For Harrison Freeman, reaching out to friends, strangers and associates has been a large part of his strategy for finding summer internships as a law student — and it’s worked.
“Networking literally got me my 1L internship,” says Freeman, who just finished his second year at Boston University School of Law.
During his first year of school, Freeman discussed his career goals with a BU grad who was his mentor.
“I was very active in reaching out to him,” he says. “We went for coffee. We met for lunch. We spoke on the phone numerous times, and I told him my interests and he connected me with one of his friends.”
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The connection led to a summer internship at the Massachusetts Securities Division. To get his next summer gig, the Canada native decided to explore his personal network by reaching out to anyone he knew in the United States and asking for advice to reach his professional goals.
He landed a position at the law firm Brown Rudnick — which he did not get through networking — but the skills he developed through phone calls, coffee meetings and email exchanges while networking prepped him for the interview process that would lead to his current job.
“I had this experience of speaking with lawyers, asking them pointed questions, telling them about myself. All these things that go on in the interviews, I had done a hundred times before the formal interview process where it actually mattered,” he says.
Law career experts say that networking is key when pursuing summer internships — which often lead to full-time job offers — or long-term employment.
“It’s extremely important,” says Karen Sargent, assistant dean and executive director of the Office of Career Services at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. “It’s maintaining relationships that are going to carry you throughout your career. And you never know when those relationships are going to come into play.”
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In March, the unemployment rate for 2015 law graduates at schools under the purview of the American Bar Association was 9.7 percent. Learning how to meet and approach people in your legal area of interest as a soon-to-be lawyer and ask for advice, experts say, can help with finding job leads.
Prospective students interested in gauging a school’s network and its ability to teach networking skills have several options for finding this information.
“See whether there is an explicit component of the programming around networking and networking skills,” says Fiona Trevelyan Hornblower, the assistant dean for career development and public service at BU Law. This information can usually be found online, she says.
Applicants can also ask an admissions team if the school has an alumni database available for students and if the school offers formal or informal mentoring with alumni, experts say.
Schools teach law students networking skills in various ways.
In February, the Marshall-Whythe School of Law at William and Mary for the first time held an all-day professional development day, says Michael Ende, the school’s associate dean for career services.
“We focused on communication skills and styles, and understanding how people communicate and how to adjust your communication style to the people around you, how to present information in a persuasive way,” he says.
Ende also regularly runs programs on how to forge connections through LinkedIn, the popular social networking site for professionals.
At Boston University, the career development department helps students learn their preferred networking style and environments, says Hornblower. The environment for networking can vary, she says, from a holiday party to cold outreach to alumni.
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Law students should keep in mind three factors when it comes to networking, experts say.
— Target alumni: “Connecting with alumni from the law school is particularly effective since you have the shared experience to call upon,” says Hornblower.
Schools such as Boston University often pair students with alumni to foster mentoring relationships and have a database with contact information for alumni who welcome the opportunity to help students.
“We also do individual outreach to students when we know that alums are going to be on campus,” she says.
— Don’t be afraid: Law career experts say students sometimes worry about the awkwardness that can come with approaching someone you don’t know well to discuss your career.
But it doesn’t take much to get a conversation started, Ende says.
“Just jump right in,” he says. “You can start a lot of conversations just by saying ‘hello’ and introducing yourself.”
— Ask for advice: It’s taboo to ask for a job and can put a potential employer in an awkward position, experts say. Instead, law students should try to gather information.
“If they don’t have a job available, they may not want to talk to you, because they may not want to have that uncomfortable conversation,” Ende says. “But somebody can always give you advice, they can always give you information and if the conversation goes well they can always give you a referral.”
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3 Important Things to Know About Networking in Law School originally appeared on usnews.com
