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I've heard that networking is one of the most important parts of law school in terms of getting a good job when you graduate. What are the best ways to network? How can you get close with your professors?

The most important parts of law school are (in order): going to a school with good placement, getting top grades during 1L, and learning how to interview well.

Networking is primarily about writing the word "Networking" on a whiteboard and underlining it.

Maybe you should learn how to build rapport with someone in a short period of time? I can only imagine this would help with interviews (and networking if you strike out.)

Alumni. Did it three times. Got callbacks from all three firms. Pay for lunch/drinks and be interesting…. humorous too, if that is in your wheelhouse.

Serious answer:

(1) The main thing you should worry about in first year is grades. Any networking you do 1L year is gravy.

(2) Building relationships is a process. Don't expect to just approach someone at a meet-and-greet, get their card, and then "sweet, now I've networked!" One thing you might do is get the card (preferably also chatting briefly) and then send a follow-up e-mail saying you enjoyed meeting them and if they have a few minutes sometime soon you'd like to ask their advice about whatever field/practice/firm etc. they're in. And keep in touch with such people if they seem willing to do so. Some time down the road, you might, for example, ask a person a relevant question about your law review article topic or something. I was able to build a relationship with a pretty well-known (in his practice) lawyer who has a widely read blog this way -- first I e-mailed him about something about his blog, then later I asked his advice on my law review topic (I also quoted him in the article) -- he found this flattering and was happy to help. It's not like he ultimately offered me a job - his firm didn't have any openings anyway. But he's still someone I have in my contacts and who knows if it will come in handy. Which leads me to (3)

(3) You have to think about networking as a long-term process in which you have to produce a lot of "leads" to get any results. Most people you "network" with will never lead to anything, but you need to make a bunch of connections to get one success.

Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

jbagelboy wrote:Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

This is TCR

blsingindisguise wrote:Networking is primarily about writing the word "Networking" on a whiteboard and underlining it.

Huh?

blsingindisguise wrote:Serious answer:

(1) The main thing you should worry about in first year is grades. Any networking you do 1L year is gravy.

(2) Building relationships is a process.

(3) You have to think about networking as a long-term process in which you have to produce a lot of "leads" to get any results. Most people you "network" with will never lead to anything, but you need to make a bunch of connections to get one success.

This is all credited. Don't do anything law school-related but study 1L year. Your 1L grades will essentially dictate the rest of your career options.

My advice for networking is meet people you're genuinely interested in meeting because of what they practice. I speak from personal experience that meeting someone whose practice you have no interest in is arguably a negative unless you're good at feigning interest. Conversely, meeting someone whose work you're really genuinely interested in almost always leads to a good conversation.

The hardest thing is keeping the relationship going. Plenty of people are willing to meet for a coffee, but going beyond that can be difficult. My advice would be trying to work some way to naturally follow up afterward, e.g., send a thank you email with a link about something you've discussed, a question about something "you looked into after meeting," etc.

One important part of networking: you never know what effort will bring you an opportunity. It gets very frustrating because you won't see any results, i.e. job, until you get the job. Networking seems fruitless until you hit that one tree that has your favorite fruit on it. You never know when you'll land on the right tree and it has the ripe fruit on it.

Jobsearching generally takes luck also. Yes, you have to do well, do a bunch of stuff that people say is what gets you jobs. And that stuff is important. BUT you also have to be in the right person's mind right at the time they are hiring. That takes luck. Hustling and networking is the best way to ensure that you are in their minds when they are hiring.

network your ass off! Invite lawyers out for lunch to pick their brain, they love that shit! Also, I know it sounds superficial, but always dress as sharp as you possibly can when inter-mingling with potential co-workers.

guano wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

This is TCR

+1

jbagelboy wrote:Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

This is stupid fucking advice. You can sleep with as many of their daughters as you want, you just can't let the parents find out. Hiding the fact the you use somebody's daughter as a slam piece is the single most important part of networking.

Birdnals wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

This is stupid fucking advice. You can sleep with as many of their daughters as you want, you just can't let the parents find out. Hiding the fact the you use somebody's daughter as a slam piece is the single most important part of networking.

Yo thats how shit gets complicated. Those are risky moves my friend. Could go very downhill and lose a lot of clientel

jbagelboy wrote:Be born with parents of the established monied class, attend their dinner parties, opera nights and equestrian competitions, and chat up their influential friends without sleeping w/ too many of their daughters

"'Go where the rich and the powerful are,' I'd tell him, 'and learn their ways. They can be flattered and they can be scared. Please them enormously or scare them enormously, and one moonless night they will put their fingers to their lips, warning you not to make a sound. And they will lead you through the dark to the widest, deepest river of wealth ever known to man. You'll be shown your place on the riverbank, and handed a bucket all your own. Slurp as much as you want, but try to keep the racket of your slurping down. A poor man might hear."

Friend of mine picked up a screener in the subway

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