Value of Networking in the Legal Industry
In the competitive world of law, networking is not just important – it’s essential. While many lawyers may be aware of the classic adage that "people do business with people they know," often times they forget that this is equally true when seeking legal counsel. In fact, who you know has immeasurable power in the legal industry – and that’s exactly what makes networking events so vital. When it comes to networking in the legal field , you face both unique opportunities and unique challenges. First, the art of on-the-ground networking is a dying one: the legal profession remains a highly conservative industry in which long-standing traditions reign supreme. On the other hand, your insider knowledge can pay off handsomely later down the line. When you network strategically, your goals can be twofold: to acquire clients and to grow your career.
Categories of Legal Networking Events
Typically, when people think of a legal networking event, they think of a lawyer’s current or prospective client and customer event, an in-house counsel gathering, or possibly even a bar association lunch or meeting. While these are certainly networking events, there are a number of other venues that can provide opportunities for lawyers to network with their colleagues, clients and potential clients.
Traditionally, lawyers have networked with clients at law firm sponsored events, such as wine tastings, art exhibits, roundtable discussions and symposiums. Many firms devote a good portion of their marketing year to planning client events. More and more, events designed to attract lawyers’ peers, are being scheduled. A few of these include:
The goal for each of these events is pretty obvious. They provide lawyers from a variety of practice areas and jurisdictions the opportunity to meet and build rapport. These events allow lawyers to meet and network with their peers, which often lead to referrals and often helps establish national recognition.
Getting Ready for a Legal Networking Event
In the legal industry, we tend to get so wrapped up in our work that we simply forget networking events until they hit us full on in the face. We end up spending more time figuring out what to wear, how to style our hair and where to park than we do on preparing for the event itself. In a networking world where first impressions truly do count, you can’t afford to drop the ball. You have to come prepared.
When preparing for a networking event, there are several things that you should do to ensure that you make the most of your limited networking time.
Research the Event
One of the most important ways to prepare for your networking event is to do some homework beforehand. Find out who will be there. If your law firm events coordinator is running the event, ask them for a list of attendees. Then, prior to the event, take the time to do some research on who will be there and who you would like to meet. If you don’t have a list of attendees, use LinkedIn to your advantage. Does the event have its own page stating who will be there and who the event is being hosted by? Take time to learn as much about other attendees and sponsors as you can. The more you know, the more you can discuss with them at the event.
Make Goals
There are two types of goals that you can make to help you get the most out of your networking event: people goals and outcome goals. People goals are simple. They involve identifying a particular individual that you want to meet and network with. If you have built your contact list ahead of time (thanks to a list of attendees and research) this will be easy for you. You should limit your people goals to five people so you can concentrate on only those that are truly important to you. Outcome goals are a little basic, but can help you determine whether you are making the right connections and getting the most out of your networking event. An outcome goal might be to secure 5 business cards by the end of the evening, to get a promise from your people goals to connect on LinkedIn or to meet with two of your people goals for coffee after the event. Outcomes goals are simply a way to define what you hope to get out of your networking event and how you can measure if you succeeded or not.
Preparation of Marketing Materials
If you are going to be talking with people, you need to be able to hand them something. Attorneys are notorious for forgetting their business cards, especially at the last minute. You want to be able to hand out your information, even if you don’t have much more than a name and a phone number. If you find yourself in an unfortunate position without a business card, ask the host to borrow a paper and pen. To avoid this situation, carry a pad of post-it notes to make note of your information in case your business cards run out. This is also a good opportunity to take a moment to review and update your resume. No matter where you are at in your career, your resume needs to be updated. Whether you have a lawyer resume or a paralegal resume, you need to give your resume a fresh start each year so you can add recent employers and accomplishments. Even if networking isn’t part of your goal this year, next year’s employment is. Keep a resume on hand in case someone asks for it. And make a note to yourself to follow up with LinkedIn or via email the next day on any lawyers that you met that you would like to connect with.
By preparing for your networking event ahead of time, you can ensure that you are ready to go when you arrive at the networking event and can make the most of the limited time that you have to meet people.
