Recent News

August 12, 2011

Bar Association, Court Host New Lawyer Mentoring Event

Columbus participants in the Supreme Court of Ohio Lawyer to Lawyer mentoring program gathered on August 3 to tour the new home of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court General Division and to network at a reception with fellow mentors and new lawyers. The event was a joint effort by the general division’s administration and Columbus Bar Association and marked the first time that a local court co-sponsored a mentoring event.

Established as a permanent program in 2008, Lawyer to Lawyer seeks to elevate the competence, professionalism and success of Ohio lawyers. The one-year program pairs experienced lawyers with those recently admitted to the practice of law.

“During the tours, new lawyers learned practical information that isn’t taught in law school,” said Lori Keating, program administrator and secretary to the Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism. “They are now familiar with the layout of the new courthouse, the new technology employed in its courtrooms and the importance of learning and following the court’s local rules and specific procedures each judge has established to run an efficient docket. In addition, new lawyers and mentors benefited from a brief introduction to the court’s electronic filing system, which will be unveiled soon.”

Mentors and new lawyers matched through the program enjoyed the networking opportunity provided by the reception. Guided tours of the courthouse were conducted before and after the reception.

As for the speakers on the agenda, Judge Richard A. Frye, who served as chair of the judges’ committee overseeing the construction of the courthouse, spoke about the new facility; and Magistrate Mark Petrucci, Columbus Bar Secretary-Treasurer, talked to new lawyers about the importance of joining their local bar associations.

Pictured: Columbus Bar member Jim Seguin enjoys the reception with his mentee, Luke Overmeyer.