One of the biggest reasons to join the Brooklyn Bar Association is its robust mentorship program, and that was on full display Thursday night as nearly 50 members were on hand to serve as both mentors and mentees during a Speed Networking event.
The event was appropriately titled, “Speed Mentoring: A Networking Experience”. There were about 25 mentors and 25 mentees including seven judges, Hon. Joanne Quinones, co-chair of the BBA’s Mentorship Committee, Hon. Kathy King, Hon. Bernard Graham, Hon. Carl Landicino, Hon. Lisa Lewis, Hon. Cheryl Gonzales, supervising judge of the Kings County Housing Court, and Hon. Devin P. Cohen, as well as other bar leaders.
“As someone who has benefited from formal and informal mentoring, I cannot underscore the importance of any and all types of mentoring, including speed mentoring where law students and newer attorneys get to speak one-on-one with judges and seasoned practitioners in short intervals,”Judge Quinones said. “Speed mentoring is a unique, fun and organized way to network.”
At the event, members were paired up and got between three and five minutes to speak with each other before switching. This way everyone at the event got an opportunity to meet everyone else. Mentees could ask questions and would be given opportunities to follow up after the event.
“I’m a first-generation lawyer, and I wished I had an opportunity to partici- pate in a program like this while in school to meet judges and practicing attorneys,” said Natoya McGhie, co- chair of the Mentorship Committee. “Tonight’s one-on-one speed mentoring gave law students and our mentees the opportunity to interact with seasoned attorneys and judges from diverse practice areas, without that added pressure of going up to each person you see at an event to start an initial conversation.”
This program works in conjunction with the BBA Mentorship Committee’s mentorship program that pairs mentors and mentees one-on-one.
Written by Robert Abruzzese, published in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 1, 2022.