Approach to Networking
Imagine it is two hours into an eight hour legal seminar and you’ve been in the same room for the duration. You can’t see the end of the crowd or the line at the catered lunch. Your legal mind is full. You are tired. Lawyers are huddled in groups of four or more engrossed in conversation about insurance law, jurisdictional issues and new statutes. You are pre-disposed toward being courteous, but you have a full plate of legal learning to eat and you don’t want to sound like a dolt by adding a superfluous comment or question to the legal conversation. How do you enter the conversation with grace? How do you find an opening — just the right time, the right question — to make your introduction and potentially pull in the other lawyer? Breathe deeply to relax and mentally set aside your work to focus on the networking opportunity. Open your mind to the opportunity. Scan the room for faces you recognize then use that as your icebreaker. When you see someone you know, you might say, "How are you settling in? I thought I would see you chatting over there at the refreshments table." When the opportunity arises you introduce yourself. The opportunity could be as simple as your target standing in line ahead of you or behind you at the coffee station. Initial responses when asking for feedback about your firm’s service attitude: "I would give us a low ‘C’ – we are so successful in closing deals that we don’t care much about customer service." "An ‘A.’ We take great pride in our results." Aah, the perennial divide. And the divide is driven by the work experience levels of the legal team engaged in the event, whether they be attorneys or how they are thinking about their work and the event – a transactional lawyer or one motivated by building relationships. Owning a legal firm presumes an understanding of the difference between transactional law and relationship law and the need to engage in both in order to build strong practices. Transactional law is often represented in invoices that highlight the time and exclusive attention paid to the project at hand. Relationship law is all about the time spent talking over lunch, coffee at the office, tea in the afternoon or just running into each other at the building down the street. Preparation is key. Have your 15 second introduction ready – the icebreaker. Make it about your practice, what it looks like, not about you. This can be as simple as saying something like, "You look familiar, were you at the XYZ seminar last month?" Follow their behavior or body language for engagement, not the words they use. If you get a blank stare, and frequently you will – they are not interested in engaging. Politely excuse yourself and immediately engage another lawyer in the same manner. Here are some 15 seconds that have worked for me: I was sitting waiting for my number to be called at a DMV office’s general line. As I scanned the room, I spotted another attorney I had spoken with months ago. I thought about what he was doing and the case he was working on. Then I said, "Hey Bob! How are you. I see you are working for DEF Company. My crews have worked for that company on their Mexico manufacturing line. We may have crossed paths sometime in the past." Note: Later we learned we had in fact crossed paths about six months earlier at the same location working on the same project on different days and never met. Use these strategies as ways to jump start conversations and learn about what that person may be doing. Leverage what you know about their work, their industry and their background to connect directly with their preferences. The process of introducing yourself is an exchange of respect between firm representatives and potential clients. Referring to the sequence above, when you land on number three, you may stand around a lot until you connect.
Hurdles in Networking
Common challenges faced at legal networking events can sometimes make attendees want to skip them altogether. Vendor fairs, new partner receptions, and client care galas all come with a unique set of challenges that can be difficult to navigate. For introverted attorneys, the thought of small talk at a firm function is terrifying enough before adding in the pressure of networking to attract new clients. For the attorney who is accustomed to working alone, selling themselves to strangers in a room full of potential competitors can be crippling. In these situations, it is important to be proactive and develop techniques that will allow you to overcome networking challenges and make the most of your legal networking opportunities.
One of the biggest challenges a legal professional can face at an event is anxiety over networking. Shake that anxiety off with a few tricks that will allow you to take control of the situation and make you return to your comfort zone—focusing on your professional expertise. The first thing you need to do to overcome networking nerves is to remember that your value lies in your expertise. Although your initial interaction with a network contact may be more personal in nature, keep in mind that it is your background and experience that they are ultimately interested in. Once you’ve made that introduction , you can move on to discussing your area of expertise while moving the conversation in the direction that you’re comfortable with.
