Volume 158, No. 251

Law firm honors its mentors

BY JOHN FLYNN ROONEYLaw Bulletin staff writer

When Julie A. Bauer startedas an associate at Winston &Strawn LLP, the firm did notoffer a structured mentoringprogram.So, when asked to join the

firm’s formal mentoring programlast year, Bauer agreed.Bauer acted as a mentor to

Robine K. Morrison, then a first-year associate. They teamed upas part of the firm’s participationin the Illinois Supreme CourtCommission on Professionalism’sLawyer-to-Lawyer MentoringProgram.Earlier this month, Winston &

Strawn presented Bauer, apartner, with its “Mentor of theYear Award” for her work withMorrison. About 65 of the firm’slawyers attended a luncheon thatrecognized their involvement inmentoring programs.“I got to know Robine much

better than I would haveotherwise,” Bauer said. “I got aninsight into the issues facing newlawyers today.”Those issues include the chal-

lenges of meeting day-to-daybillable hour responsibilities andachieving long-term career goals,she said.As part of the mentoring

program, Bauer took Morrisonto a Chicago Inn of Courtmeeting.They attended the “Margaret

Brent Women Lawyers ofAchievement Award” eventearlier this year. The AmericanBar Association Commission onWomen in the Profession estab-lished that award in 1991.Bauer and Morrison also met

U.S. Supreme Court JusticeSonia Sotomayor at a Chicagoevent in September.“We were both exposed to a lot

of high-profile women attorneysand judges and I think that wasgood for both of us,” Bauer said,adding that those women talkedabout how they achieved largercareer goals.Both Bauer and Morrison

work in Winston & Strawn’s liti-

gation department.Bauer’s “guidance certainly

helped me to understand whatpartners are looking for in yourwork,” Morrison said. “She alsohelped me in terms of being partof the larger legal community” atnetworking events.Morrison called her involve-

ment in the program “one of themost valuable things that I havedone as far as developing who Iam as an attorney.”Paula Hudson Holderman,

Winston & Strawn’s chiefattorney development officer,said she “can see Robine’s confi-dence has grown throughout thislast year.”As for meeting prominent

female lawyers and judges,Morrison “never would have hadaccess to those people without

Julie Bauer,” Holderman said.The firm engaged in various

other mentoring programs for atleast a decade and wanted toparticipate in the Commission onProfessionalism’s more struc-tured program and use itsresources, she said.All 33 of Winston & Strawn’s

first-year associates in theChicago office participated in theprogram, along with an equalnumber of more experiencedlawyers as mentors within thepast year.When the Supreme Court

announced last year that lawyerscould earn Continuing LegalEducation credits by partici-pating in mentoring programs,Winston & Strawn became thefirst large Chicago law firm tovolunteer as a participant in the

Copyright © 2012 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

I got aninsight into

the issues facingnew lawyerstoday.”

About 65 lawyersattend recent luncheonto recognize givingback to colleagues

CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2012

Winston & Strawn LLP Associate Cristina Covarrubias (left) and Partner Bryna J. Dahlin gotrecognized on Dec. 12 at the firm’s luncheon for their participation in the Illinois Supreme CourtCommission on Professionalism’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program. About 65 Winston &Strawn lawyers participated in the program during its initial year. Michael R. Schmidt

®

Lawyer-to-Lawyer MentoringProgram, said Jayne RizzoReardon, executive director ofthe Commission onProfessionalism.Sixty-one law firms, bar

groups and law schools andabout 850 lawyers participate inthe mentoring program, Reardonsaid.Each mentor who meets

requirements, including eightface-to-face meetings with thementee within a year, earns sixhours of professional responsi-bility CLE credits. The menteescan earn the same amount ofprofessional responsibility CLEcredits toward their basic skillsrequirement.The commission’s plan

provides that mentors andmentees complete at least onespecific action related to profes-sionalism, legal ethics, civility,diversity and inclusion, alongwith wellness, mental health andaddiction.At the recent luncheon,

Kathryn Wendel, a Winston &Strawn associate since 2008,received a “Mentor of the YearAward” as part of the firm’ssecond- and third-yearmentoring program for associ-ates. Wendel acted as a mentorto associate Elizabeth J.Thompson.They met regularly for lunch

or after work and attendednetworking events, Wendel said.The relationship also

allowed Thompson to seek

advice from Wendel.“It’s really important to have

someone you can go to and askquestions of,” Wendel said,“someone you can have an openconversation with as you try tofind your way.”

Both Wendel and Thompson,who joined the firm two yearsago, also work in its litigationdepartment“I was very well matched with

Kathryn and as a result we wereable to develop a friendship,

which fostered open lines ofcommunication and as a resultallowed me to learn a lot,”Thompson said, including aboutwhat court motions look like anddetermining the next stages inlitigation.

Copyright © 2012 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

Kathryn Wendel, a Winston & Strawn LLP associate, received a “Mentor of the Year Award” forparticipating in the firm’s second- and third-year mentoring program for newer associates. Hermentee, Associate Elizabeth J. Thompson, looked on during the firm’s luncheon, which recognizedthe mentoring program participants. Michael R. Schmidt