When we envision a community, we often picture a large group of people coming together for a joint purpose. The part of community we often don’t see or don’t consider are the dozens of intimate relationships made up of just two people within the community. When you feel like an outsider, all it takes is one person to shepherd you into their network to make it feel like home.
Davis Graham & Stubbs generously hosted the Cozy Conversations event and provided delicious cocoa, cider, and treats to attendees
The Colorado Women’s Bar Association kicked off the 2024 LIFT! mentorship program last week at an event called “Cozy Conversations.” Members were encouraged to enjoy hot cocoa and hot cider amongst new faces to foster in-person connections with their future mentor or mentee.
Mentorship is a vital piece of attorney development and community building. Fostering intimate relationships between attorneys in all stages of their careers is essential for growing a strong professional network. Building and maintaining a connected attorney community is important for personal growth, professional growth, and for uplifting the entire Colorado legal profession.
Membership & Mentorship committee co-chair Karin Williamson said it best: these last few years of the pandemic have been challenging and we are not done healing. Mentorship is a way that we can uplift and support one another and ensure that this profession, which needs us and our diverse voices, keeps us.
As a new attorney and a brand-new Coloradoan, I am thrilled that there is an opportunity for me to be directly connected to a mentor who has experience in my specific areas of interest. As part of the application, I can choose whether I want to follow the CLE track or take a more casual approach. On the CLE track, my future mentor and I will discuss the history of women in the legal profession, review the Colorado rules of professional conduct, complete community service activities, attend litigation experiences, and more. Whether you take the informal or formal approach, the LIFT! Program will connect you to a like-minded attorney and invite you to learn from each other at all stages of your careers.
The application period for the CWBA 2024 LIFT! mentorship program is now open until January 9, 2024. Fill out an application at https://www.cwba.org/CWBALIFTMentorship to join this essential piece of the CWBA community.
Katherine R. Carroll is a first year associate practicing civil defense litigation. A New York native, she recently moved to Colorado after completing a clerkship with the Hon. Paula T. Dow in New Jersey Superior Court. Katherine received her J.D. from Touro University Law School in Central Islip, New York, in 2022 and her Bachelors from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2017. Prior to law school, she worked as a radio and television journalist in Albany, New York, and New York City. While completing her J.D., Katherine worked with Mental Hygiene Legal Service representing individuals in civil commitment hearings and the Sexual Harassment Working Group researching and proposing policy to protect survivors of workplace sexual harassment. Katherine also wrote and served as a notes editor for the Touro Law Review. Katherine is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Women's Bar Association, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and the American Bar Association. In her spare time Katherine enjoys reading historical fiction novels, watching RuPaul's Drag Race, and going on hikes with her boyfriend and their dog, Moose.