Women in Leadership Mentoring Programme
Thank you for your interest in our programme – please be aware that the application period for our programme has now officially closed. We are no longer accepting further applications at this time. We have now proceeded to the next stage of the programme - the matching process. Applicants who have been successful in this stage of the selection process will be notified by the end of August.
Supporting Women in the Profession
The Law Society is committed to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion within the solicitors’ profession.
As part of our commitment, we are proud to offer the gift of a highly successful and rewarding Women in Leadership Mentoring Programme. The Law Society and Law Society Skillnet is focused on investing in the success of its members with the aim of supporting women who wish to grow personally and professionally and advance their careers to a senior level.
Our Gazette team recently met with a distinguished Mentor and a dedicated Mentee from our most recent programme. The discussion revolved around the invaluable benefits of participation whilst gaining insights into the enriching experience from both mentoring and mentee perspective. For further understanding on the programme offered, please read that article here.
Mentoring partners generally commit to meeting once a month for around an hour over the course of eight months.
Why become a Mentee?
As a mentee, it could be that you have concerns about how to progress to your next role, want help to develop a new skill that you find difficult, improve job performance and increase your chance of promotion or simply want some guidance to network and build connections through this important stage in your career. If you are a solicitor who is willing to ask questions, take direction, be open minded, eager to learn and honest about how you want to progress your career, your participation in this programme is recommended.
For the programme, all female solicitors, who are qualified solicitors and members of the Law Society of Ireland may apply to be mentored.
Why Become a Mentor?
As a mentor, passing on your experience and knowledge can be very rewarding and is a great way to give back to others in the legal profession. The mentor panel is made up of senior solicitors (female and male) from the public and private sectors– Are you focused on sharing your wisdom and actively listening to a mentee? Are you able to focus on the experience of the mentee and eager for them to succeed? Can you take the initiative and lead a mentee?
We welcome applications from solicitors from all sectors of the profession and all parts of the country. Training and guidance are provided in the form of Law Society Skillnet and peer support.
The training is in two parts and is provided by Law Society Skillnet. Part 1 is a self-paced eLearning course that will take participants approximately 90 minutes to complete. The course covers an introduction to mentoring in a professional setting, an exploration of how you can successfully build the foundations of a strong mentoring relationship and an outline of the key skills required in the role. There are interactive activities to complete (including scenario-based questions) and useful resources that can be downloaded. The course must be completed prior to Part 2 of the training.
Part 2 of the training is a follow-up one-hour session (via Zoom) where we will look at the structure and key elements of the Law Society’s Women in Leadership mentoring programme and allow time for any questions participants may have about the process. Following the training, participants are provided with details of their mentor/mentee match.
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April 2024: Applications for both Mentors and Mentee open.
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July 2024: Matching takes place during the month of July.
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August 2024: Applicants (mentors and mentees) are informed via email if they have been successfully matched*. Where a match has been secured, applicants will be contacted and provided with access details to the Law Society Skillnet mentor and mentee self-paced online courses. This course must be completed in advance of the training session in September 2024. *Please note we will endeavour to match candidates based on specified preferences in the application form, however, this cannot be guaranteed.
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September 2024: One-hour training in best-practice mentoring techniques session. Training will be onsite or online - online learning via the self-paced courses and the follow-up sessions are eligible for CPD hours.
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September 2024: Following successful completion of training, applicants are informed of the match details i.e. the name and contact details of the mentor/mentee.
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October 2024: The Mentoring relationship begins. May 2025: The Mentoring relationship comes to an official end.
The time commitment for the Women in the Leadership mentoring programme is set out below. Please bear this in mind before submitting your application.
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Self-paced training – 1.5 hours
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Online Zoom session – 1 hour
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One-hour meeting (approximate) for each month of the 8-month programme
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Total time commitment – 10 hours (approximate)
The 2024/25 programme is facilitated by Darina Mulligan.
