Networking for Lawyers

Cast aside the mundane law firm event and spare your clients another evening of cheese squares and chardonnay.

In this timely new book, Amy Timmer and Matthew Cristiano describe how episodic "60-minute" mentoring works — and you can use it to become a better law student, lawyer and colleague.

The next time you walk into a seminar and decide where to sit, consider sending the message that you’re attentive, respectful and came to learn a thing or two.

I know very few attorneys who are really comfortable networking. I think that’s true of most businesspeople. Even those who are naturally outgoing tend to clam up once an otherwise purely social situation acquires a business networking aspect. ...

Let me tell you a story about a brainy brief writer. She was smart, hardworking and loved practicing law. But she had few clients of her own. This made her beholden to others at her firm. Over the years, she came to believe she could never be a ...

Ryan Nevin’s article “Ways to Get Clients After Hanging Out Your Shingle” has some great tips. He’s right that you should network with attorneys who don’t do what you do to get referrals. But that’s only part of the answer. You should also make ...

Unfortunately, there is no template or set of instructions that works for every lawyer. I have seen a lot of tactics executed with varying degrees of success. What seems to work best is engaging in an activity that is natural to you. What do I ...

Most lawyers have to attend events. Clients have parties, law firms host functions, organizations hold galas and associations offer networking meetings. If you’re someone who detests going to these, particularly when you don’t know anyone, I am ...

You’ve heard it hundreds of times: You need to network! If you want to build your client base, get referrals, establish your brand and be a better lawyer, networking is required. But when you’re already busting your tail to bill 1,800 (or more) ...

Regarding your self-promotion, I have good news and I have bad news. Good news: There are more opportunities to promote yourself than ever before. Bad news: The sprawl of marketing opportunities is so fractured and vast, you'll need multiple ...