Wraight Authors Article in Los Angeles Daily Journal on Intentional Mentorship in a Changing Legal Market

03.04.2026

Mark Wraight, Partner and Office Managing Partner of Stinson LLP's San Francisco office, authored an article for the Los Angeles Daily Journal examining how law firms must adapt mentorship and knowledge transfer practices in an evolving legal market.

In the article, "Mentoring in a changing legal market: Intentional knowledge transfer matters," Wraight reflects on the profession's long-standing apprenticeship model and the informal, day-to-day collaboration that has historically shaped early-career attorney development. He notes that remote and hybrid work arrangements, increased lateral movement and shifting career trajectories have altered those traditional pathways.

Wraight argues that firms can no longer rely solely on proximity and informal collaboration to develop skilled attorneys. Instead, he emphasizes the need for intentional knowledge transfer – aligning teams on shared expectations, making mentorship explicit and treating institutional knowledge as a client asset rather than an incidental byproduct of legal work.

"As these forces reshape the profession, we must rethink how to train the next generation of lawyers. We can no longer rely on informal collaboration to teach early career attorneys as we once did," Wraight writes. "If we want to continue to develop skilled attorneys and see institutional knowledge preserved, then we must be intentional in passing on what we learned from prior generations."

The article highlights the importance of preserving institutional knowledge, particularly as senior lawyers retire or transition between firms. Wraight encourages firms to create structure and visibility around mentorship, including involving associates in strategic conversations and explaining research behind legal decisions.

Sign in to the Los Angeles Daily Journal to read the full article.