Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

At Fraser Milner Casgrain's (FMC) Toronto office, mentoring new Canadians fits into the firm's well-established mentoring culture and overall diversity strategy, says Michael D. Schafler, Partner and mentor in TRIEC's the Mentoring Partnership program.

FMC's involvement in the Mentoring Partnership began more than a year ago, when Mr. Schafler heard about it from a client and friend whose organization was involved in the program. Seeing an opportunity for FMC to take a leadership role on the issue of immigrant employment in the legal profession, Schafler mentioned the program to FMC's Managing Partner in Toronto, who enthusiastically supported the idea. From that point on, things moved quickly - a few weeks after an information session to introduce the program to employees throughout the firm, more than 20 employee mentors met their new Canadian mentees for the first time.

Mr. Schafler, a mentor himself, finds that one of the most daunting challenges for new Canadian jobseekers is accessing professional networks in the legal field. To remedy this situation, Schafler integrates mentees into his own professional network, attending networking sessions with them, and introducing mentees to the Canadian business environment. The law firm has mentored new Canadians with expertise in many areas of the legal profession, as well as candidates with international credentials in the IT field.

As the first law firm to become a corporate partner with TRIEC's Mentoring Partnership, Schafler encourages other law firms with strong mentoring cultures to become involved. Mentoring a new Canadian is like mentoring a young lawyer, he says. Schafler also points out that many corporate partners in the program are well-respected, reputable Canadian businesses widely regarded as good corporate citizens. To be in the company of such a distinguished group should be a great motivator, he says.