Answers to the Top Law School Networking Questions

04/25/22 • 10 min

How do you find confidence when networking? Confidence starts with having a plan–think about who you are and what you want and practice how you will convey that to others. If you’ve done that preparation, it will be MUCH easier to find that confidence to walk up to someone at a networking event. Preparation is key and once you actually start talking to people at networking events it becomes much easier to continue and meet more people.

How do you know when it’s time to end a conversation? And how can you do so smoothly Again, preparation is important. At a networking event, you want to meet a variety of people because you do not know who you will find a connection with. So go into a networking event with the idea that you don’t want to speak with someone for more than 5-10 minutes, unless, because there are exceptions to every rule, you have a really strong rapport with someone. Then, bend this rule, speak for a bit longer than 5-10 minutes before you move on. To end a conversation smoothly, smile and tell the person, it was great to meet you, exchange business cards, and indicate that you’d like to follow up with them in the future.

How can I follow up effectively without being a bother to someone? Following up is such a vital part of networking, but only if you do it the right way. Follow up with a networking contact by reaching out to them with a specific call to action. Ask a question about something you discussed or ask to set up a phone call to learn more about their practice area. Send them an email and ask if they can make a recommendation to an association or an event. Give them a reason to respond to your email.

How can I best connect with new connections on Linkedin? To start, make sure that you are asking someone to connect and include a message. If it is someone that you have met in person, reference the event where you met. If it is not someone that you have met in person, explain the connection you may have with the person and why you would like to connect. Maybe you graduated from the same undergrad or they practice in the same practice area that you would like to break into.

How do you connect to your contact’s connections? Ask if they will introduce you via email. If they have a strong networking relationship with this contact, they will trust that the student they are being introduced to is someone they can develop a mutually beneficial professional networking relationship with.

How can you best network as an introvert? Our top tip for this is to take it in slow measurable steps. Don’t commit to more than one networking event in a week. Give yourself the time to regroup.

How do you find time to network? The beauty of having a plan of how and when you will network will help you budget your time. But in order to maximize your time and your efforts it is critical to have a plan that you can simply implement. The Law Student’s Guide to Networking gives you the tools to execute a strategic networking plan and build a network that will serve you throughout your career. If you would like to see us at your law school send this blog post over to your law school’s career services office. We love the opportunity to actually meet and connect with law students and share The Law Student’s Guide to Networking.
Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or shoul

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Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

Previous Episode

5 Tips for Your Next Networking Event

In episode #47, we talked about some mindset shifts introverted attorneys can make about networking to make networking feel less overwhelming. To help you overcome those concerns, we are sharing 5 tips to take with you for your next networking event.

Tip #1 - Look for opportunities to network in places where you already feel comfortable. Think about where you already spend your time and who you spend it with. Are you a member of civic groups or organizations? Do you spend time volunteering at your child’s school? This is probably an overlooked area of networking because the initial reaction is to start somewhere new with people you don’t know. Even if you have not been out in a while, you have been places before, you have been involved with groups or organizations. Going to events in locations you already know with groups you have already been involved with definitely helps reduce the fear of everything being totally new and foreign.

Tip #2 - Nurture relationships that you already have. Networking is not just a collection of business cards and you cannot treat your contacts like those business cards in your desk - never to be looked at unless you need something. Think about those relationships in your life that you consider personal. How did they become so. Certainly not by meeting once and never speaking again. You had to build that relationship over time and with trust. Networking will not work if you just go to as many events as possible. You have to consider those people you already know and how you can continue to facilitate your relationship with them.

Tip #3 - Send correspondence to your network. A handwritten letter will stand out in someone’s mailbox and will likely peak their interest. Consider how you can maximize this undivided attention. You can also send an email or text to thank someone for a referral. Send a note to let someone know that you value their professional input in a recent matter.

Tip #4 - Listen more. When you are at a networking event, there can be a pressure to feel “on.” Keep in mind that you don't need to do all the talking. Give yourself permission to listen more. That takes the pressure off of you feeling as though you always have to have something to say. Many people like talking about themselves, so let them and you can listen. Once you have taken the pressure off of yourself you will relax and conversation can flow more easily.

Tip #5 - You are not the star of anyone else’s show. Other people aren’t privy to your thoughts or everything that is going on with you, they have their own stuff that is occupying their minds. They are the “star” of their own “show.” People do not necessarily know that you are nervous about speaking to new people, or that you really aren’t sure what area of law is right for you, what your LSAT score was, or what your grades were. Don’t feel defeated. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Are you looking to build your professional network but are not sure where to begin? Check out “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking” - now available on Amazon. This guide gives you a step by step solution to help you prepare to network and then actually execute an effective networking plan.
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Next Episode

Say it Out Loud - How Lawyers Who Launch Really Got Started

As we celebrate one year of Lawyers Who Launch, we wanted to share more of our origin story with you all. The inspiration for everything we do came from challenging times and was nurtured by our friendship.

Take networking connections and building them into mutually beneficial relationships is at the heart of what we do. The best networking connection either of us ever made happened on the first day of law school orientation in 2007 - when we met for the first time. It was then that we became friends and study partners.

At that point our career options seemed limitless and the future was very bright. But next year changed everything. In our second year of law school the Great Recession hit. Established law firms were liquidating. Job offers were evaporating. The economy was tanking. Our career prospects in law looked very different on graduation day than they did on orientation day.

Thanks to the power of networking we both have successful careers in the law. By 2020, we were both partners in our respective law firms and 2020 was looking bright - until March.

We all know what happened next. The economy was unstable, schools were closing, offices sent everyone home. Technology kicked in and we were able to work from home, appear in court from home, and continue work with careful social distancing.

It was at this point that we were sharing our fears and challenges with each other and it was so reminiscent of our fears in law school. Saying it out loud to each other just how scared and unsure we were allowed us to find the courage to start a brand new venture (and “say it out loud” is something we continue between us and as a regular segment on the podcast).

This reminder of our time in law school also made us think of law students today and all of the struggles that the pandemic has brought out on top of the usual challenges of law school. It was this convergence that led us to the inspiration for Lawyers Who Launch - sharing our networking planning and skills with attorneys, and soon-to-be attorneys, because we know how intimidating networking can be and we saw just how important our networks were to our professional success. We practice what we preach. The tools, tips, and strategies in The Law Student’s Guide to Networking is the base for how we actually network.

In the last year we have both utilized our network to help expand the message of Lawyers Who Launch, but also we have exponentially expanded our network in this new venture.

It is so interesting to utilize the strategies we are teaching to find and reach our audience to learn these strategies. Getting to meet with law students and other legal professionals both virtually and in person has fulfilled us in so many ways. We know that students and professionals alike struggle with networking. Getting to now share that with them and directly communicate our message to them has been so rewarding. Our struggles with networking in law school have really come full circle for us. Now we are affirmatively thankful for that experience because we understand the difficulty but we have an easy to implement solution that works.
Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow