Keeping in touch with and nurturing relationships with clients, intermediaries, and other connections, is a key first step to building your personal brand. Yet so many junior lawyers find it tricky.
Networking often isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, particularly when mixed with billable hours and a heavy workload – but it’s an essential element to your career progression and it doesn’t have to be a chore.
Junior lawyers often shy away from networking, assuming they’re too junior to establish meaningful connections – we’ve all been there.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Imagine this scenario: you’ve attended an event, spoken to someone interesting and taken the first steps to build your network.
The common mistake associates make (including myself in the past!) is considering the event as a completed task. However, this is just the beginning.
A partner once told me that the juniors you interact with today, are the directors, partners, or senior managers of the future. Hence, engaging in conversations and nurturing these connections from now on is so important.
So don’t be put off. As an associate, you’re not just creating contacts; you’re forging relationships with potentially exceptional individuals. Don’t let your junior status deter you from staying in touch. The beauty of networking lies in its unpredictability – you never know when a relationship might prove invaluable.
Just like with any skill, networking becomes significantly easier when you understand it. So, let’s explore some effective and practical methods to help you maintain these connections and expand your legal network further.
1. Drop an email
Email remains one of the main ways, along with LinkedIn (but more on that below!), to communicate with others in the professional world. Here are a few tips on keeping in touch via email.
Personalise Your Messages
This seems obvious but it’s so important to send out tailored messages to your contacts and avoid generic emails at all costs.
You want to show that you’re interested in the relationship, while also displaying a bit of personality – of course, be professional, but don’t be afraid to be friendly and personable. Forging personal connections is every bit as vital as nurturing professional ones.
Always Follow Up
After attending legal events or meetings, send a thoughtful follow-up message via email or LinkedIn. Many people will send a connection request and leave it there, but sending a personalised message is so much more memorable and sets you apart from the crowd.
It doesn’t have to be chapter and verse, just that it was great to meet them, thank them for giving an interesting session, ask a question, or mention a topic that you both got talking about at the event to keep the conversation going.
If you want to contact them in future, this will make it feel so much more natural and easier for you.
2. Get savvy on socials
Social media platforms are more than just cat videos and memes; they’re powerful tools for networking. And when it comes to the legal sector, LinkedIn still reigns supreme.
First port of call: LinkedIn
LinkedIn is your go-to platform for building your legal network. Ensuring that your LinkedIn profile is up to date, and highlighting your skills and expertise is essential to keeping in touch with your contacts.
Remember, if you’re new to LinkedIn, don’t go too wild. Keep your connections relevant – colleagues, clients, intermediaries, and other legal professionals relevant to your sector. You don’t need to (and shouldn’t!) connect with everyone that requests to do so.
Some great ways to keep in touch with your network are by sharing insightful legal articles, commenting on industry news, and engaging in meaningful discussions by commenting on and sharing posts.
If you’re unfamiliar, or possibly more likely, nervous about using LinkedIn, start small. Share a post once a week (this could be a post shared by your firm – not something you’ve prepared). Also, put aside 15 minutes a week to have a look through your feed to comment on and like a few posts. You can build from there.
This not only keeps you visible but positions you as a trusted voice in your field.
Stay informed on X
While LinkedIn is best for forming connections and building a network, X (Formerly Twitter) can be your window into the latest legal developments and trends.
Following legal news accounts, law firms, and influential legal professionals can help you stay in the know on relevant and recent legal events and changes – it’s a great place to find inspiration for a blog article or a LinkedIn post.
Retweeting interesting content and joining discussions using relevant hashtags is a great way to position yourself as an expert in the field.
3. Arrange Face-to-Face Meetings
In-person networking events are like gold mines for relationship-building in the legal world.
Attend conferences and seminars
Your targets for the year will likely include attending relevant conferences and seminars. So why not make the most of them? Events offer excellent opportunities to meet like-minded professionals and potential clients.
Tip: Don’t collect business cards and store them in the drawer of your desk, never to be looked at again. Get in contact with them the following day and send them a message.
For more promising contacts, float the idea of going for a coffee to further cement the relationship.
Join a networking group
Local networking groups, like the JLD or those more specific to your practice area, are treasure troves of networking opportunities within the UK legal community, not to mention good fun! You can connect with experienced solicitors who can offer valuable insights as you navigate your career.
Tip: Use these gatherings to build your networking confidence, without the pressure of clients attending.
Arrange your own event
Consider organising your networking events or workshops. This not only establishes you as a leader in your field but also allows you to invite professionals you’d like to connect with.
Hosting events is a proactive way to expand your legal network and showcase your expertise – and a great way to keep in touch with your contacts.
Tip: Reach out to your contacts and invite them personally – instead of the group-wide email sent by your BD team – even if they can’t make it, the invite goes a long way in building the relationship.
4. Use your Firm’s CRM to your advantage
In the digital age, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are indispensable for maintaining and growing your legal network.
As a solicitor in a law firm, your BD team will likely make more use of this, but it is useful to you too.
Track your contacts and conversations
Your firm will likely use its own CRM software to keep a comprehensive database of its contacts.
For you, it’s a useful way of tracking your contacts, including clients, mentors, and industry peers. One thing that you should always try to avoid, is letting a contact go completely cold.
Your firm’s CRM system is a great way to track contacts – where and when you met them, along with their contact details.
We’ve all been there, time passes so fast and before you know it, it’s been a year since you last spoke to that person – which always makes it harder to get back in contact with them. So if you have these tools available to you, why not use them to your advantage? Set up reminders to give them a call or check in with them on a human level.
It’s also a great way to track your BD efforts when it comes to yearly review meetings or any promotions process.
5. Share Your Expertise
Sharing your expertise is a powerful method to maintain connections. It not only provides you with a genuine reason to reach out but also offers something valuable to your contacts.
Whether it’s inviting them to a webinar, offering a free training session, or sending over a pertinent article (whether written by you or someone else) along with an explanation of its impact on the client’s business. these efforts go the extra mile.
By doing so, you position yourself at the forefront of their minds whenever related matters arise. It’s about creating a lasting impression by providing value and being proactive in your approach.
Remember, networking is not just about what you can gain; it’s also about what you can contribute, after all a successful network is a two-way street.
If you’d like some one-on-one advice as to how to build your legal network and personal brand, then send me an email, I’d love to help.
