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Reflections of an award-winning mentor
According to an award-winning lawyer, mentoring can (and should) happen anywhere and at any time.
Jess Feyder
Lawyers Weekly spoke with the winner of the Mentor of the Year category at the 2022 Australian Law Awards, Rachell Davey, during which she reflected on her experiences of being a mentor in the legal profession.
“All junior lawyers need the commitment and devotion of a senior mentor who is genuinely interested in them, their career progression and their goals and aims.
“All of which takes time and a deep commitment to the development of your staff,” she said.
Ms Davey holds gratitude for her experience of being a mentor to young lawyers. “I consider myself very fortunate to be able to assist lawyers throughout their careers and to observe their growth, learning and skill development and to be able to play a small part in their career journeys,” she said.
“I am so very fortunate to have received back far more than I have given over the course of my mentoring journey.”
As a piece of advice on mentoring for other lawyers, Ms Davey offered: “Mentoring can happen anywhere, any time and with anyone!”
“Meaningful mentoring should not be only taking place at annual performance reviews, it can and should happen each and every day.
“I’m often surprised when lawyers recount conversations they have had with me, some from many years prior, that have made a lasting impact on them.
“Some of those discussions were very ad hoc, short conversations that struck a meaningful chord, often quite unintentionally.
“There is no problem large or small that cannot be solved by a conversation, and I am always willing to have those conversations,” she said.
Ms Davey said that from her perspective, being a good mentor is about being genuine, authentic, and approachable. She noted that it is important to be open and honest about sharing one’s own career path — including successes and achievements, as well as mistakes and errors made along the way.
Ms Davey reflected on her area of practice, noting that the demands of being a young lawyer are immense in any field, and particularly in family law, when assisting clients who are often highly vulnerable and emotional.
“Clients’ life experiences can be far removed from those of a young lawyer,” she said, which lends importance to the development of genuine legal ability, strategic thinking, and the ability to establish and maintain strong client relationships.
This is best learned through formal and informal discussion, observations and dedicated performance reviews and career planning, she said.
Ms Davey commented that she was “absolutely delighted to win the award”.
“The reaction from my colleagues has been overwhelming,” she said.
“It has been a tremendously positive experience and so rewarding to receive feedback that my mentoring has had an impact on the junior lawyers and group members that I have worked with throughout my career.
“It also provided me with an opportunity to personally thank my mentor from whom I have learned so much over the course of my career and whose belief and support of me and my career has been instrumental to my progression to partnership.
“I was also very fortunate when I started at Lander & Rogers to be able to work very closely with a partner and to observe his approach to file work and client relationships.
“Those early years were crucial to my career development and journey as a family lawyer — I am always very conscious to ensure that junior lawyers have the same access to senior lawyers and partners that I did.
“I am so often inspired by the people I work with and their drive and determination to achieve the best results for their clients is infectious and drives me to be the best role model I can be.”
