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I’ve been reading about Mentor/Mentee relationships on TSL but didn’t find anything specific as to how and when it is appropriate to approach a partner and ask them to be your mentor.

I’ve secured a 2L SA at a firm that I’ve always been interested in. I was directly hired by a partner who is very influential and does some specific business to which my specific background is very helpful. We really clicked and he told me he had been looking for an associate with my background because he is the only one at the firm who deals directly with those specific clients.

Now I am focused on really doing well during my SA to guarantee an offer. I was wondering if it would be appropriate to ask this partner to be my professional mentor once I start my summer. Would it be too early to do that as a SA? Should I just rely on the formal mentors that will be assigned to me during the summer?

I want to make sure I build a relationship with the said partner (who has been at the firm for 20 years), but I don’t want to jump any steps. In the case it is okay to ask him to be my mentor, how do you do this? Just ask it bluntly? Say you want to do well at the firm and understand the politics involved?

Thanks!

don't do this , it's weird and more importantly isn't going to help because these things are organic when they happen at all

My firm has a formal mentoring program for first-year attorneys. If yours has something similar, you could request this person. If not, don't make an informal process into an awkwardly formal one by giving the attorney a rose and asking him to be your mentor. Just be helpful and express interest and you'll be doing as much as you're supposed to.