Welcome

CAMP History & Mission:

Founded in 2013 the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP) brings the benefit of professional mentoring to new and transitioning Colorado lawyers. The mission of the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program is to promote professional pride and identity in Colorado’s legal community and excellence in service to the public through the teaching of the core values and ideals of the legal profession and training in the best practices for meeting those ideals. We achieve this through the creation of mentoring and coaching relationships within the bar, courts, law offices, and law schools.   

Who are the Mentees?

 Licensed, active lawyers, who are either practicing or are intending to practice law in Colorado, law school graduates working toward or awaiting licensure in Colorado, or law students currently enrolled in either of Colorado’s law schools. Many mentees are within their first three years following admission to practice law in Colorado, however our programming is available to any Colorado attorney regardless of years of practice. The lawyer need not be a member of a bar association, legal organization, Inn of Court, or law firm. Mentees need only have the interest and commitment to complete engage in mentoring. Mentees can self-identify mentors or have a mentor assigned to them. 

Who are the Mentors?

 A Colorado attorney or judge, with an active license, in good standing or retired Colorado attorney or judge, who retired from the practice in good standing. Mentors should have a minimum of five years practice experience, although younger attorneys may mentor with an experienced co-mentor on occasion. Mentors must have the commitment and availability to complete a structured mentoring program. 

Why Should I mentor through camp?

CAMP approved mentoring plans will allow each mentee and mentor to receive up to 9 CLE credits, including 2 ethics credits (at NO CHARGE) upon successful completion of the Program. CAMP’s relationship with a variety of partner programs across Colorado allows the mentoring pair to engage in relevant and meaningful social activities in their hometown or law firm. While the Program has components that include group activities, an emphasis is placed on the one-on-one professional relationship between the experienced lawyer and the less experienced lawyer because this is one of the best ways to pass on the values, ideals, and best practices of the profession.

Mentoring Options

The CAMP format does not require a mandatory, “one size fits all” mentoring experience for participants. Each participant is encouraged to structure their mentoring relationship, including goals and learning objectives, to be most relevant to that person. CAMP’s various mentoring models are available to all program participants should they wish to implement these models into their respective mentoring relationships.

Traditional Mentoring Programs

Mentoring pairs engaging in a traditional mentoring experience will generally exhibit three characteristics: (1) The mentoring pair will have one or more specific goals or learning objectives for their time in the program, (2) The mentoring pair will meet on a more scheduled basis (as opposed to on an ad hoc basis), and (3) The mentoring pair will follow some type of mentoring plan or curriculum to assist them in achieving their mentoring goals and objectives. The mentoring plan or curriculum for each mentoring pair will differ from pair to pair. Mentoring pairs are encouraged to create a plan that is most meaningful and relevant to the mentee. To assist mentoring pairs in developing their mentoring plains, CAMP has created template mentoring tracks designed to meet the needs of Colorado lawyers at all stages of their professional careers. Mentoring pairs are encouraged to utilize these mentoring plan templates to provide structure and organization to their mentoring relationship and to set goals and develop important competencies during the mentoring relationship.Those mentoring pairs who successfully complete a formal program may qualify for CLE credit. Formal programs generally take six to twelve months to complete.

Informal Mentoring

Sometimes mentees do not have specific goals or objectives that would be served by a structured mentoring program. In these cases, a mentee may simply need a mentor to serve as a connector, door opener, or “as needed” resource. In this case, CAMP takes responsibility for matching the mentoring pair and the pair takes sole responsibility for developing and sustaining their mentoring relationship. Choosing an informal mentoring program does not offer any less benefit or significance to your mentoring relationship. It simply means that you are choosing not to follow a formal mentoring plan for the purposes of structure or CLE credit. The time frame and content of the mentor relationship is entirely at your discretion. In selecting an informal program, you are taking sole responsibility for developing and sustaining your mentoring relationship. The CAMP mentoring plans remain available to you for guidance and inspiration. Additionally, the CAMP resources and events also remain available.

Circle Mentoring

In addition to one-on-one mentor pairings, CAMP offers circle mentoring opportunities. The mentoring circles concept relies on peer-to-peer mentoring, as opposed to traditional mentoring paradigms. In a circle program, participants from all levels of practice are encouraged to join or propose their own mentoring group. This unique setup gives motivated lawyers another avenue to grow within the profession and opens the door for all lawyers to find or create a circle that gets them excited. Topics don’t always have to be practice related and they can cover a wide range of ideas. A few inspiration topics include “Working Moms,” “Young Lawyers,” or “Time Management.” Circle owners designate limits for number of participants, set expectations for how, when, and why the circle will meet, and put their proposed circle on a “marketplace” – a listing of circles that need participants. Lawyers browse the marketplace for circles that catch their fancy and when enough people join, the circle owner formally launches the circle.

Join us now to develop personal and professional relationships with other Colorado lawyers who can help you learn and grow.
Whether you're a mentor, a mentee, or both, you'll find mentoring to be a rewarding part of your experience as a Colorado attorney!