Traditional forms of mentoring and coaching have always been at the heart of the legal profession. It is not so long ago that in order to become a lawyer, one did not attend law school, but instead had to be mentored by a senior member of the profession for a fixed number of years. The requirement to attend law school is now universal, but the need for mentoring and coaching in the legal profession has not disappeared; it is developing at a high speed and for good reasons.

Misconceptions about mentoring and coaching in law firms often prevent productive relationships from forming. These misconceptions include beliefs that mentoring is beneficial to mentees but does not add value to the mentors; an assumption that it is human resources’ responsibility to develop people; and queries about why today’s lawyers need coaching, given that they receive more formal training than previous generations.

This practical handbook, coordinated by Rebecca Normand-Hochman on behalf of the International Bar Association, explores and challenges some of these assumptions. Featuring chapters by well-respected experts in the field of mentoring and coaching, chapters cover topics including leadership coaching for law firm leaders; mentoring and coaching for lawyers at various stages of their careers; and mentoring and coaching for successful onboarding of lawyers, among other topics.

The various chapters provide guidance and insight to law firm leaders and talent management managers for them to discover how they can turn mentoring and coaching into a source of competitive advantage by improving client service, attracting and retaining the best talent, and enhancing the utilisation of human capital.

The book will also be of interest to lawyers seeking to discover how they can generate productive relationships to acquire the intangible skills and knowledge required to excel in today’s practice of law.