A career in law is a marathon not a sprint. If you're interested in reading my ideas that might help you create a professional network to support your professional (and personal) wellbeing and development then read below.

STEP 1 – BE AUTHENTIC

Networking is not meant to be hard; it is meant to be enjoyable and beneficial. Think about who you are as a person and who you are as a lawyer, the 2 sets of values should align.

Create a profile so that people can find you and which you can use to connect to other people in the industry who you might want to connect with. It is important to update your profile as your career progresses and your objectives change. LinkedIn is an example of a platform that you can use to connect and share your journey as lawyer.

STEP 2 – BE ACTIVE

Build your community of people. Your community can be people you meet at events, where you volunteer and/or work colleagues. They might be podcasters, bloggers and writers of articles that interest you. Social media is great for making connections as you have access to a wide network of people at your fingertips.

Attending in person events is also important. These can be through local community groups, business forums and of course, your local District Law Association. Don’t be afraid to go alone, introduce yourself to the hosts and tell people that you are new to networking or that group. People will usually go out of their way to make you feel welcome. 

STEP 3 – ASSESS

Time is our most precious commodity. It is important to reflect on how much time you are spending at in person events and social media networking. Are you building relationships with people who you feel will support you and you can learn from? Do you need to consider expanding your network into other areas? If there is no group in your area maybe create one.

Finally, I suggest that you build your network before you need it.

African Proverb

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”

Author: Joelene Nel