Network news

Most people don’t like to network, says Judy Thomson of the Shepa Learning Company in Vancouver. “They don’t know how to make conversation with people, they hate dead air, and they hate walking into a room where they don’t know a single soul,” she says.

Nonetheless, networking is a skill that many lawyers, especially female lawyers, need to master, Thomson told a women-only networking event called “Work the Pond” at Davis & Company in Toronto last May.

No matter how nerve-wracking the prospect of walking into a room full of strangers might seem, networking really is essential for lawyers’ business development hopes. But while firms provide “tons of technical training,” Thomson says, “no one ever teaches you how to network.”

The trick, adds Sandra Appel, a partner with the firm’s Toronto office, is to view networking not as a thinly disguised business transaction, but as a chance to find out what you can do for someoneg. “When you go to a function,” she says, “don’t worry about getting contacts. Worry about how you can assist the person with whom you’re speaking.” You might even be saving that person from being the only one in the room with no one to talk to.

Going with a friend, colleague, or potential client also helps. Appel says Davis & Company will encourage its associates to attend events in pairs, while Thomson advises that it’s always more fun to bring along a “tag-teammate.” Under no circumstances, however, should you spend the entire event talking with the person who accompanied you. “Don’t sit with people you know,” Thomson says. “Sit with people you don’t know.”

And make networking a habit. “It’s not a quick fix,” Thomson says. “You’ve got to be seen, and people have got to get to know you.” She suggests getting out to at least one networking event per week — one per month at a minimum. For busy lawyers trying to balance work and parenting responsibilities, Thomson advises: go to luncheons. “Don’t use that time to work through your lunch. Go to something.”

— Jane Mundy

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In this document, any reference to "jurist" or "lawyer" includes, where appropriate, "Québec notary".