It is clear that having a mentor is advantageous for anyone wanting to move up, and especially for women.

Research has shown that a mentor helps protégés gain career outcomes such as: higher compensation and faster salary growth, greater job and career satisfaction and organizational commitment, and higher expectations for advancement. Mentors do this by providing coaching, challenging assignments, sponsorship, and exposure and visibility. In addition, mentors can provide psychosocial support by serving as role models and providing counseling, acceptance and friendship.

Mentoring in the legal profession is not new. For women lawyers, in particular, mentors can be invaluable sources of guidance on everything from the nuts and bolts of the practice to work/life balance strategies. Many firms have formal mentoring programs for associates, pairing them with a partner or senior associate who can help them develop their skills as lawyers. Every young lawyer should seek out and develop a positive relationship with a mentor (and pay it forward to the next generation by becoming a mentor in the years ahead).

Did you know that …

There are more CEOs named John than female CEOs in total?

Just 2 per cent of venture-capital investment goes to women?

While we've made significant strides since the suffragettes of the early 1900s, we have ways to go. One way we can move the dial is through the power of sponsorship.

Sponsorship – often confused with but very different from mentorship – is one step beyond advocacy: It's someone being your champion, putting their reputation on the line for your career advancement.

We all know how important mentoring is to career success. Yet having a sponsor is even more critical to advancement in the workplace. What exactly is a sponsor? And how do they differ from mentors?

According to Catalyst research, a mentor is usually someone outside your current organisation who provides career direction and advice, helps to identify opportunities, and offers feedback and support.

What do Elizabeth Taylor, Oprah Winfrey, Chita Rivera, Abigail Adams, and Susan B. Anthony have in common? They all received a crucial career boost from another woman.

Throughout history, it's always been true that connections count. Today, as women around the world increasingly move into positions of power in politics and in the workplace, they are learning that one connection in particular is the springboard to success: sponsorship.

As Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook tells it, what accounts for her spectacular leap to leadership is her unfettered embrace of career opportunity. By “leaning in,” she maintains in her new book, she has been able to join the male-dominated ranks of corporate executives.