A FAR GREATER GIFT

The Value of Mentorship

Jean Murrell Adams (JD 1986) and her mentee Tara Doss (JD 2003) share a passion for helping others to succeed

By Christina Schweighofer

Jean Murrell Adams (this page) and Tara Doss (next page) got to know each other after Doss’ godfather struck up a conversation with Adams in a Los Angeles cafe and told her about Doss’ job search. When Jean Murrell Adams (JD 1986) decided to hire Tara Doss (JD 2003), she understood the risk involved. Her niche law firm, Adams ESQ, was barely one year old, and Doss had only just graduated from law school. “I knew that Tara was smart because she went to USC,” Adams said, “but I saw it as a big responsibility to train, mentor and mold this young attorney into the kind of attorney that I was still aspiring to be.”

Fast forward to now, and the mentor-mentee alums share a passion for their field of law, which is special education, and for helping other lawyers and especially women of color to succeed. Doss, who serves as an administrative law judge in Los Angeles, says, “My experience with Jean and the support that she gave me put a bug in my ear: the importance of mentoring others.”

Doss’ path to Adams ESQ, though short, was anything but linear. Drawn to public interest law even as a student, she interviewed with various nonprofit organizations but soon felt frustrated. “The pay was so low,” she said. “It was $20,000 or $30,000 a year. And I had student loans. How was I going to make a living?” Enter Doss’ godfather, who struck up a conversation with Adams in a cafe in Los Angeles after noticing a stack of legal books on her table. Hearing about Adams’ new law firm, which represents low-income families of children with special needs, he mentioned Doss and her job hunt. Phone numbers were exchanged, Doss called Adams, and an interview was scheduled. Adams recalls feeling so impressed by Doss’ poise and demeanor that she immediately wanted to add her to her team. Doss’ enthusiasm was just as big. The work she would be doing served the public interest, and Adams, who represents clients at no up-front cost, offered better pay than the nonprofit organizations Doss had previously considered. “It was a great