Another challenge comes from trying to connect to a large group of people at an event. It is human instinct to seek out the one person or small group of people that each attendee already knows. The problem with this approach is that guests may neglect to try to connect with other attendees. For a legal professional, the best way to make the most of a legal networking opportunity is to push through the crowd and seek out individuals that they want to connect with. While it is certainly easier to have a group discussion with those that you already know, the real key to networking is to broaden your exposure while you are at an event.
Finally, a legal networking event can be a challenge because you may have a strict time limit to speak with the people that you are trying to meet with. To make the most of your legal networking opportunity, make sure to reach out to the contacts on your list as soon as you arrive at the event. By speaking with the people that you want to connect with right away, you can make sure to get time on their calendars while the event’s schedule allows. When you meet with your target contacts as soon as you arrive at a legal networking event, you can ensure that you have a chance to take your relationship to the next level once you are back in the office later.
Network After the Event Ends
Depending on whom you ask, there can be conflicting opinions about the importance of post-event networking follow-up. The majority of people will agree, however, that a quick note or an email to a new contact is a good idea. Even if you’ve only chatted with them briefly, it’s a great way to open the lines of communication and make introductions while they’re fresh in your mind.
Next, remind them who you are and where you met. It’s helpful if you send an email within a few days of the event so they’ll remember you. Reference something you talked about and be professional.
Finally, follow up on the interaction. If you found a new news source during your conversation, share the link. If you discussed a specific topic, share an article that you think they might find interesting. You could follow up with a phone call but it’s often best to stay connected by email. If you talk to them on the phone or send one email and they don’t respond, you need to give them some space. If you’re repeatedly following up and not hearing from them, they may not want to have a relationship with you. That’s ok.
Make connections with people closely related to your field, but don’t play favorites! You never can tell when someone might be able to provide you with a referral that you could use, so be a connector. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn, where you can communicate with them and see updates from their network.
Networking is crucial to the success of your career, and just because an event is over, the networking doesn’t need to stop. Keep in touch and continue those conversations into the next event and beyond!
Networking as an Advantage
Navigating the legal industry requires not only a keen understanding of law but also an adept ability to form and manage relationships that can open doors for career growth. In a profession where who you know can make a significant difference, networking is not just an ancillary activity; it’s essential for standing out and, really, enriching your career. For example, networking is often cited as the most effective way to land new clients. Satisfied clients are eager to refer others to you. Even clients whose needs have been fulfilled by your practice will turn to you again in the future when the need arises. While some law firms may be inclined to place more emphasis on the acquisition of name partners or those with specialized skills and networks that will enhance the firm’s wealth of knowledge and talent, up-and-coming lawyers have significant opportunities to flourish if they recognize the importance of forging relationships early in their careers.
Networking effectively requires more than shaking hands with other business professionals at cocktail receptions. You have to be strategic about the network you want to build. For example, real estate and construction attorneys benefit from membership in groups supporting women in their fields, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Women’s Transportation & Community Development Committee, which provides a national forum for collaboration among lawyers, contractors, consultants and engineers . Startups can benefit from joining lawyer-led associations to learn more about legal standards for their businesses and ways to improve their offerings and prepare them for success post-launch.
For many professionals, organizations such as the American Bar Association and its affiliated state-level ABA affiliates provide excellent forums to network with peers and connect with business leaders. Whether the network includes bloggers or legal journalists, attorneys gain a necessary understanding of the trends and breakthroughs shaping the legal industry. Forum membership can increase business visibility and provide opportunities to develop a unique voice in highly sought-after areas of niche practice. Consider, for example, the Swain Group LLC, which helps companies forge relationships with government agencies in Washington D.C. Founders Steven and Maggie Shapiro do so by providing counsel to defense contractors in the industry. The Shapiro’s reputation was enhanced by their willingness to engage reporters at major newspapers, including The Washington Post, on more than one occasion. The relationship with journalists allowed them to publicize the good work they do, elevating their visibility as premier lawyers in their field.
Attorneys who develop the abilities to network tactfully and effectively are able to reap a wide range of benefits, from new business to speaking and publishing opportunities. When attorneys use networking to be the go-to person in their practice areas, they boost their reputations, helping them stand out among lawyers working in high demand for their services.