Lawyers are trained to think, often alone and not to operate as part of a team, we are often hesitant to network. However, we already network all the time, every interaction with a client, a colleague, and a family member is a meeting, a coffee and an opportunity. Call it whatever you want. Lawyers are also trained to research, to gather information, and networking is the same thing. You are learning about another person, industry, or organization and analyzing that new knowledge for your benefit and the benefit of your new contact, just as you would for your clients.
Do not consider all of this networking and social media as new. You are simply using the skills you learned in law school and have fostered through legal practice. You are already an expert and that’s not just an ego boost. We all know law school breeds ego…no matter how insecure you feel in a room full of people to meet you already know what to do. Go research, go analyze and go make connections . . . go network, you can Shepardize and Blue Book later.
