Fourth-seat trainees Sophie Lindsay and James Underwood share their tips for external networking as a trainee solicitor.
The importance of networking for lawyers hardly requires explanation, but what about trainee solicitors?
External networking can be tricky, in part because trainee solicitors may feel they don’t have much to offer at such an early stage of their career, but also because trainee life is so itinerant: like many firms, Russell-Cooke adopts the traditional model of four six-month seats, which means a change of team and practice area is never far away.
But if a successful training contract should give you a flavour of life as a qualified lawyer, then we think external networking should feature. Like any investment, the earlier you start, the more likely you are to see the benefit later on.
With this in mind, here are our top five tips for external networking as a trainee solicitor:
1. Be clear about what you want to achieve
It can be tempting to sign up for anything and everything, but networking requires a time investment, so be targeted in your approach. Do you want to know more about particular areas of law, meet lawyers who are also early in their careers, or learn from more senior practitioners?
2. Join professional organisations
This is a great way to get around the problem of only ever spending six months in a particular practice area. Lots of professional organisations span different practice areas, and some are geographical rather than practice-specific (the Law Society, for example, has various local junior lawyer divisions). Many organisations will have events and resources that are exclusive to their members.
3. Keep in touch
Professional relationships are built through repetition. If you meet someone interesting, follow up with an email, a message on LinkedIn, or the offer of a coffee, and stay in touch. Finding regular fixtures which interest you – it could be a monthly seminar series or a bi-annual conference – means you’re more likely to see familiar faces each time you return.
4. Be open
You never really know what might come out of a conversation or a follow-up coffee, and the key is to be open-minded. As a trainee solicitor, you’re also trying to decide which practice area is for you. This is not just about the day-to-day work; in our experience, attending events and meeting other professionals in the field can really help you to gauge whether a practice area feels ‘right’.
5. Be authentic
This might seem like the most nebulous tip, but it’s important. Don’t fall into the trap of seeing networking as a purely transactional activity. People respond better to human connection than a sales pitch or CV run-down, so try to be yourself (within limits!) and not a one-dimensional professional avatar.
Sophie Lindsay is currently a fourth-seat trainee in the real estate, planning and construction team, while James Underwood is currently a fourth-seat trainee in the trust, will and estate disputes team.
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