DALLAS, Feb. 28 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Over the years, steadily mounting time pressures and astounding growth within the legal profession have conspired to deprive attorneys of an invaluable asset — access to the wisdom of mentors.
The Texas Young Lawyers Association, under the direction of President
David McAtee of Haynes and Boone, LLP, has embarked on an ambitious and
innovative project to beat back that trend.
TYLA, in cooperation with Texas Bar CLE, has assembled a remarkable
library of short, timely online video presentations by some of the state’s
best-known experts on key points of law, firm-building, tactics and personal
development. This growing collection of high-quality tutorials is available
around-the-clock at the newly established website,
http://www.tenminutementor.com .
This online mentoring effort is unique in its range and depth. For
months, a film crew criss-crossed the state to tape the first wave of more
than 60 video lectures by luminaries, including Harry Reasoner of Vinson &
Elkins, LLP, “King of Torts” Joe Jamail and Mike Boone, co-founder of Haynes
and Boone LLP of Dallas. When the website officially launches March 1, nearly
100 presentations will be available at the click of a mouse.
But while the method of presentation may be new and different, the problem
addressed by the TYLA Ten-Minute Mentor project has been building for years.
“The numbers tell the story,” says Mr. McAtee. “With more and more
lawyers entering the market each year, it has become more and more difficult
for our profession’s wisest leaders to mentor the next generation.”
Indeed, the number of active attorneys in Texas alone has ballooned from
19,383 in 1970 to 73,084 today, according to figures from the State Bar of
Texas
An overall rise in billable hours and heightened expectations of demanding
clients have exacerbated the problem, McAtee says. “And, when law school
graduates move first into the market — especially if they choose to join
smaller firms — it’s often impossible to obtain the kind of mentoring once
enjoyed by those who preceded them.”
At tenminutementor.com, frazzled lawyers can reclaim some of their
vanishing access to mentors whenever and where ever they can find the time.
For example, they can watch Red Dog Jones of Parham, Jones & Shiver, LLP map
out “Litigation from the Plaintiff’s Perspective,” or soak up Mr. Jamail’s
paean to the profession titled, “Lawyers’ Role In Society,” or contemplate
Justice Dale Wainwright’s advice on “Oral Argument in the Texas Supreme
Court.”
The videos are searchable by keyword (mandamus, deposition, etc.), and
indexed by speaker and category (appellate, discovery, criminal). Many of the
presentations are accompanied by exhibits, which can be called up for review
as the speakers move through their talks. All that’s needed is access to the
Internet with a computer equipped with Windows Mediaplayer and the Acrobat
reader. “What makes Ten Minute Mentor unique is its ability to deliver
critical advice, from established experts, in a form that even the busiest
lawyer can find time to digest,” McAtee says.
TYLA leaders say they plan to continue building the collection in coming
years. Anyone with an interest is welcome to access this growing repository
of mentor knowledge.
As the site’s motto says, the videos are “Concise. Practical. Free.”
For more information, please contact Michael Patterson at Haynes and
Boone, LLP, by calling 214-651-5193.
Web Site: http://www.tenminutementor.com
