Our online mentoring platform
Signing up
We're delighted that you feel like you're ready to sign up as a mentor or a mentee. Signing up is a really quick process and should only take about 10 minutes.
To sign in, you must be registered with us as a member (solicitor, accredited paralegal or trainee), or as a student associate. If you don't satisfy these requirements, please get in touch with us at mentoring@lawscot.org.uk for more information.
When you access the platform you will be asked to sign in using your login details for the members area of the Society’s website. If you don’t have these to hand they can be re-set easily using the instructions on the website.
Mandatory training for mentors
Prospective mentors must attend a full day of training which normally takes place at our offices. You can set up your online profile either before or after you have undertaken the training. During the training, you will learn how to develop an appropriate mindset for the role, as well as learning how to structure effective mentoring conversations including how to listen constructively and question effectively. Find out more about being a mentor.
Once you have attended a training session, you will be able to enter the date you completed your training and a member of the mentoring team will approve your profile and you will become 'live' on the platform. This means your profile will be discoverable to mentees and they can apply to match with you.
If you have been a mentor with us in the past on either of our schemes and can't remember your training date, get in touch with us at mentoring@lawscot.org.uk.
You can sign up to our training sessions on a rolling basis and we run a minumum of two sessions each year. Our next training sessions are planned for early 2020, and to register your interest please complete the form below.
Helpful features of our mentoring platform
Our mentoring platform not only enables you to be matched to a mentor who has the skills and experience that you are looking for, it provides a wealth of guides and videos to help you through every step of the mentoring process
Setting up your profile
The first thing you will need to do when setting up a profile is determine whether you are participating in the career development or student:trainee stream. The career development scheme is unrestricted and anyone can join. The student:trainee scheme is designed specifically for trainee solicitors to act as mentors for LLB and Diploma students and graduates.
You will be asked for details such as your name, employer and geographical location. You will also be asked to complete your areas of expertise if you're a mentor, or your areas of interest if you're a mentee. Make sure to provide as much information as possible, as you will be matched with mentee or mentor on the basis of these responses. The more boxes you tick, the more likely that you will be generated as a match.
Please bear in mind that you might not find a match straight away and this can be for any number of reasons however we train new mentors twice per year and constantly attract participants to the scheme, so we do aim to have as many potential matches for you as possible. You may find you sign up and then need to keep checking back for a match for a few months.
Mentors' and mentees' profiles remain anonymous during the matching process and your name and organisation only becomes visible once you enter into a mentoring relationship. You have the option to add a photograph to your profile if you wish which will be visible throughout, but this is not required.
Using the platform as a mentor
The platform is mentee-led, which means that they can ‘search’ for mentors on an anonymous basis. Mentors do not have this same function.
Mentees register on the same platform and they are presented with a list of mentors who match their stated requirements. This is automatically generated by the platform and the mentees then select from that list. If you are selected, a message will be sent to your email address to alert you to this. The platform is set so that your identity will remain concealed until a mentee selects you as a potential mentor. You have the option to decline or accept the request. If you accept the request, then you and the matched mentee can make arrangements to meet through the platform. If you decline, then the mentee will be sent a message to confirm this.
We have set the system so that the maximum number of mentees a mentor can have through this platform is two. If you prefer to have one mentee at a time, you simply set your profile as “unavailable” while that relationship is on-going.
Use the 'tools' function to access useful training and support documentation, as well as record details of your meetings and any reflections on your progress. This can be found in the 'relationships' tab, next to the name of your mentor/mentee. There will also be additional videos and documentation made available as on an ongoing basis.
Using the platform as a mentee
Once you have created your mentee profile, you can get started immediately and look for a mentor. The platform will automatically generate a list of prospective mentors as a result of the criteria about areas of interest/expertise you identified in your profile.
If you would like to expand your search and see more mentors, try selecting different options in your profile. Please note that we might not have a huge pool of active mentors that match to your profile at all times. It's normal that you may be that you need to check back for matches over the course of a few months.
When you find a mentor that you would like to contact, write them a message using the tab and try and include as much information as possible. The mentor will receive this message and make a decision about whether to accept or decline your request based on whether they think you're a good match.
Focus on one mentoring relationship at once, rather than having more than one mentor and you should only send a request to one potential mentor at a time. If your request is declined you should then approach an alternative mentor. You should have one set of clear goals at once that you are working towards. When you meet these goals or your relationship comes to an end, you can find another mentor at this stage.
Create your mentoring profile now
Ready to sign up as a mentor or a mentee? We use an online platform so mentees can match with their own mentor. Creating a profile only takes around 10 minutes, using your Law Society member login details.
FAQs
These are the same details you use to log in to record your CPD, book onto events and access information in the Law Society Members' Area. You can reset your details if you don't have them to hand.
We have set a maximum of two mentees per mentor, although you might prefer to just dedicate your time to one mentee at once.
Our programme is set up so you can mentor two people at once. If you would prefer to dedicate your time to just one mentee, manually mark your profile as 'unavailable' on the platform and you will not be contactable by other prospective mentees.
Absolutely! You might have career aspirations of your own, but plenty of experience that could benefit someone else. You are able to set up two profiles on the platform and toggle between them on the top right hand side, where it says 'switch to mentor/mentee' profile,
Yes, you can do this by toggling between the two options on your profile page, using the buttons just above the section with all the information you need to complete.
Once you and your mentor/mentee have decided that the relationship has run its course, you both need to confirm this on the platform in the relationships tab.
This then allows you to be matched with another mentee/mentor if you would like. If you want to take a break from mentoring, you can also mark yourself as 'unavailable'.
You will also be asked to complete a survey to record your satisfaction with that particular match, and to give feedback which will help us improve the scheme.