Although much is being made of the increasing commercialisation of the legal profession, however commoditised or productised people think it can become, the truth is that however the modern legal profession ends up what will always bind it together is relationships.
These relationships can be client relationships, relationships with other professionals, relationships with ‘key influencers’ (the movers and shakers within your sector or geography) or relationships with colleagues (past and present). As a solicitor your career will hinge on your personal network so you need to make sure you build one that delivers a tangible return and actively maintain the various relationships within your network.
But when you are at the start of your career how do you start to build your network? Here are three simple suggestions we know that a) work, and b) can be employed at any stage of a legal career.
1. Utilise your partners
All of your partners will have established networks and have access to events and get togethers that work for them. Ask if you can go along and/or meet up with people from their contacts’ organisations at the same level as you. The people you meet will be as relieved you’ve asked to meet as they will be keen to meet as they’ll most likely be being encouraged to build their own networks and, as long as you keep in contact, they will rise through the ranks with you so will stay valuable contacts long into the future.
2. Network
When I mention networking the eyes of many of the solicitors I work with glaze over. Few people like formal networking (me included) but at the beginning of your career it is an essential stepping stone. You need to get out and meet people and you also need to start developing your softer skills as they’ll be invaluable once you have personal responsibility for client and referrer relationships at the next stage of your career.
The good news is organisers have woken up to the fact events need to be more fun and more accessible so the majority of young professionals events now offer much more than an airless room with stale canapés. The other thing to remember is when you have met people, you can organise your own independent get togethers around what you genuinely all like doing.
3. Buddy up internally
Who do you like within the other departments in your firm? More to the point, who is quite like you in terms of age, career stage and style? The chances are you will get on with their contacts and they will get on with yours so buddy up and see which introductions you could make for each other. The other plus of buddying up is that it’s always easier – particularly as you find your feet marketing-wise – to go to an event, coffee or meeting with someone else.
If you would like three more suggestions please email me at douglas@tenandahalf.co.uk and I’ll send them over.
Douglas McPherson is director of Size 10 1/2 Boots, a BD agency that specialises in the professional services.
Previously…