Careers
‘Smart Socializing’ Can Help 1st-Years Get Started on Rainmaking
Posted Sep 17, 2009 6:32 PM CST
By Martha Neil
Even first-year associates should be thinking about developing legal business, and "smart socializing" can help them do so, reports the Legal Intelligencer in an article reprinted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
Among the ways that fledgling legal eagles can begin meeting the people who can help them develop a book of business is simply keeping in touch with a circle of friends through Internet social networking and participating in activities outside work that do not involve fellow attorneys, writes Eric Frank, who himself is a first-year associate at Duane Morris. It's also important, of course, to get to know colleagues at work.
To market your law firm, it's important to know something about what it does and what legal issues clients are likely to be concerned about, he notes. "My firm makes this easy by internally distributing weekly news summaries of articles and headlines featuring the firm's attorneys. It takes five minutes to catch up on what's important both in the firm and the business world."
For more tips, read the full article.
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ABAJournal.com: "Reluctant to Network? Try These Tips and ‘Starter Questions’ "
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Comments
Sheila Nielsen
Sep 18, 2009 8:08 AM CST
I have been a career counselor for lawyers for 20 years and the advice in this articles is just not good. Perhpas it was taken out of context. The best way to approach a person you do not know is to start with small things in common and build from there. You try to set the other person at ease by asking something like -what brings you to this event, or you comment on something you have both experienced such- what did you think of what the speaker said about -x- ? You move from there to learning about the person: what firm are they with or company etc., what practice group, and so on Small talk is an art. You really don’t want to put your foot in your mouth by jumping into hot topics that can create a negative first impression.
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Houston Lawyer
Sep 18, 2009 8:31 AM CST
“To market your law firm, it’s important to know something about what it does and what legal issues clients are likely to be concerned about, he notes.” Really? Do you think? Really insightful advice, there.
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