1L Mentoring Program
Program Overview
The Law School is excited to facilitate mentoring relationships between 1L students and UChicago Law alumni. Our program pairs first-year students with alumni mentors to help students navigate the beginning of their law career. Our mentoring program is open to all first-year JD students interested in being mentored by a UChicago alumnus/alumna.
This mentoring program is designed to provide students with valuable guidance, support, and networking opportunities within the legal community. While mentors may offer insights into their mentee’s careers and legal profession, the program is not intended to facilitate job opportunities and provide career-specific mentorship. Instead, the program’s focus is on helping students build meaningful connections with alumni and successfully transition into law school and the legal profession.
Our matching process considers factors such as geographic location, employer type, and each student’s goals and interests. However, due to program size and alumni availability, we cannot guarantee a match based on a student’s specific career interests. The mentoring program includes both Chicago-area and virtual mentorships.
For more details and to sign up as a mentor or mentee, please see the information below.
Please contact Kari Nimox, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, at klnimox@uchicago.edu with any questions.
Mentoring Program FAQs
Who participates in the program?
The mentoring program is open to all first-year JD students interested in being mentored by a UChicago alumnus/alumna. Mentors are recruited by the Office of External Affairs.
What is expected of me as a mentee?
The 2026-27 mentoring program runs from the autumn through spring quarters. Therefore, we ask that all mentees commit to being involved in the program from October 2026 through June 2027.
Your level of involvement with your mentor is entirely up to you and your mentor. Please remember that mentors have very busy schedules and that their time is valuable. During your first meeting, we encourage you and your mentor to discuss your expectations for the year with each other, including meeting/discussion frequency, meeting location, and medium for communication. The Law School will provide more information to guide your mentorship.
Be respectful of the time commitment required of mentors and make sure to respond promptly to communications, be punctual to events, and honor all commitments. We hope that at a minimum you will:
- Come up with 3-5 goals you hope to accomplish with the help of your mentor
- Meet in person or virtually with your mentor once per quarter
- Communicate with your mentor via email, phone, or Zoom periodically as agreed upon by you and your mentor
While this program is designed for winter and spring quarters, we hope your mentoring relationship continues past your 1L year.
Please review our How to Make the Most of Your Mentoring Relationship webpage to find out more specific information about expectations, communication, and relationship building, as well as suggested discussion topics during initial meetings.
What is expected of me as a mentor?
The 2026-27 mentoring program runs from the autumn through spring quarters. Therefore, we ask that all mentees commit to being involved in the program from October 2026 through June 2027.
Your level of involvement with your mentee is to be determined by you and your mentee. We are aware that your schedule is busy, and your time is valuable. We expect that at a minimum you will:
- Meet in person or virtually with your mentee once per quarter
- Communicate with your mentee via email or phone periodically as agreed upon by you and your mentee, and
- Provide feedback, guidance, and encouragement to your mentee.
If you are unable to commit to being a mentor for the full academic year but would still like to be involved, please email Kari Nimox at klnimox@uchicago.edu
Please review our How to Make the Most of Your Mentoring Relationship webpage to find out more specific information about expectations, communication, and relationship building, as well as suggested discussion topics during initial meetings.
How do I sign up?
Thank you for your interest. Please note that Mentoring Program sign-ups have not yet opened for the 2026-2027 academic year.
I'm an alum who is interested in serving as a resource to students, but can't commit to a 1:1 pairing. Is there a way for me to get involved?
Yes! There is a place on the Mentor Sign-Up Form under the "How would you like to connect with students?" question to note you are willing to be included in an alumni outreach list.
Who should I contact with additional questions?
Please contact the Office of External Affairs at alumni@law.uchicago.edu or Kari Nimox, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, at klnimox@uchicago.edu.