Community. Counsel. Calling.
Community
Building community through personal relationships between Christian law student “Fellows” and attorneys. Connecting all members of the mentorship program with one another to foster strong, lasting relationships.
Counsel
Matching Fellows with forward-thinking lawyers of integrity who can offer counsel, wisdom, and insight into the professional realities of being a Christian attorney.
Calling
Pairing aspiring lawyers with practitioner role models who can walk alongside and encourage them as they seek out God’s calling in life.
The Program
The McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program pairs law students with legal professionals for a year-long mentorship partnership focused on both professional and spiritual growth. Mentors volunteer their time to meet monthly with mentees to offer experience and guidance on topics ranging from job applications, to work-life balance, to maintaining a robust faith life while practicing law. In addition to fostering personal mentorship relationships, the McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program provides a unique opportunity for attorneys to build relationships with their Christian peers in the legal profession. Over the course of the year, the full group of mentors and mentees convene for three “Fellowship Dinners” where all members of the program gather to share a meal, discuss questions of faith and law, and offer lessons learned from a diverse array of legal careers.
The Name
The McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program is named in honor of two prominent UNC Law alumni, former U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre (’78 BA, ’81 JD) and former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Willis Whichard (’62 BA, ’65 JD), both of whom currently serve as mentors in the program. The careers of Justice Whichard and Congressman McIntyre offer Fellows an example of what it means to apply faith-based values throughout a lifetime of servant leadership (Mark 10:42-45). In the spirit of that legacy, the McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program was established to foster a new generation of leaders by building relationships between law students and attorneys who have excelled in public and community service, as well as private practice.
Mentors
If you are a legal professional and are interested in participating in the McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program as a mentor, we invite you to submit your name here. Our law student mentees, alumni, and fellow mentors are deeply appreciative of your willingness to serve in this impactful ministry.
