Equitable learning: The mentor vs mentee experience

Emily Ward, a trainee solicitor at Public Services Delivery Scotland, shares how mentoring a Diploma student not only gave her the chance to support and guide her mentee but challenged her to consider new perspectives.

As a trainee solicitor, I’m often the first person to say, “I don’t know”. It’s a humbling experience and a useful survival skill in law, especially when you’re at the junior (or in my case, very junior) end of the experience scale. However, I’ll usually follow up with “But I know where to look; let me get back to you.” Many trainees will recognise this as a robust method in demonstrating their eagerness to learn. Yet, when it comes to crafting applications and, crucially, succeeding in them, I’m on much more comfortable territory.

This experience was what drew me to the Law Society of Scotland’s mentoring scheme. It read as an excellent opportunity to pass on some of the hard‑earned (and occasionally hard‑learnt) lessons I’ve picked up along the way of obtaining a traineeship. The application process itself was simple, and I was quickly paired with a mentee, Chris Walters, (who has also written a blog from his perspective), who is both highly capable and will make an excellent addition to any team he joins.

We settled in fairly quickly, agreeing on a loose structure for meetings and setting goals. Not everything worked perfectly from the outset. Online meetings functioned better than in-person. Sometimes they had to be rearranged. However, with a mutual willingness to adapt, the relationship quickly found its rhythm.

Mentoring is often described as a way of giving back to the profession. Of course, there’s real satisfaction in helping someone prepare for applications, navigate decisions, and celebrate those all-important wins, but what surprised me most was how much I learnt from the experience.

"I went in expecting to guide; I came away having been positively challenged."

I was reminded of the challenges facing aspiring solicitors, many of which weren’t on my radar when I was applying only a few years ago. It made me reflect on how we assess our lawyers-to-be. Whilst, as a trainee, I am unlikely to occupy the interviewer’s chair anytime soon, I do believe my traineeship has given me a greater appreciation of what may be sought after. In turn, I can appreciate that there is far more to a person than can reasonably be captured in a polished application form or a 30-minute interview.

More broadly, the experience was one of reciprocal learning. I went in expecting to guide; I came away having been positively challenged. It’s a scheme which, in my view, would be especially useful for those with a hand in recruiting.

I’d also like to think there’s a wider benefit. My employer has always placed real emphasis on a supportive working environment, and this is something which mentoring fits naturally into. During my traineeship, I have benefited enormously from having a variety of mentoring relationships, so there’s something particularly satisfying about being able to pay that forward. I would, therefore, highly recommend the scheme to anyone thinking of giving something back and, crucially, looking to learn a little something in return.

The Law Society’s mentoring scheme is accessible to solicitors and accredited paralegals at all stages of their careers whether you are looking to share your experience and knowledge with others or look for guidance from someone else.

You can find out more about the scheme here.