Amicus for Mentors

Amicus Mentors Support and Guide Today’s HLS Students

By serving as an HLS Amicus mentor, you can share your experience and insight with current HLS students in a way that is convenient and flexible. The Amicus database makes it easy for you to select topics on which you would like to advise and for students to find mentors that are a good match for their goals.

How To Be A Mentor

Nuts and Bolts:

  1. Sign up to be a mentor in the Student-Alumni Connect tab in Amicus and fill out your profile completely. (Please note to access Amicus you must have claimed your Harvard Key.)
  2. Once we have your information we will match you to a student based on your interests and career and how that aligns with the students Amicus profile.
  3. Once matched, the student mentee will reach out through the Amicus messaging system to you.
  4. In the initial email, the student should:
    1. Outline his or her goals for the mentoring relationship and
    2. indicate how you would like to move forward with communications and how long each session shall be. Both parties can agree upon a 15, 30 or 60 minute meeting. Each session should take no more than 1 hour.
  5. Mentoring conversations can take place by video conferencing, messages through Amicus, email, phone, or in-person as mutually agreed upon by both parties.
  6. In scheduling times to meet or speak, you should not ask or expect students to miss class.
  7. Before the first meeting with your mentee please look at their Amicus profile for a sense of their past career, interests, and educational experience.
  8. Students are responsible for “running” the calls or meetings and should be prepared with goals, expectations and questions.
  9. If you would like the relationship to continue, encourage the student to reach out to you again in the future.

Best Practices

  1. Follow all the Amicus Guiding Principles
  2. Be responsive and reply to your student’s communications in a timely manner.
  3. Be a good listener. Of course students are reaching out to you for your experience and advice, but listen carefully to your student to provide the best advice.
  4. Be respectful of the students’ questions, experiences and perspectives and respect the boundaries set by the students.
  5. Consider checking in on your student from time-to-time to develop a longer-lasting relationship and show your support.
  6. Refresh your memory on what it is like to be an HLS Student and stay apprised on what is happening at the school with our HLS Primer below.
  7. If you are uncomfortable with a topic that a student wants to discuss, you should tell the student you would prefer not to discuss that topic.
  8. Remember that all communications with students should be treated as confidential. The one exception, however, is if you are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of a student, you should promptly email ceeb@law.harvard.edu or call 617-496-2573.

Mentor Resources

HLS Primer