Find a Friend

Learning from others who have either been in a similar role to you or are in a role you aspire to is a great opportunity for a lawyer’s career development. In 2021, we launched the AULP Find a Friend Scheme to connect lawyers in the sector interested in developing a mentoring or buddying relationship.

FAQs

What is the scheme?

AULP Find-A-Friend is a new scheme being piloted by AULP to help members network more easily.

What are the roles?

At the moment, you can choose to join in any one of four capacities. You can choose one or more of the roles as follows:

• A Mentor is normally someone with some experience of working in a Higher Education Legal Office. They are on hand to share the benefits of their wisdom and experience to offer new perspectives or help a member grow into their role.
• A Mentee is normally a less experienced member of AULP is who is looking to connect with someone with more experience to give them guidance on settling into their role, for example if they are a trainee solicitor, or new to the sector, or have just changed roles within an HE team.
• A Buddy is less formal than a mentor, buddies are AULP members who are on hand as listening ears when you need someone to talk to, or perhaps just want to meet for a (virtual) coffee and chat with someone in a similar role to you.
• A Font of All Knowledge is an experienced member of AULP who is happy to be contacted about a particular problem or area of expertise. Unlike the Mentor/Mentee and Buddy system arrangements, Fonts of All Knowledge are there to provide short-term support on a particular query rather than create an ongoing support relationship

What are the expectations?

As all members of AULPs are professionals, its left up to each pairing to decide what works best for them, for example some Mentor pairings may set goals and areas for discussions, whereas others may be happier simply knowing their mentor is available if they have any questions.

It is recommended that in your first contacts, you discuss your expectations of each other and discuss contact intervals, for example whether you want to agree regular check-ins or whether contact is to be ad hoc.

It’s important to remember that all members of AULP work in busy legal offices, so everyone in Find-A-Friend is requested to be proactive in making contact and also to be mindful that a person’s workload may mean they’re delayed in responding to you.

If I’m struggling to contact my Mentor/Mentee/Buddy can AULP help?

There’s limited AULP support, but if you haven’t heard from someone in a while, and you’ve tried to contact them but haven’t got a response, you can contact Claire Farrell and ask to be reassigned.

Am I guaranteed a Mentor/Mentee/Buddy?

The Find-A-Friend system is run by AULP volunteers and so if there aren’t enough volunteers we may not be able to pair you up right away. If this is the case, we will let you know and add you to the waiting list.

I was very specific in my request, am I guaranteed a Mentor/Mentee/Buddy who meets my request?

Matching people is an art, not a science and is dependent on who we have available at any given time. Whilst we will try and ensure that your pairing is a good fit, we can’t make any promises.

How does the matching work?

A central list of mentors and buddies is maintained, when a request for a mentor or buddy comes in, it will be reviewed and, if possible, a suitable person will be contacted to ask if they are willing to connect. Your name, contact details and background may be shared. If they are willing to connect, then their details will also be sent to the requestor. If they don’t have the capacity to connect, then further partners will be contacted, if available.

Are there matching limits?

Yes, to keep things fair and ensure the burden doesn’t fall on any one party too much, there are limits to the number of matches people can have as follows:

• A Mentee can only have one Mentor
• A Mentor will have no more than two Mentees (fewer if the Mentor doesn’t want this many)
• A Buddy can have up to four other Buddies

What if I don’t want to be a member of Find-A-Friend anymore?

If you no longer want to be a part of the Scheme, then simply email Claire Farrell and we will remove you from the list. Please title you email AULP Find-A-Friend

What happens when my Mentor/Mentee or Buddy relationship comes to an end?

If you feel you’ve reached the end of the road with your pairing, then contact Claire Farrell to let us know and we can release mentors/buddies back into the pool for new members. Please title your email AULP Find-A-Friend.

I’ve been a Mentee/Buddy/Mentor and want to change my role/take on new roles, can I do that?

Yes of course. To do so, please fill in a new form with your new roles. It would be helpful if you could confirm in your form whether you want to continue with your current role.

I’m working in a University and have stepped up to be a Team Leader, I feel I could mentor a junior member of AULP but would also benefit from having a mentor with experience in my new role. Can I be both?

Yes of course. To do so, please complete the form accordingly and we will do our best to match you with appropriate people.

Will the Fonts of All Knowledge/Mentors/Buddies offer Legal advice?

No, whilst members of AULP can offer advice on how they’ve tackled similar problems and guidance on the kinds of issues they’ve come across, Find-A-Friend is a support service and not a legal advice service. If you need authoritative legal advice on an issue, you should make sure you seek appropriate advice from external lawyers.

How do I access the Fonts of All Knowledge?

If you contact Claire Farrell with an email titled AULP Find-A-Friend and let us know what you are looking for, we will try and put you in touch with someone with appropriate expertise. Alternatively, if you need a quick response, you can always canvass AULP via the discussion boards.