Networking is essential within the legal industry.
The majority of people who succeed in business, do so because they are accomplished networkers. This is no exception for lawyers/ people in the legal industry. Expanding one’s circle, building trusted relationships with other people, finding new clients, and embracing conversation as an opportunity to learn more about the world, are all key takeaways from networking. Even the shortest conversation with the right person can become the smartest business development strategy for your law practice. Attorneys are often tasked with being their own marketers, and so being able to develop strategic relationships is of utmost importance. While it takes practice to become a strong networker, it is a skill set that anyone can master.
In this day in age, legal networking may look a bit different than it did in the past, with the majority of events and even one on one coffee meet ups being held virtually. However the keys to succeed in both in person and virtual network environments are quite similar, and you can find them here:
1. Have confidence in yourself
- Even the most seasoned and seemingly outgoing networkers still get nervous in new situations. It it no easy task to put oneself out when networking, and while you can practice your elevator pitch for hours, the most important attribute a networker can have is confidence. Everyone has someone valuable to offer. Being well prepared for the event, and wearing an outfit that makes you feel like the best version of yourself, will also help you gain confidence.
2. Set your purpose
- Networking with a purpose is much more effective than showing up to an event, or meeting without at least one item you plan to accomplish. Your purpose can be to speak with one particular person, or to engage in a conversation about a specific topic, or it can just be as simple as speaking to one new person you have never met before.
3. Own your story
- Everyone has an interesting story to tell. Practice your elevator pitch before speaking with a new person so that you can showcase it with enthusiasm and confidence. People are genuinely interested in learning about other people’s work and interests, the more passion you can put into your story, the more engaged your audience will be.
4. Practice your elevator pitch
- Similar to tip number 3, practice, practice, practice your elevator pitch. Find a friend, mentor, coworker- anyone you trust, to listen to your pitch, and to help you perfect it. The target pitch is between 30 and 60 seconds, which can either sound like a lifetime, or way too short for chatty people, but is the perfect amount of time to introduce yourself and your story to a new person. From there, questions and comments should arise, and normal dialogue should be able to flow.
5. Pre-plan ice breakers
- Introducing yourself to a stranger opening with your name and firm, and asking the same is repetitive and not memorable, and does not open the door to a strong conversation. Before arriving at the event, try to come up with a list of hot topics in the news/ industry/ general points of interest that a person attending this sort of event might be interested in speaking about. However, it is important to keep the topics light, and to avoid controversial topics.
6. Do research in advanced on the people who will be attending the event
- When networking at an event, if the attendee list is open, try to do a quick search of the people who will be attending so that you can make a list of the people you are most looking to connect with. It is also helpful to study their picture in advance to more easily pick them out. If there is anyone you very much want to meet, consider sending them an email or LinkedIn message in advance letting them know you will be attending the same event and want to connect. This will allow for the other person to make sure to find the chance to speak with you then, or to suggest a one on one conversation at another point in time
7. Bring more people into the conversations
- If while attending an event you find yourself engaged in a conversation and see someone who is on the sidelines not speaking with anyone, reach out and try to bring them into the conversation. They might end up being the exact person you needed to speak with, and also in the future you might be thankful when someone does the same for you
8. Be an active listener
- Keep your phone out of sight, and make eye contact. Try to keep the dialogue equal – if you feel yourself taking over the conversation and speaking more than the other people, take a step back. If there is a lull in the conversation, use this opportunity to ask a question for other people to answer.
9. Take notes
- Taking notes during/ directly after the conversations is an important way to ensure you can follow up properly with new connections. The next day or so after meeting, send an email or LinkedIn message to the new people you have met including memorable information from the conversation to make yourself more memorable, and to better your chance of continuing the conversation with that person.
10. Create your own opportunities
- Many formal events are held which allow for networking to take place, but the best networking opportunities are the ones that you create for yourself. Go above formal events and ask someone you met at an event to meet for coffee (in real life or virtually), ak people you know to introduce you to people within their network, or find someone on LinkedIn who is in a relevant industry and ask for a phone call.
- Attend industry events that are not tailored to attract lawyers, but are within an industry in which you do business, which may allow for you to stand out more among the crowd.
- Any conversation can be a networking opportunity. Take a moment to strike up a conversation with someone you may not have normally spoken with. You never know where your next business referral might come from.
- Host your own event. Create a group of people with similar interests and get them together for breakfast, or a zoom call (depending on the state of the world). Any way in which you can foster connections with new people will allow for you to stand out, become memorable, and become a more confident and competent networker.