Answers to the Top Law School Networking Questions
Hi All,
This month, the Lawyers Who Launch traveled to University of Akron School of Law to present our signature talk, The Law Student’s Guide to Networking. It was wonderful to be in-person again and the law students we met asked some really engaging questions that we know most law students would love the answers to. So we are going to share some of those questions and answers here.
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. It is getting over that initial hesitation, and once you can do that networking becomes easier and more natural.
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. Best bet is to cast a wide net at this stage. 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.
An important aspect to a successful follow up is following through by offering something to your networking contact. If you were at a networking event and found that you both enjoyed the same book by a popular author send them an email with a link to the author’s new book announcement. If you have the opportunity to make a referral, do so and let them know.
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.
When you are networking, you don’t want to just collect business cards. Similarly, you don’t just want to collect connections on LinkedIn. You need to engage with your contacts on LinkedIn. LinkedIn makes this very easy by sending you an alert when someone has a job change or anniversary. You can easily send a quick note with a call to action. Congratulations on your new role! Do you have time in the coming weeks for a call? I’d like to hear more about what you are doing.
How do you connect to your contact’s connections?
Ask if they will introduce you via email. This often looks like your contact sending an email to you and their connection explaining how they know you and why they think you two should connect. 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. Have a goal to introduce yourself to just three people at an event. You can also make a plan to attend a networking event with a friend. Even if you need to separate while you network, it may give you comfort knowing at least one person in the room.
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. By preparing before you network, you will know which events are the best use of your time and how to spend your time afterwards following up. You do not need to attend every networking event you hear about in order to network successfully. 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.
Have a great day!
Haley & Amy
Please keep in mind that 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. Rather this is a discussion of tips we have found helpful in managing client expectations in our own experiences. This should not be taken as legal advice.
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