Meet Professor Janice Craft

Q: What is professional identity formation, and why is it so important for lawyers?

A: Among other things, professional identity formation is the way a lawyer defines their role in relation to the standards, responsibilities, and aspirations of the legal profession. It refers to a lawyer’s integration of professional and personal values, and it describes the process by which lawyers blend practical, ethical, relational, and intellectual lawyering competencies to achieve professional excellence. Professional identity formation is a continuous, reflective practice that is important to lawyers because it supports professional development and fulfillment in legal practice, equips lawyers to engage in complex decision-making consistent with their values, and bolsters attorneys’ lifelong commitment to service.

Q: How can a mentor help you figure out your professional identity? 

A: Fundamentally, mentors serve as inspirational and aspirational role models. Through their conduct and character, they demonstrate what it means to be a member and leader of our largely self-regulated profession. Mentors help us discover not only what type of law we want to practice but how we want to practice and who we want to be as attorneys.

Q: Does it make sense to look for mentors if you don’t know what type of law you want to practice?

A: Absolutely! Mentors are touchstones, not mirrors. Indeed, some of your professional mentors won’t even be attorneys. (More on that below.) Certainly, it benefits you to connect with attorneys who practice in an area of law in which you may be interested. But your search for mentors needn’t be limited to practice area or even profession.

Instead, seek persons you respect and admire, regardless of practice area. Seek those who you believe can provide substantive professional guidance and constructive feedback and who are willing to share their experience, best practices, and lessons learned. Seek individuals who can help you assess your own performance and develop measurable plans to achieve your goals. Finally, search for persons who understand and validate your intrinsic motivation to practice law and prioritize your inclusion, belonging, and success (as you measure it) in the legal profession.

Q: What advice would you have for students who want to use this summer to find mentors?

A: First and foremost, recognize that mentoring relationships come in all shapes and sizes. A supervisor can be a mentor, but a supervisor doesn’t have to be a mentor. Likewise, our mentors are not necessarily our supervisors! Mentors can be senior lawyers, junior associates, peers, law faculty, and members of other professions, among other persons. Ask yourself questions to find the best mentorship fit for you. Who exhibits the qualities you respect and admire? Who inspires you? Who embodies a spirit of service? Who maintains excellent client relationships? Who maintains a positive, growth-oriented outlook? Who provides and receives constructive feedback with grace? Who finds meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in their work? Look for the people who display the characteristics you want to display as a professional. Those are your mentors.

Second, note I said “mentors.” Seek multiple mentors over the course of your summer and law school career. While it’s possible you’ll glean all the direction, wisdom, and support you’ll need from just one mentor, it’s far more likely that multiple mentors will best serve your learning and professional development needs.

Third, remember that mentorships can be formal and informal. We do not necessarily approach potential mentors by asking, “Will you be my mentor?” Rather, seek to cultivate authentic professional relationships with persons you respect and admire. A formal mentorship might develop, but so might an equally beneficial and impactful informal mentorship relationship.

Fourth, be clear what you’re asking of a mentor, whether formal or informal. Time and energy are finite resources. Be up front with mentors and potential mentors. Are you seeking a twenty-minute meeting to receive feedback on an assignment? Do you want to discuss networking opportunities over lunch? Are you hoping to engage in quarterly check-ins to assess performance? The more clarity you can provide up front, the more responsive and prepared your mentor will be.

Fifth and finally, be open yet intentional in your search for guidance, direction, and wisdom. A blast email to partners at a firm, a depersonalized message on LinkedIn, or a grudging invitation to a random attorney to meet for coffee because “everyone says I need a mentor” is unlikely to yield fruitful results. Instead, be clear about your mentorship goals and purposeful in your mentorship asks to yield the most productive and beneficial relationships.

Q: How can you develop meaningful mentoring relationships? 

A: Begin with a meaningful search. (See above for additional details.) To maintain a meaningful relationship, first, take initiative in communicating with your mentor. In an ideal world, your mentor will initiate communication as you move forward in your relationship. That said, it is ultimately your responsibility to actively pursue the relationship.

Second, when your mentor connects with you, be responsive, continue to be specific in any asks or requests you make of your mentors, and follow through on your commitments to your mentor. Third and finally, evaluate and reevaluate goals and needs and adjust your mentorship relationships accordingly. Mentors might be lifelong, but they don’t have to be. Be mindful of your and your mentors’ capacities and expectations and shift when necessary. 

Q: What role have mentors played in your own professional development?

A: I have been fortunate to learn from mentors who teach by experience and example. One of my mentors, simply by sharing stories of his professional journey with me, taught me that courage and adaptability are essential to realize a meaningful and fulfilling career. Sometimes my mentor purposely pursued a nonlinear trajectory. At other times, opportunities arose seemingly by happenstance. In any event, he remained willing and open to embrace new challenges and growth opportunities, even if those opportunities knocked him off a predictable path. When I met him late in his career, after all the twists and turns, he practically radiated purpose, fulfillment, and joy. The same mentor also taught me that one does not have to be among the loudest voices in the room to exert influence and wisdom. A quiet man, he nonetheless was a highly effective and deeply respected leader.