meeting w/ attorneys - advice Forum

[thekun]

I have couple of meetings with attorneys to build relationships with them.

Some general questions that come first to my mind are:
1. Should I wear a suit or is dress pants/shirt enough?
2. In terms of the types of conversations to have with them, what are some of the topics that I should address?


Any advice is appreciated!

[legalease9]

Is this a network meeting or a job interview. if network, I would dress nice but not full suit. If its a job interview, full suit required.

[thekun]

it is networking mainly.

[flyingpanda]

In terms of number 2, just ask them general questions about their career/law school path and any advice they might have, then go from there.

The attorneys are going to be doing most of the talking and I'm sure they each have their own little things that they're going to want to talk about.

[pleasetryagain]

and be yourself.

Unless you are a douche.. then dont be yourself.. be someone cool.

[BetterCallSaul]

You don't need to wow anyone, just be friendly and listen.

Other tips:
Be respectful of their time. 15-20 minutes is about right for a first meeting. It's possible that someone who loves to talk will keep you for longer than that, but you want to err on the side of a shorter visit.

And the most important part--FOLLOW UP. You haven't really networked unless you've planted the seed of some sort of continuing relationship. Send a thank you note by mail right away. This is the bare minimum for follow up. (So nice to meet you. I loved hearing your thoughts about X. I will be sure to do X when I'm in law school. I will keep you posted about X.--or something).

My other favorite way to follow up is to put the person's firm and some case or area of interest they mentioned (say, insurance coverage for global warming lawsuits) on your google news alerts and shoot them a quick email/call when something exciting happens. This way you get in touch with them based on their successes and interests rather than based on yours. It gives you something to talk about and makes things more friend-like. This way you aren't asking for a favor every time you get in touch.

You should shoot for once a month contact by phone or email. More often is annoying, less often is ok so long as you're in touch at least quarterly.

[TheBigMediocre]

Read Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. I was put off by the title of the book but it's been excellent in terms of networking and relationship building strategies.

[BetterCallSaul]

Read Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. I was put off by the title of the book but it's been excellent in terms of networking and relationship building strategies.

Great book.

I bet you could tell I've read it.

[Cactus]

[romothesavior]

I met with some attorneys a few weeks ago to do some networking and fact finding about a company I'm very interested in (I'm only a OL now). Some topics I was sure to cover were:

-Does your company have an intern program?
-What is your general advice for success in law school?
-Where did you go to law school?
-What are some things employers look for? (both generally and specifically at their company)
-How can I best prepare myself for post-graduation employment and success?
-What do you suggest I do during my law school summers?

This isn't an interview, so don't frame your questions as formally as I did. Just keep it light and conversational. They have likely done this many times before, so it shouldn't be too tough.

I'd wear slacks and a polo.