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BARRY H. GRODSKY FACSIMILE (504) 599-8501
DIRECT DIAL (504) 599-8535 TELEPHONE (504) 599-8500
EMAIL bgrodsky@taggartmorton.com
1100 POYDRAS STREET
SUITE 2100
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70163-2100
www.taggartmorton.com

June 21, 2021

The Hon. John L. Weimer
Chief Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court
400 Royal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Re: Transition Into Practice Program.

Dear Justice Weimer:

I am following up on our recent conversation about supplemental information concerning
the TIP program. Specifically, I am enclosing messages and other information about having the
program made mandatory.

I would also like to provide you with information from my perspective. As Chair of the
Committee on the Profession we started working on this program in 2013. When it was first
presented to the Court based on the Bar’s recommendation at that time, it was suggested that the
program be made mandatory. In my meetings with the Court Justice Johnson gave me her
concerns about proceeding on a mandatory basis at that time.

Specifically, she was worried about not having enough mentors statewide to achieve a
one-to-one ratio with the mentees. She had concerns also about whether the program would be
supported by the law schools and obviously she wanted to see how the program would first work
before the Court made any decisions on a mandatory basis. From the outset we have had
significantly more mentors than mentees in this voluntary program. In fact, the initial program
after the Supreme Court signed the first order authorizing the TIP program had just over 100
mentees and there were nearly 250 mentors. We have been able to maintain a good number of
mentors throughout.

I have met personally with representatives of each of the four law schools and they have
been overwhelmingly in support of the mentoring program. As Chair of the Committee on the
Profession I have taken considerable time to meet with many mentors and the responses have
been very positive and I have been encouraged by the feedback seeking to have the program
become mandatory.