Networking takes time, and yours is precious. So focus on the networking opportunities that provide the biggest bang.
Connections make the world go round. Think about it: people want to help people they know and like.
For law students, a strong network can help you land a job. For attorneys, a strong network can help you meet new clients.
From internships to informational interviews, bar association events and yes, LinkedIn, there are plenty of networking opportunities at your fingertips. And chances are your school will provide you with lots of interesting opportunities, such as guest speakers, symposiums and more.
Jim Montes, assistant dean for career and professional development at Touro Law Center, advises students to budget an hour a month for networking.
Networking, he said, isn’t just going to an event and coming back with 50 business cards. It’s also researching who will be there and who is important to meet, so students can maximize their time at the event.
“It’s much better to come back with three business cards with real contacts that are useful to you than with 50 you won’t reach out to at all,” Montes said. “That’s the time you need to budget. You’ve made the contact; now reach out to them with something of significance.”
But law students are strapped for time, and mingling at a cocktail party is not for everyone. So which networking opportunities give you the most bang for your buck?
We surveyed law school career professionals and, with their help, identified the 10 most valuable networking opportunities — ones that could most likely lead to future employment and lasting connections.
Let’s take a look at them:
1.Internships/Externships
Internships and externships often lead to a paid job offer. Plus, the people you meet during this time actually get a chance to see the work you do.
“I advise our students that the best networking opportunities come with face-to-face interaction with practicing attorneys, especially those that allow the student to demonstrate their understanding and competence in the law,” Montes said.
He also pushes externships as much as possible because, he says, they give students an opportunity to test drive areas of law they are interested in.
“It’s a win/win because these participating employers also get to test drive students,” Montes said. “We see a good number of our students get offers from externships … that do turn into postgraduate employment.”
2.School alumni associations
You should always be networking, and everyone should know you’re in law school and what your interests are, said Neil Sirota, assistant dean of career services at University of New Hampshire School of Law.
At all schools, many alumni want to give back and are eager to help.
Dina Billian, assistant dean of career development at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said many alumni associations provide mentoring programs and ask alumni to post job opportunities.
Several career placement offices, such as the one at Touro Law Center, put on workshops and info sessions each year. After determining what areas of practice students are interested in, career placement staff will find alumni who are practicing in those areas to put on presentations and provide networking opportunities.
3.Bar associations
Bar association events help students build their professional circles and meet attorneys who have the same career interests. Mentors from bar associations often help students learn of jobs and sometimes hire graduates.
Most bar association members are with small and midsized law firms. Though bar association membership is not always practical for current law students, such groups are a great way to meet practicing attorneys and network.
“Bar associations are vital to the success of a law student, particularly if a student is interested in a job in a different location,” Billian said.
While members may not have specific job openings in their firms, they may know of others.
“Start developing that web of networking,” Montes said. “So many practicing attorneys want to help and mentor.”
4.Guest speakers
It is important for students to know what the world outside of practice looks like, especially in a desired practice area. Guest speakers — lawyers who come and speak about the type of work they do — can offer a key perspective.
But it can be hard to network with speakers at such events because there’s usually a line of students and a very narrow window to talk, said Arturo Errisuriz, assistant dean for career services at Texas A&M University School of Law.
Attending such events can be hit or miss. Your best bet is to follow up with the speaker afterward.
5.Informational interviews
Attending events is the first step in relationship building, but the follow-up is even more important, administrators say.
Erin Binns, director of career planning at Marquette University Law School, recommends that students identify lawyers who practice in areas of interest to them and then request informational meetings.
“This relationship building on the micro level is critically important,” she said. “Lawyers need to really know a student before they will guide, mentor and/or endorse that student.”
Smith said her office encourages students to meet with alumni and advises them on how to reach out for a meeting.
“Lawyers like to talk — talk about themselves — and they love to help law students,” she said.
6.LinkedIn
LinkedIn is essential for any law student and it is particularly useful for engaging with alumni.
Make sure you have a professional headshot and learn to scrub your social media platforms.
Sirota said one underused tool is LinkedIn’s law school and undergraduate alumni search function. It allows you to connect with alumni of your law school in practice areas of your choice and in geographic areas that you prefer.
LinkedIn is an important platform where students can build their brands and identify potential contacts for informational meetings. Sirota suggests using it as a research tool to locate potential contacts. But don’t message them through LinkedIn. Find their email addresses, and make the connection that way.
“You have more control with email to make the connection,” he said.
7.School events
Billian recommends that students attend school events, particularly career events that will include alumni and employers.
A school’s on-campus interview employer reception should be a top priority. A holiday gathering, for example, may have less of an immediate impact, but it can also help grow a student’s network, said Monica Gould, director of career and professional development at University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.
Any event that brings you in contact with professionals is a great way to meet attorneys and learn from them.
8.Practice area societies
Membership in a practice area society at your law school can help your resume communicate your interest in a particular practice area, administrators say. Societies are helpful for gaining knowledge in a particular practice area and connecting with alumni and friends of the school who work in that area.
These organizations bring together faculty, student leaders, alumni and career strategy advisers to plan networking and professional development events focused around specific practice areas.
There is no need to join too many groups. You’re better off having leadership roles in just a few.
9.Email
Email continues to be an essential communication tool, administrators say, but it must be used properly. Use it to schedule a conversation or to follow up after a meeting; it’s not a substitute for a conversation.
“Using email to initiate, build and nurture relationships through requesting informational meetings is a critical component to building a network of professionals,” Binns said.
Keep building the relationship by emailing them once in a while so that they will remember you.
10.Professors
Meeting with professors during office hours can help you secure more thoughtful, personalized letters of recommendation and clerkship opportunities.
Smith said Texas Tech Law faculty have been appointed to help students find job opportunities.
“We adhere to the open door policy,” she said. “Students can contact professors to get a meeting on the calendar, or can just stop by. It can be anything from a subject matter question from class [to questions] in regard to career development.”
Sirota said it’s not always about, “Who can get me a job?” Another reason for networking is to be better informed about the legal community you want to join.
“With the idea of learning in mind, networking becomes more beneficial,” he said. “Be authentic about it. Talk to people because you want to talk to them. If you approach it that way, you’re going to be more successful.”
This story originally ran in the 2023 Winter issue of The National Jurist magazine.
