Mentorship Program
Please keep an eye out for the program reboot!
Food law is a wonderfully amorphous and varied area of law. It can be difficult for burgeoning scholars and practitioners to access information about practicing and studying food law and policy. For this reason, the CAFLP Student Network has created a mentorship program!
The aim of this mentorship program is to connect those studying and/or hoping to practice in the broad field of food law and policy with more wisened and experienced folk. It will connect people working in civil society, academics, practitioners, and policy makers with students and early career mentees. The purpose is for mentees to gain a better understanding from mentors about what it means to pursue a career in food law from the mentor’s perspective. Efforts will be made by the CAFLP Student Network to match mentors and mentees in related areas of interest.
Can I be a mentor? Or a mentee? Maybe both?
Mentors can be academics, practitioners (working in private practice, firms, or for government), civil society practitioners, or policy makers. Mentees can be law students, articling students, and those early in their career (i.e. bar call within the past 3 years). Recent calls or new food law and policy practitioners who want to be both a mentee and mentor are welcome to sign up as both.
What expectations for mentors and mentees?
Mentorships will be one year in duration, though may organically persist beyond, as mentorships may prompt meaningful ongoing connections. The minimum time commitment is a one hour initial meeting, which is expected to be either by phone call or video, and then quarterly half hour follow up meetings prior to the 2022 food law and policy conference. Mentees are expected to prepare questions and share them with the mentor prior to meeting. Mentors and mentees will be paired by members of the Operations Committee, and we will send out a new round of applications each year around the time of the conference, allowing for a continued (but completely optional) opportunity to participate in the program.
How do I apply?
If you are interested in becoming a mentor/mentee, please fill out an application. Applications will be accepted until Friday February 26, 2021. The mentorship program coordinators will reach out to you prior to pairing. Depending on the number of applicants, some mentors and mentees may have to wait until a later date for a pairing.
Feedback
If you participated in the 2020 Mentorship Program, we are keen to hear from you! Please click on the button below to let us know what proved successful or what you would like to see more of. All submissions will remain anonymous.