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| Tasha Stansbury |
This is especially strong where mentees and mentors have identity factors in common; for example, same-race mentorship pairings “expose mentees to concrete examples of who they might become,”,contributing to their sense of self and strength of identity in their culture, ethnicity and/or race. In a study on the impact of mentorship on LGBTQ+ youth, 76 per cent of sexual minority and 61 per cent of transgender youth engaged in mentorship programs reported that mentors with shared identities influenced their confidence in their abilities. Indeed, a study on high-quality mentoring relationships in Big Brothers and Big Sisters programming found that the “ingredients” of these relationships include sharing important similarities and traits with a mentor, and emotional engagement and support.
Credit: Nuthawut Somsuk: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
Despite both identity-based and professional relationships having been widely recognized as beneficial, there is a significant gap in scholarship on the impact of identity-specific professional mentorship. Most studies on identity-based relationship focus on youth, while the factor of identity is often not a prominent factor of — or in many cases, entirely absent from — discussions of professional mentorship relationships.
That being said, the significance of non-professional factors in professional mentorship relationships has been acknowledged. For example, a 2024 paper by Krishna et al. demonstrates that professional identity formation is shaped by mentorship where the latter is tailored to meet the needs of mentees and their changing circumstances. This includes shaping the role of mentorship around a blend of “role modelling, supervision, mentoring, coaching and teaching, with self-care, guided reflection, apprenticeship and assessment.” Likewise, The Advocates’ Society recommends selection of mentorships based on factors including personality, individual style, mutual respect and appreciation.
Another example is the Blazing Trails Mentorship Program (BTMP) offered by Level Justice. This program offers opportunities for law students interested in social justice careers to connect with legal professionals who have forged their own pathways in the legal field and work in areas related to key social justice themes. Launched in 2017, the BTMP was created in response to feelings of disempowerment reported by law students hoping to find their way in social justice careers.
The success of the BTMP is assessed by four principal factors: positive effect on law school career, increase in knowledge of legal sector opportunities, receipt of assistance in pursuing career goals and likelihood of recommending the program to other students. However, important insights into the role of identity can be found in testimonial accounts of program participants, which strongly suggest that the personal side of mentorship relationships, going beyond the strictly professional context, play a significant role in their overall success. This also benefits mentors, who reported developing a personal relationship with their mentees and learning from them in turn.
In this way, the BTMP exemplifies how factors outside of professional interest can play a significant role in the success of a mentorship pairing. The BTMP is not necessarily identity-specific, but provides options for students to select their own priorities for mentorship pairings, including geographical location, shared identity or social markers, attendance to the same law school, and working in an area of interest.
Where possible, BTMP pairings can be made based on multiple factors, which often lead to some of the most successful mentorship relationships. For example, a 2024-2025 BTMP pairing based on both Black identity and career interest created concrete career opportunities for the mentee at the Black Legal Action Centre, where the mentor, Demar Hewitt, works as executive director.
Similarly, other personal factors such as LGBTQ+ identity, immigration status and mental health can be used to create successful pairings. Tersha de Koning, another BTMP mentor, reported that her mentee’s common interest in criminal law, as well as their mutual experience with burnout and career anxiety, resulted in a particularly enriching experience for both parties.
The BTMP is not alone in acknowledging the role of identity in professional mentorship, although its broad focus on social justice careers differentiates it from other programs. For example, the University of Ottawa Black Law Students’ Association’s Student-Lawyer Mentorship Program aims to tackle lack of diversity in the legal profession by pairing Black students with mentor lawyers.
Regardless of the specific goal of the program in question, there is clearly value in balancing personal and professional priorities in mentorship relationships. Especially when incorporated into the survey design, matching and mentorship stages of a program, personal identity factors can significantly enrich the experience of professional mentorship. However, even outside of these intentionally designed programs, professional mentors should not shy away from involving their personal identities and characteristics in their mentorship. Personal experiences, strengths and mentorship style can be harnessed to foster confidence and create long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with mentees.
Mentorship is more than just showing mentees how the job is done. Legal professionals invest their whole selves into their work. Especially as professionals in a high-stress field, it is important that our mentorship considers the whole individual, and guides mentees toward finding their own unique voice and working styles.
Tasha Stansbury (she/they) is the Environmental and Social Justice Program Manager at Level Justice. She is also a PhD Candidate and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa. Email: tasha@leveljustice.org
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada, or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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