by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Even those law students who clearly see the direction their careers should go might appreciate having a guide for the first part of the journey.
The arrangement may even turn into something more permanent.
That’s the way it worked out for Charlene Francis and Judi Setzer.
Francis focuses on estate planning, elder law and some adoption cases out of her Jacksonville Beach office.
Those areas appeal to Setzer, who, until December, was a student at Florida Coastal School of Law.
“I knew I wasn’t a litigator,” she said. “I knew I liked estate planning, figuring out how to help people plan their future lives and helping their families.
“I’d like to have mediation in there. That’s something I’d like to develop.”
The two already had an established bond last year as they started a mentoring program that matched students with attorneys who shared common professional interests. Francis is a member of the Christian Legal Society. Setzer was president of the CLS chapter at the law school.
“We worked together to get the program going,” said Francis. “We had law students who wanted to develop a closer relationship with the practicing attorneys.
“Judi would recruit the law students. I was the attorney liaison for the Christian Legal Society, and I would recruit the attorneys in town.”
They managed to pair 15 attorneys with 15 students — practically everyone who signed up.
“We found what type of law the students were interested in and attempted to match them with an attorney who was practicing it,” said Setzer. “It didn’t always work quite like that because we had a limited supply of attorneys.
“Still, it worked pretty well.”
Francis and Setzer had already discussed working together, “so, with me, it was more of a practical training,” said Francis. “She’s been working for me as a clerk. She actually did research for me, helped me do different issues.
“For me, it was more about being practical: ‘This is the real world. This is a real case. How are we going to resolve this the right way?’”
Another aspect of the mentoring program could be in response to Blane McCarthy’s request for more help with the CLS’s Pro Bono Project at the City Rescue Mission.
McCarthy, who is the project director, and other attorneys volunteer their time with the Mission’s Lifebuilders recovery program at the McDuff Street location.
Lifebuilders helps clients recover from substance abuse and deal with basic education issues, job training and placement, and independent living.
“I’m excited they’re offering that as part of the mentoring program,” said Setzer. “That’s a great opportunity right there.”
The possibility of having students take part is still being discussed, said Francis.
Some aspect of the mentoring program should appeal to just about everyone at FCSL, a school that draws students with a wide range of ages and experience.
“A lot of people have just graduated from college and maybe have no idea about what area of law they want,” said Setzer. “There are a lot of other people who have experience in the business world, and that has kind of triggered them to focus on a particular area.
“And,” she added with a big laugh, “there are some who just say their area will be with whoever will hire me. I think that’s the majority, actually.”
Some students are still meeting with their mentors; others have graduated, “so I know there are attorneys now who don’t have a mentee,” said Setzer.
“But it is a continuing process,” Francis added. “There are always new students coming in. I know there are more students than there are attorney mentors.”
Kerry Collins, the current president of the law school’s CLS chapter, recently asked about holding a networking event that would introduce students to attorneys with different areas of expertise.
It could be a breakfast, lunch or after-work session. It may feature a speaker who appeals to the interests of a lot of the participants.
“Then we could have a networking event built around the speaker,” said Francis. “It is hard to get lawyers to give up their time to travel down there. But we’ll attempt to accommodate it.”
Other than matching students with attorneys, the program has no structure, Francis said.
“The student and the attorney kind of determine how the relationship is going to go, what they want to do with it,” she said. “Hopefully it works for them.
“Some are pretty busy. Some only want to meet once a month; some meet once a week. It’s their choice.
“I think most attorneys will give them a picture of what it’s really like. It’s definitely different from going to law school, which is mostly theory and reading case law.
“This can have the student out there talking to someone, trying to figure out how to help them resolve their issues.”
Judges and attorneys who want to take part in the mentoring program should contact Francis at [email protected] or by calling 242-7979.