Online Payments
Sponsor Level Platinum Plus . . .$10,000.00 USD Platinum . . .$7,500.00 USD Gold . . .$5,000.00 USD Silver . . .$2,500.00 USD Bronze . . .$1,500.00 USD Supporting . . .$750.00 USD Bar Association: 101 or more members . . .$750.00 USD Bar Association: 100 or less members . . .$500.00 USD Sponsor Name Your Name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Tents are ONLY available with a sponsorship and cannot be purchased alone. Tents are on a first come first serve basis as only a limited amount are permitted by the park. All tents are 10' x 10'. TENT PACKAGE 1 tent, 1 table & ...
THE FOUNDATION
For the past seventeen years, John W. Kozyak and the law firm he co-founded, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, have played a major role in the promotion of minority law school students in the community. The Foundation provides minority students the opportunity to be mentored by some of the best and most respected lawyers in the mentee’s field of interest. The foundation hosts several networking events. The 7th Minority Mentoring Picnic attracted more than 3,000 judges, attorneys, guest and minority students from every law school in every Florida and some from as far as California and New York. The Foundation helps set ...
MENTORING WORKS
We hope these comments from mentors and mentees will help further explain the program and give you some ideas for being a better mentor or mentee. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Jennifer Cornwell, Esq. Student at Florida Coastal School of Law, 2L March 2012 - I am writing to ask you to support Mr. Kozyak's foundation and annual picnic. Not only does Mr. Kozyak talk the talk, but he walks the walk. I am a minority student who completed a brief form at the picnic. As a result, Mr. Kozyak contacted me himself: he actually wanted to help. He gave me honest feedback about my resume and answered ...
PHOTOS
2011 Picnic Photos 2010 Picnic Photos 2009 Picnic Photos 2008 Picnic Photos 2007 Picnic Photos 2006 Picnic Photos
The Founder
John W. Kozyak Foundation Founder and Managing Director Founder of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, PA For more than twenty years, John W. Kozyak has been promoting black law students and minority lawyers. He has worked to create new relationships, new opportunities and financial sources to help minorities succeed. John designed the mentoring program to take minority law students and connect them with a mentor in the area of law that they are interested in pursuing. Each year, John pairs hundreds of potential mentees with established lawyers and judges who have offered their time and resources to provide mentorship opportunities to their mentees. Mentors help guide ...
The Board
John W. Kozyak Foundation Founder and Managing Director Founder of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, PA John W. Kozyak is a founding partner of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton and co-chairs the firm’s bankruptcy practice. John regularly plays a major role in bankruptcy courts across the nation, representing business owners, lenders, creditors’ committees, and major creditors, and he has been appointed a trustee and receiver in major cases. John grew up in southern Illinois outside of St. Louis and moved to Miami in 1977. His wife, Barbara Silverman, is also a lawyer and Director of the foundation. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Detra P. Shaw-Wilder Associate Managing Director Former President of the Gwen ...
THE PICNIC
The Kozyak Minority Mentoring Picnic is an annual event which is currently in its 8th year. The picnic has grown exponentially each year and is well attended by many judges, established lawyers and law students from every school in Florida. The picnic is sponsored by many businesses, multiple voluntary bar associations, a bank and numerous law firms. Many sponsors rent tents where it is easy for students to meet lawyers, judges and potential employees. We have a “Leaders and Legends” tent where some of the very best lawyers in the country have shared their experiences. For example, former Attorney General ...
PARTICIPATE
The Foundation relies on participation by its sponsors, mentors, and others who donate their time, money and skills in order to make the Foundation and all of its events successful. We are looking for mentors who are interested in mentoring young minority law students. Many lawyers have found the mentor/mentee relationship personally and professionally satisfying. Unfortunately, we need to raise money to put on the annual picnic and other events. Sponsorship opportunities are available and John Kozyak or Detra Shaw-Wilder would be delighted to put interested parties in contact with law firms, accounting firms and bar associations, which have previously been sponsors, to disuss the ...
The Mission
The Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance and support to minorities interested in pursuing legal careers, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and limited financial aid. The Foundation takes primary responsibility for finding experienced lawyers and judges to mentor black law students at every law school in Florida and working with other voluntary bar associations to find mentors for all minority law students. John Kozyak, the Foundation’s founder, grew up in a totally segregated, community and was in high school when the 1974 Civil Rights Legislation was implemented. He has had a long-time commitment to creating opportunities for minority students. He ...
Mentors are usually established lawyers or judges who wish to provide inspiration and direction to young minority law students, but we also welcome relatively new lawyers to sign up to co-mentor students. Your guidance will help these students succeed in law school and get a good start in legal profession.
Mentors often get much more out of the mentor/mentee relationship than they had imagined. Mentoring is a personally rewarding experience. Mentees often become close personal friends for life. You may obtain a mentor application by clicking below:
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A Mentor is an experienced lawyer or judge who goes out of his or her way to help a law student set professional goals and assist the mentee in reaching those goals. The mentor coaches, listens, advises, reacts, and otherwise assists, in an informal, casual manner.
