A session with a retired judge or a practising advocate is an unusual resource: a limited block of time with someone who has actually done what you are preparing for. It is also frequently wasted, because candidates arrive without having decided what the session is for.
What a mentor is genuinely good for
Some questions are answered better by a person who has been through the process than by any amount of reading:
- Whether your written answers read like a decision or like an essay
- What a panel is actually assessing during a viva, as opposed to what candidates assume
- Where your preparation is disproportionate, meaning too deep in one area and thin in another
- What the work is actually like, which matters for whether you want it
Notice that these are all judgement questions. They need someone with experience and a view of your specific work.
What a mentor is a poor use of
Syllabus questions, definitions, and anything answerable from a bare act or a standard text are a poor trade for the time.
So is asking for general motivation. It feels good and changes nothing about your preparation the following week.
Arrive with material, not just questions
The highest-value sessions are ones where the mentor has something concrete of yours to react to.
Send an answer you have written, ideally one you are unsure about rather than your best. Ask what a reader would criticise. Vague questions get vague answers; a specific piece of work gets specific, usable feedback.
If the session is viva-oriented, ask to be questioned rather than advised. Being pushed on a position for ten minutes teaches you more about your composure than any description of what the panel wants.
Prepare three questions, in priority order
Sessions run out of time, invariably. If your most important question is fourth on your list, it will not get asked.
Write three, ordered. Ask the first one early. Be willing to abandon the third if the conversation goes somewhere more useful, which it often does.
Ask about failure, not only success
Most candidates ask what to do. Fewer ask what commonly goes wrong, which is usually the more informative question because failure modes are more consistent than success paths.
A good version: what do candidates at my stage typically get wrong that they cannot see from the inside?
After the session
Write your notes within the hour. Not a transcript, but the two or three things you will actually change, stated concretely enough to act on this week.
A session that produces no change in behaviour was interesting rather than useful.
Sessions can be booked with verified mentors through the mentors section, where every listed mentor is verified before they can be booked rather than self-listed. If a slot no longer suits you, a reschedule can be requested from your dashboard, though the mentor confirms the new time before it becomes final.