March 21, 2012 6:51 PM

The Careerist: How to Snag a Mentor (and Maybe a Job)

Posted by Vivia Chen

Today’s guest blogger is Michael Maslanka, managing partner of the Dallas office of Constangy, Brooks Smith.

5 Tips on Getting a Mentor

by Michael Maslanka

During three decades of practice, I’ve won and lost a lot of cases and have been on both sides of the desk, as an employee and a boss. I see a lot of resumes as managing partner of my firm’s Dallas office. . .

Here are five things a new lawyer or lawyer-to-be should do when approaching another attorney for guidance.

1.  Be humble—but don’t beg for a job. If someone asks to meet me as if he is setting up a job interview, I politely decline. No one wants to be treated as an item on a checklist or a mere means to an end. What works? Humility. . .

2. Be armed with questions. When I give an opening statement, I tell the jury that their time is valuable and I will not waste it. The same thing is true of a meeting.

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