Imagine if, at the click of a mouse, young lawyers could receive mentoring from some of the legal profession’s most highly regarded practitioners. Now they can, thanks to Ten Minute Mentor, a free series of Web lectures launched March 1 by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, which describes them as “Concise. Practical. Free.”
In cooperation with Texas Bar CLE, TYLA created a library of short video presentations by some of the state’s best-known experts on key points of law, firm-building, tactics and personal development. Anyone — no need to be from Texas to find value in this series — can hear veteran trial lawyer Harry M. Reasoner of Vinson & Elkins tell how to structure a legal argument, “King of Torts” Joseph D. Jamail discuss the lawyer’s role in society, and Haynes Boone co-founder Michael M. Boone tell how to build a law firm that will last.
TYLA produced the videos over the course of several months, sending a film crew to law firms throughout Texas to record the lectures. As of last week’s launch, the site included nearly 100 videos on topics such as “Tips for Conducting an Effective Voir Dire,” “10 Things to Know Before Appearing in Federal Court,” and “What to Expect at Your First Criminal Plea.”
Videos can be searched by keyword or browsed by speaker and category. Many of the presentations include exhibits that can be viewed as the speakers move through their talks.