1. Take the initiative and allow the mentoring relationship to evolve.
Take the initiative to reach out to your mentee. Make the first call or send an e-mail to arrange a meeting. Share your cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Make sure to stick to your meeting day and time. Do not shift it around to accommodate your busy schedule. The Minority Mentoring Program only requires that the mentor and mentee meet a few times during the academic year and call or e-mail a few times every month. Set these as your minimum goals. Many relationships develop and more frequent communications and meetings are common.
Allow your mentor-mentee relationship to evolve. Try to maintain an unstructured, informal, relationship. In an effective mentoring relationship, the mentee does not put the mentor on a pedestal and the mentor does not put himself or herself on a pedestal. A comfortable and open level of communication is crucial to a successful mentor/mentee relationship. If there is no “connection,” ask for another mentee.
2. Be available.
One of the biggest complaints in all mentor/mentee relationships is lack of availability. Mentors need to be available no matter how supposedly “important” they are. You should try to make time whenever asked. Respond to e-mails at the earliest opportunity. Treat your mentee like an important client.
3. Maintain Confidences.
Mentoring relationships are built on trust. Keep your discussions private – no one else needs to know what you discuss. When your mentee confides in you within limits that have been set, respect his or her expectation of confidentiality. Mentors must not share information with others that their mentee shares with them confidentially. Violating a mentor’s or mentee’s trust can quickly destroy a mentoring relationship.
4. Try to see things from mentee’s perspective.
Prepare for your first meeting. Make a list of the things you wanted to know when you were in law school. Try to see things from the mentee’s perspective. The list might include information about you (as the mentor), your law school experiences, bar exam tips, and what it was like starting out as young attorney. Prepare an agenda. Ask your mentee if it is ok if you identify some areas for an agenda. List two or three areas and ask your mentee whether they have any items they would like to add. Some typical items may include (1) getting to know each other, (2) goals and expectations, (3) concerns that might interfere with meeting together, (4) law school advice, and (5) law practice advice.
5. Honest Interchange of Experiences – discuss problems and difficulties.
Two skills essential for successful mentoring are (1) in-depth listening, that is, suspending judgment, listening and providing an accepting atmosphere; and (2) asking questions that are challenging in a friendly way and that help the other person talk about what is important to that person. Ask open-ended questions. Both the mentor and mentee should update each other on important events in their lives and careers. The mentor is in a position to share his or her wisdom and experiences and, thereby, give valuable insight to a mentee.
Anyone considering becoming a mentor must have good interpersonal skills, be willing to share with his or her mentee, and be willing to accept that the mentee may not always follow the mentor’s guidance. Moreover, mentees may be hesitant to ask for advice for fear of sounding foolish. A mentor must be willing to break the ice and set the stage for open discussions.
6. Offer Guidance on specific topics and be supportive.
The Minority Mentoring Program tries to pair mentors and mentees who share common areas of interest. Frequently, mentees are simply trying to decide whether your area of practice is suited for them. Provide them with insight into a typical day in the life in your practice area. Introduce them to real-life experiences associated with working in the legal profession. The best teaching opportunities are often routine, everyday occurrences that present occasions for you to point out lessons, pitfalls, and alternative perspectives. Stay alert for those moments, share your knowledge, and raise questions that provoke thinking and facilitate learning.
Although you should give guidance and advice, a mentor is not there to make choices for the mentee. Remember, it’s their life, not yours. You should try to be supportive of your mentee’s choices even when you disagree.
7. Bring the mentee into your world.
Invite your mentee to your office, courts, career-enriching functions, receptions, etc. Some of the best opportunities evolve out of your multi-tasking. For example, ask your student mentee to attend a bar event or drive with you to a hearing. You should open doors for your mentee through your own contacts. You may wish to serve as a reference for your mentee. However, this is not a requirement.
8. Balance of personal and professional life.
Law students and lawyers alike sometimes lose sight of the importance in balancing personal and professional life. Stress the importance of balance between school, family, work, physical exercise friends, and relationships.
9. Make sure your mentee is comfortable.
You should make sure that mentee feels comfortable as an experienced attorney can be an intimidating presence. As the relationship develops and the mentee feels more comfortable, it should become less and less intimidating.
10. Plan for the next meeting.
At the end of your meeting, review your mutually developed agenda and determine your progress. Solicit ideas about what you might want to discuss at your next meeting, and schedule a date and time for your next meeting. Never allow the passage of time to be an impediment to communication.
11. Review your Mentee’s Resume.
Reviewing your mentee’s resume as an initial project is a way to establish a relationship of trust and value, while providing a necessary service that seems to be in great demand. I have yet to mentor a student whose resume did not need a major overhaul. Since obtaining a job is an immediate and important concern for every law student, be it a clerkship or permanent job, your help in focusing the student on his or her particular assets and showcasing them well provides an immediate dividend from the mentor mentee relationship.
Note: This list was initially prepared by the Cuban American Bar Association (“CABA”) for its Annual Mentoring luncheon on April 15, 2010. It has been slightly edited. CABA has been a long-time, big supporter of mentoring.
