LCS Graduate Fellow
Students listen to lawyers present on career panel. The end.
Students attend class with lawyer as guest. The end.
Students attend a Student Bar Association event and mingle with lawyers. The end.
So begins Erin Binns’ article describing common networking mistakes that law students make, and how opportunities like these throughout law school can be turned into ongoing relationships with professionals.
Some law students find "networking" to be easy; to simply be a result of their charming socializing skills or a result of the confidence that stems from an impressive pre-law background. Other law students see networking as a way of being insincere or unreal, or worry that it never leads to any solid connections. Well, what if we told you that networking is very simple and starts right inside the lecture halls of GGU?
From the first day of law school orientation, we are told that networking is critical in any profession. However, we are not told how to go about it. We were not told that what "networking" really means is to build great solid relationships with people that we genuinely connect with.
In the December 2013 edition of ABA's Student Lawyer, Ms. Binns not only emphasizes the importance of networking, but also emphasizes how much easier it is to build those professional connections during law school. Professionals are already "delivered" to you--lawyers and judges come in as guest presenters, lawyers and judges present at events hosted at GGU, alumni lawyers come to speak at student organization meetings--there are plenty of opportunities to build your network in your very own law school.
Here are some tips Ms. Binns offers law students about how to take advantage of networking opportunities that arise via guest lecturers, speaker panels, and other in-school events:
- Make the effort. While attending, look excited and open to meet others. Show that you are genuinely interested when meeting others.
- Be on the lookout. Events where you can meet professionals are happening all around you every week! So make sure to recognize these opportunities and then GO to the events!
- Express gratitude. If you enjoyed a particular guest lecture or just really connected with the presenter's experiences or personality, send the presenter a simple "thank you" email. Even though saying "thank you" is a small gesture that can sometimes just feel like an automatic response to everything, the gesture never goes unnoticed.
- Request a meeting. The key to building relationships that last is to pursue meetings with lawyers who you are genuinely interested in talking to and lawyers with whom you anticipate a good rapport.
- Give an update. Once a connection has been established, nurture this connection by continuously updating your professional contacts on what you are up to in school. Continuously invite them into your life.
- Give back. Don't just sit back and receive the benefits from the professional relationships you have now established and nurtured. You can send links to articles that relate to their practice or send them fliers to events that you think they would interested in or that you are going to.
- Connect via professional networking sites. Utilize websites like LinkedIn to let a person know that you want to remain in contact.
Read more about creating and fostering your professional relationships in the article, which includes extremely helpful sample emails you can use to make your own connections!
