Q & A on lawyer networking

Susan R. Sneider

Susan R. Sneider is a skilled trainer in the legal industry who works with groups and individuals on marketing, career development, mentoring and networking.  She recently wrote “A Lawyer’s Guide to Networking,” a workbook that offers advice and insight from "some of the great networkers in the legal industry."  Sneider received her J.D. from Boston College Law School and currently resides in the Chicago area with her husband and three children.

Q: Could you define networking for us, and give some examples of how and where lawyers could put such a skill to work? 

The basic definition of networking that I offer in the book is from a very dear friend of mine and networker, Gary Pines, who simply says that networking is building relations to provide value to others. Examples of this abound in everyday life. For a lawyer, one example of networking is something as simple as inviting a client to speak at an event where their potential customers will be in the audience. Another is to invite a young associate to co-author an article or a book. If you’re a manager in a legal department, another is asking someone to sit on an interdisciplinary team. One of the best examples of networking in everyday life is when you find out that someone has a job and you send them candidates that you think are terrific, just as a courtesy. In turn, the same applies if someone you know is looking for a job and, knowing their capabilities, you reach out to a couple of friends to see if they have any openings. The examples and opportunities to network in the world are limitless.

Q:  Does the practice or purpose of networking for a lawyer differ from that of other professions?

Everyone needs to network for their life, their community, their associations, their families and for their business. In that respect, everybody is networking. I’ve had the pleasure to have a number of friends in other professions (doctors, engineers, architects, business people) read the book and they have informed me the information and techniques gained through reading it have worked just as well in their profession as in the legal industry.

One of the advantages that lawyers have in terms of networking is that they are typically in organizations situated for networking, such as law firms and legal departments. They are natural places for networking. The other thing that works for lawyers is that when people come to them for legal advice, they are already in positions of trust. Networking is ultimately a form of friendship where the person with whom you’re networking trusts you not to abuse your relationship. In many respects, lawyers have a natural advantage over other people in the networking game because their clients and colleagues already trust them.

Q:  Are there mistakes lawyers should be careful not to make when they network? 

To me, the biggest mistakes that I caution lawyers about are: 1) not to think “take” instead of “give”, and 2) not to think “immediate” and “transactional” instead of “long term” or “relational.”

Q:  What happens when lawyers make those mistakes?

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They violate the trust aspect of networking. If you are a user when you network, you are considered an abuser. At best, you get no value; at worst, you get a black eye.

Q:  Are there different reasons for networking? 

There are as many reasons to network as there are people doing it. Some of the common and more important reasons to network for lawyers are to maximize their careers, to expand their non-legal horizons, to create opportunities at their current jobs, to have higher professional visibility, to solidify relations with existing clients, and in some cases to move to other jobs. Typically, people think about networking when they think about looking for their next job. Starting the process when you start job hunting is the least beneficial time to be networking. Networking for a job is most beneficial when you already have a network built. However, if you find yourself starting at this point, remember to think long term, and to give before you take.

Q:  Does the style of networking vary depending on your reason for doing it?

You have to be honest to yourself and how you network. You can only network in accordance and consistent with your own personality and your own style. For some people, that means going to a convention where they know no one and meeting half a dozen people. For other people, it means going out with their two best friends for dinner. Networking is very personality driven and very specific to the individual. That’s why it’s easy and that’s why it works, because you don’t have to be phony.

Q:  What do you say to someone who thinks networking is something to fear?

There is a great acronym about networking in relation to FEAR. Innately, there is a fear of Failure, Embarrassment, Anxiety it produces and Rejection. I’ve been doing networking training for years now and one of things that is particularly fun with lawyers is that the minute they understand that they can prepare for networking, just like they can be ready to negotiate a transaction or litigate a case, it becomes relatively easy, completely painless. Then there’s no fear of failure, embarrassment, anxiety or rejection. At the end of the day, the only person who knows whether or not you’ve been successful at networking is you.

Q:  How does a lawyer fit the additional burden of networking into a schedule that is already bursting with billable hours, family commitments, pro bono work, CLE, and so on?

I must tell you that I simply love that question, because there’s a presumption that networking is somehow a separate and distinct activity from leading and living the rest of your life. And nothing could be further from the truth. Networking is part of your life. It’s breathing in and it’s breathing out. Every time you are talking to someone, especially if it’s a staff person or a peer, you are networking. You should always be thinking about how you can be helping that person. It’s not that you have to do anything extra or spend your time any differently. You just have to spend your time more thoughtfully.

Q:  In turn, how do you personally maintain your own network of people?

When I started doing networking training, I deconstructed what I did naturally so I could teach something systematic to others. In the book, I give examples of how to create databases on either a computer or by hand. I happen to be someone, in many respects, who has that computer system in my brain. I have an instinct...although, I do use the Outlook function in my computer, carry a Treo with me at all times, and I have notes all over about everything. For me, the truth of the matter is that the minute I have a conversation with somebody, I know within 24 hours that I have to write them a note, make a return phone call or send something to somebody. My own instincts say that I have a 24-hour turn-around period for any time I do something. I also have an instinct to call, write or email someone I haven’t talked to in a long time. For me, that comes naturally. For other people, they have to calendar it and be systematic on how they make it happen.

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Q:  Please tell us how “A Lawyer’s Guide to Networking” came to fruition.   

I went to a friend’s reading from her novel. I thought it would be really fun to re-connect and I was so excited she was writing a book. She referred me to Kathy Morris [then Director of the ABA Career Resource Center].  Kathy asked me if I’d want to write a book. I was thinking, ‘No, why in the world would I want to write a book?’  But what I said was, ‘Sure, I’d like to a write book on networking for lawyers.’ She referred me to Jill Eckert McCall [then Deputy Director of the Career Resource Center], we talked and I had a contract on my desk in two days. That’s how it came about.  Which is to say: I went to see a friend read a book, with no ulterior motives. That’s the truth of networking. When you do good things for other people, without ulterior motives, wonderful opportunities open up for you.

Another true story of networking:  Right now I’m on my way to speak in Monte Carlo. The first time I did this was eight years ago this month, and I’ve been speaking throughout Europe annually since then. The first time I was asked to speak was a very funny story. I had ghostwritten a speech for somebody who was giving a talk in Monte Carlo. As the speech was coming closer, he asked as a favor if I’d co-present and I accepted. The day of the speech, 10 minutes beforehand, he had to take a call from his board from Asia. As a result, I had 150 people in an audience that then became strictly my audience. They were so taken by my speech that the conference producers have invited me back every year since then.

No one wanted to ghostwrite this guy’s speech and I thought, oh, of course I would help somebody help out. That’s how I’ve experienced life generally. Whenever I help someone out, something nice always happens....not usually that directly, though.

Q:  You have an array of experience not only in networking but as a management expert on the legal industry in general.  What, in your opinion, is the best thing lawyers can do for their careers?

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