Networking, without feeling like you're networking - by thornton Legal

Networking without feeling like you’re networking

Professional events can be uncomfortable when you’re a junior lawyer.

You arrive in a room where many people already seem to know each other. Colleagues naturally stay together, senior lawyers look busy and approaching somebody you’ve never met can feel forced.

The easiest option is to spend the evening talking to the people you came with. It’s also the easiest way to leave without having made a single new connection.

Networking doesn’t need to mean working the room, delivering a polished introduction or trying to generate instructions before the drinks have been served. For junior lawyers, the first aim should be much simpler: speak to somebody new and start becoming known beyond your immediate circle.

Move beyond your own group

One of the most common things we see at professional events is people remaining in small groups with colleagues they already know.

It’s understandable. Walking up to a group of strangers requires confidence, particularly at the beginning of your career. But a closed circle also makes it difficult for anybody else to approach you.

Thornton Legal sponsors and attends various events within the regional legal community. We often find that our easiest conversations are with committee members, partly because they feel responsible for welcoming sponsors and guests. Conversations with other attendees don’t always happen as naturally.

Recruiters should make an effort to introduce themselves, of course. However, the same principle applies to everybody in the room. If you attend an event but only speak to your colleagues, you’re missing much of its potential value.

Make yourself available for conversations. Look around the room rather than towards your own group. If somebody is standing alone, go and speak to them. They may be just as relieved as you are to have someone start the conversation.

Don’t assume networking means selling

You don’t need to arrive with a pitch.

At an early stage in your career, networking is about building confidence, learning about the profession and developing relationships over time. You aren’t expected to generate work immediately or impress every partner in the room.

The people you meet could include partners at other firms, barristers, accountants, financial advisers, recruiters or lawyers working in complementary practice areas. Any of them could become a source of advice, opportunity or referrals later.

Equally, you may eventually be able to help them.

That’s what makes a professional network valuable. It isn’t a list of people you can ask for something. It’s a group of people who know who you are, understand what you do and are comfortable having a conversation with you.

Do some preparation

If an attendee list is available, look at it before the event.

You don’t need to research everybody in detail. Identify one or two people you’d particularly like to meet and understand enough about them to begin a natural conversation.

That might be a partner working in your practice area, somebody from a firm you’re interested in, a potential professional referrer or a speaker whose work you’ve followed.

It also helps to think of a few simple conversation starters. Asking what brought someone to the event, how they became involved with the organisation or what type of work they do is often enough.

Don’t feel you must talk exclusively about law. Outside interests, local connections, sport, travel or the event itself can create a much more memorable conversation. Most people are comfortable talking about themselves, so ask questions and listen properly to the answers.

Make yourself memorable for the right reasons

Making your presence felt doesn’t mean dominating conversations or trying to speak to everybody.

A good conversation with two or three people is usually more valuable than exchanging details with twenty people you’ll struggle to remember the next morning.

Be interested, engaged and easy to talk to. Explain what you do when it arises naturally, but don’t turn every introduction into a recital of your experience.

If you’re attending with colleagues, agree to separate for part of the event and introduce each other to people you’ve met. That makes approaching new groups easier and prevents everybody from remaining within the safety of the same circle.

You can also ask an organiser, colleague or existing contact to introduce you to somebody. There’s no prize for making networking more difficult than it needs to be.

Follow up afterwards

The value of an event doesn’t end when everybody leaves.

If you had a worthwhile conversation, send the person a LinkedIn request or a brief message afterwards. Mention where you met and something you discussed, rather than sending an empty connection request.

Where appropriate, exchange email addresses or mobile numbers. If you said you’d share an article, make an introduction or arrange a coffee, do it.

The purpose isn’t to force every conversation into a formal meeting. It’s simply to keep the connection alive.

A short message can be enough:

“Good to meet you last night. I enjoyed our conversation about the local market and would be pleased to stay in touch.”

From there, engage occasionally and naturally. Congratulate them when they move roles, comment when they share something interesting or say hello at the next event. Relationships are built through repeated, low-pressure contact.

Think beyond the immediate return

Some of the strongest professional relationships take years to develop.

At Thornton Legal, we know lawyers whom we first met at networking events when they were newly qualified. Ten years later, some are now partners. We’ve helped some move firms because they already knew and trusted us. Others now come to us when they need to recruit.

Nothing was generated from a single conversation. The value came from remaining visible, staying in touch and building trust over time.

The same principle applies to junior lawyers.

Someone you meet today could eventually refer work, introduce you to a client, recommend you for an opportunity or become a colleague. They may move firms, become a general counsel or progress into a leadership position.

You can’t predict which relationships will become important. That’s why building a network is a long-term process rather than a short-term transaction.

Your network becomes part of your value

Technical ability matters, particularly during the early years of practice. Junior lawyers need to learn, work hard and develop expertise.

But progressing as a lawyer isn’t only about keeping your head down and completing the work placed in front of you.

As your career develops, your ability to build relationships and generate opportunities becomes increasingly important. A lawyer with strong professional connections can create introductions, refer work and help attract clients. That makes them more valuable to their firm and gives them more control over their own career.

You don’t need to become a natural networker overnight. Start by attending, stepping outside your immediate group and speaking to one or two people you don’t already know.

The aim isn’t to leave with a collection of business cards, it’s to leave with the beginning of a relationship.