Starting a law firm means that you have to network, a lot. It’s been said over and over again, and I’m going to continue to say it because it is that important.
Starting a law firm means that you have to build a client base from your connections (otherwise referred to as your network). Furthermore, when you begin your law career – either starting a law firm or as an associate attorney at a law firm – you are always going to have to network to bring in clients. Being a solo attorney does not change this. Additionally, there are many different ways to network and I have tried slight variations of many of them. I plan to share as many of those variations as I can on this blog. However, for the sake of brevity, I wanted to talk a little bit about Not-For-Profit Networking.
As an associate, I joined many different kinds of social organizations – some for-profit and some not-for-profit. To be honest, I can’t say that either one was particularly lucrative in terms of bringing in clients. However, networking in the not-for-profit field gets your name out in the community in a big way. Furthermore, you might even really like your new job as a not-for-profit volunteer. I’ve known people who quit their jobs to go work for the not-for-profit.
When I say not-for-profit, I am talking about joining a board of directors of a large organization or in some way lending a helping hand with an organization. One thing to keep in mind is that if you join a not-for-profit for the sole basis of legal networking and building your law firm, I suggest you join a board of directors and network with other board members as much as possible. The board of directors is often made up of community business and social leaders in your community. When I say leaders, I mean these are typically people who run the show and who you want to know.
Furthermore, joining a board of a not-for-profit shouldn’t be just for the purposes of law firm networking. If you aren’t committed, it will show. The other board members will quickly realize you are a sycophant who is only there for the connections. That is a bad idea and it isn’t good marketing for your law firm. You might as well not be on the board.
Also, don’t over-extend yourself. Only join boards or not-for-profits that you feel passionate about. If you don’t care about the “mission”, you won’t do a good job. You will also not do a good job if you are over-extending yourself. Your first duty is as a lawyer and to your law practice. Keep these rules in mind whenever you are making decisions about what to join and how much work it is going to be.
An examples of good not-for-profits are local healthcare, child care, religious, or other humanitarian related groups. Examples include: Habit for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Furthermore, most social clubs like Kiwanis, Rotary, and the Knights of Columbus have groups in almost every major city in the country. Again, I am not saying you should join these groups, I am simply giving you networking options. I will admit that my membership in Kiwanis was not as effective as it could have been because I felt over-extended and it often came last in my though process on networking. Perhaps that was because I was on two other board of directors of major not-for-profit organizations and I didn’t have a lot of time.
To recap, not-for-profit networking is an excellent way to hob-knob with the business and social leaders in your community. You want to be one of those leaders. These people open doors for you and your law firm. It might not necessarily bring in money to your new law firm right away, but the connections you make and the reputation you build will. I don’t know why exactly, but it works. This gets back to my idea of legal networking as hustle. Furthermore, you need to network with these groups for the right reasons. Don’t join if you are not going to contribute. Also, don’t join too many groups and over-extend yourself. If you follow these tips, you will meet people you like, you will be happy with the networking opportunities, and you will be something good not only for starting a law firm – but for the community at large.