyers come out of uni having gone through so many exams and essays and getting penalised for the wrong answers. I think sometimes they are afraid to get something wrong.
“You’ll often make mistakes, you’ll often get the wrong answer or give the wrong approach, and it’s really important to keep focus with respect to those emotions that can often follow getting the wrong answer.
“Shame, or feeling guilty, feeling a bit silly, they’re so unproductive. They don’t inspire or motivate us to grow and to acquire knowledge,” she said. “Learn from that lesson and move on and apply that lesson in the future.”
“Don’t let your ego get in the way,” she said. “Growing and learning, you’re going to be uncomfortable, pushing the limits of your knowledge and skills and experience ... but all these lessons help you to grow, and the boundaries of what you know and your what your skills are, are always expanding.”
“Mindset is key,” she reiterated.