Darina Mulligan facilitates the 2024/25 programme. Darina is a leadership and entrepreneurship coach for women. Based in the UK for 15 years, she worked in London’s high-pressure, dynamic events industry before moving to Ireland to focus her energy on supporting women in business to realise and achieve their potential. She is an ICF accredited coach, NLP practitioner, programme facilitator and speaker. She has 20 years of experience designing talks, workshops and masterclasses. Darina has worked with leaders and executives across companies including Salesforce, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia, Cancer Research UK and Women Returners UK. Darina is passionate about supporting women to advance in their careers and to step into senior leadership roles.
If you have any queries about the programme please contact the Women in Leadership Programme Manager, Shane Farrell, at solicitorservices@lawsociety.ie. If you have any queries about the training please contact Gwen McDevitt, Marketing & Communications Executive, Law Society Professional Training and Law Society Skillnet at LawSocietySkillnet@lawsociety.ie
Some comments from mentors and mentees from previous programmes.
The mentorship programme came at a time when I was transitioning to a new role in a new firm. Working through the changes with my mentor made the transition much smoother and really helped me set myself up well in the new role. The time with my mentor was invaluable and I have recommended the programme to many other women in law.
Aoife – Mentee 2023/24
Women in leadership programme is so worthwhile. It was suggested to me by Shane Farrell of Members Service and Career support of the Law Society. I would have seen this programme advertised other years but never thought it had any relevance to my career. I was transitioning from a long-term role to a new role. I was extremely fortunate to be paired with a fabulous mentor and she helped me enormously with great wisdom and wit in navigating the challenges that come with change. I commend the Law Society for organizing this programme.
Ellen – Mentee 2023/24
Participating in the Women in Leadership Mentoring Programme with the Law Society has been an immensely rewarding experience for me. I am pleased to share that I successfully met my objectives with the unwavering guidance, support and encouragement of my experienced Mentor. My mentor throughout the programme instilled the confidence I needed to excel in my career and helped me navigate through challenges. My mentor not only provided insightful advice but also facilitated networking opportunities, enabling me to connect with other professionals in my locality, broadening my perspective and enhancing my professional network. Overall, the programme empowered me to take the leap in my career.
Donna – Mentee 2023/24
I would highly recommend the Women in Leadership Programme. Not only is it well organised and supported by the Law Society, the quality of mentors means that the time spent was invaluable. It has helped me get perspective and clarity as to my career and professional development.
Anonymous – 2023/24
The programme went beyond my expectations and I met the most amazing, caring, encouraging person in my mentor. Allied to that she was focused and there was clarity in everything she said and did.
Aisling – Mentee 2023/24
I would wholeheartedly recommend the mentorship programme to any colleague. In our busy lives it is an opportunity to stop and reflect on where you are at in your career and where you want to go. The process is a safe place to discuss aspects of our careers often not talked about- salary, partnership routes, alternative roles etc.
Anonymous – Mentee 2023/24
I was very well-matched with my mentor, who also worked in an in-house role in the public sector. My mentor provided me with invaluable advice and recommendations over the course of the programme and she gave me the confidence and clarity to address certain issues that had arisen in relation to my role. The objective viewpoint and perspective of my mentor was so important in helping me to realise my value and take action accordingly. Ultimately, I secured a
promotion, which was one of my original objectives and a really positive outcome, for which I am grateful to my mentor.
Emma - Mentee 2023/24
I found the programme incredibly worthwhile. Everyone can benefit from having a mentor in their career, particularly in the legal profession. I found having someone who understood the challenges of being a solicitor share their experience and knowledge really helped me. Since I started the programme, I have been promoted in my role and believe having the support of a mentor helped me to reach this goal.
Anonymous - Mentee 2023/24
I would highly recommend this programme to my peers. I found the matching process was very well thought out and I related well with my mentor. When you are trying to develop in your chosen career it is very beneficial to get outside input and to talk through any issues or concerns in an open and confidential manner.
Louise - Mentee 2023/24
At a time when I was a crossroads of my career and completely stuck with no guidance and knowing what to do and where to go, I was extremely lucky to be selected to take part in the programme and was matched with exactly the Mentor I needed, at that particular time. The programme has changed my career to a 90 degree turn and I couldn't be more grateful to the Law Society and likewise to my Mentor with whom I remained friends and I know that when needed she is always available and ready to help and guide me. I recommend anyone to put the application in there and stay in contact with your Mentor.
Anonymous - Mentee 2023/24
