DESIGNING A PILOT MENTORING PROGRAM FOR A PRIESTLEY 11: A TIERED AND TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH WITHOUT CROWDING CURRICULUM

Abstract

Without access to mentoring programs, law students at Australian universities are simply missing out. The purposes of mentoring programs are multifarious and include cultivating pastoral support, sense of belonging and inclusion; enhancing study skills, communication skills, collaboration skills, organisational skills and leadership skills; enriching transformative student experiences by exposure to positive legal professional identities; growing networks with peers and local legal professionals; strengthening curriculum vitae and thus employability in a competitive job market; and keeping alumni invested in the law program. This article shares with the wider legal academy the design of a pilot mentoring program that is grounded in the literature and informed by a web-based study of current mentoring programs offered to law students at Australian universities. More specifically, the pilot mentoring program is designed for a Priestley 11, tiered and trauma-informed, without crowding the curriculum, and may be adopted or adapted by other law schools.