This. Most people (well, most lawyers, at least) are in a sense quite vain. I remember someone on TLS PM'ed me when I was a 3L because he/she had been offered the same scholly I had. I remember writing a pretty long and detailed response, and had he/she asked me for a phone call, I probably would have obliged. It makes you feel good, both in terms of giving back to the community/helping someone who's in the same position you were not long ago and in terms of feeling important. Some people like dixiecupdrinking will always be too busy/don't really enjoy this sort of thing. That doesn't mean he/she is a bad person. Just…maybe not a people person, or at least that kind of people person. But for every one of him/her, I've found there are several more who are more than happy to help.tyroneslothrop1 wrote:Talking to eager students about how you ended up in your amazing situation also strokes the ego.
Speaking as someone who's probably scored more than his fair share of informational interviews, I'd say most people will be happy to help if you (1) are respectful and grateful of their time (and send a written thank-you note afterwards) and (2) understand that the person with whom you're networking may also enjoy it for the reasons I've mentioned (particularly if they responded to a cold email) and make sure the questions you ask demonstrate a genuine interest in their practice area (which they probably enjoy talking about) and make them feel important. Also, for what this anecdote is worth, I don't usually ask them to take my resume or submit my name to recruiting or anything. One of my contacts offered to do this for me without my asking. I know the proverb says, "Ask and ye shall receive," but this isn't always necessary. Don't forget that at a lot of firms, associates and partners will usually get a bonus of at least a few thousand if someone they refer to recruiting gets hired. So if you seem like a generally sane and competent person, your interests may be more aligned than you might think.
One other thing: cold emails are fine, but if your interlocutor can put a name to a face, all the better. I've gotten tons of informational interviews from people that I've randomly chatted with in the gym, bar, etc. In pretty much all of these cases, I never thought their acquaintance would be useful to me at the time I met them; I'm just kind of social like that. Then months or even years later when I found myself on the hunt for the job, it just so happened that they were in a field I needed advice on. No way to predict that; just treat everyone you meet with kindness, as if one day you will need a favor of them. It really pays dividends. (Also helps if you lift/drink/etc. at the same place as hiring partners and such
)tl;dr: Be nice, be respectful, and most people are happy to help. A few are not; move on and do not take it personally.
