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Building Relationships Through Service: More Than Just This Year’s Theme: Reaping Rewards by Networking through Service By Jill Russell Networking, networking, networking. We hear that phrase constantly—how important it is to network, to make contacts, to develop business. When I first heard the word networking, I thought “oh no, a dreaded night of small talk at a cocktail party sponsored by my office with people I don’t know. What could be worse?” But over time, I have come to some important realizations about networking. First, networking is relationship building- something I like to do. Second, there are more (and better) ways to network than by attending random professional development events. Third, and most importantly for me, networking is most successful when you find a way to network and build relationships that works with your personality. Coldcalling potential clients is never going to work for me. What does work for me is developing relationships with people through doing things I love to do and am passionate about. In my case, that’s service- both to the profession and to the community. I’ve always loved to give back to the community through the organizations in which I participated. In college, I was involved in many extracurricular activities, but not just as a member—as a student leader who was responsible for shaping the vision and path of the organization. This experience gave me a chance to work closely with and get to know a variety of people with a lot of different ideas. By serving in the organizations, something I loved so much, I had actually been engaging in networking! During law school, I was involved in our women law students’ organization, and as a part of that, got Page10 to know an amazing group of women from around the country who were interested in looking at the problems facing women law students from a national perspective, not just at their own school. As a result, I worked with other women to found Ms. JD, which serves to connect women law students and lawyers both nationally and internationally to discuss issues facing women in the profession today. My experience with the group culminated in organizing a conference in Chicago in 2009 that consisted of over 20 panels and 100 panelists speaking to young women lawyers and law students from all over the country. It was a lot of work, but I loved every minute of it, and I met amazing people through it. The relationships I’ve built through this experience proved to be extremely valuable in my career. I participated in the development of Ms. JD to make a difference, but an unintended result of my participation was the many business contacts I made. When I went through a career change last year, I reached out to the people that I had met through Ms. JD and through the Alliance… and they came through for me. I called on them for advice—on interviewing, on how to find the organization that was the right fit for me, and much more. It was amazing how often the people that I’d met through my service experience—even briefly—would go above and beyond just giving me the advice I had sought. They put me in touch with a friend or colleague who they thought might be able to help, checked in on me repeatedly after the initial conversation, or even called prospective employers to put in a good word. All this from people who knew me only briefly through a conference for a service organization! The relationships I’ve built through service to Ms. JD, to the Alliance for Women, and through the pro bono work I’ve done have turned into friendships and great professional connections. Service provides a great opportunity to do something you love and to network, connecting with people over that shared interest. If you’re passionate about anti-trust, join the anti-trust committee. Or you can check out pro bono opportunities that might be available—or better yet, join a mentoring circle! Giving back to the community and the profession feels great, and the relationships you build can change your life and your career. Jill Russell is co-editor of the AFW newsletter committee and an Assistant Corporation Cousel in the Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division of the Chicago Department of Law. If you want to practice your networking skills, she can be reached at jill.russell@cityofchicago.org
Chance Favors the Prepared: Lay the Groundwork Early for Business Development Success By Pamela DiCarlantonio Managing Director, Major, Lindsey Africa As a legal recruiter who focuses on placing lateral partners in law firms, I have had the pleasure of meeting many female partners with large and growing books of business. In most cases, luck had nothing to do with their client development success. Rather, these partners were savvy and focused, kept their eye on the long-term horizon, and took steps early and often to position themselves with existing and prospective clients. These partners also worked hard to create their own personal “brand” and, in doing so, were able to land substantial business when those opportunities became ripe for the taking. This article provides some basic tried-and-true advice to junior and senior female law firm partners who have the business development bug and are eager to develop and grow their own practices. “Grow up” with your clients. When she was a young associate, one attorney (now a junior partner) insisted on tagging along to client meetings and social events (and in many cases agreed not to bill the time). She made a point of getting to know the young attorneys (her counterparts) at the client companies, and worked hard to develop and nurture close personal relationships with them. As those in-house contacts moved up the ladder into positions of authority, this attorney was perfectly positioned to obtain business from them. She was able to start building a book of business, which led to an early promotion to partnership and ultimately a successful and thriving practice with clients who are also longtime friends. This is another good reason to join alumni organizations and stay in touch with your law school classmates (beyond an annual catchup lunch where you have a good laugh Page 11 over memories of the gunner in the first row whose name you can’t even remember). You never know where your classmates will eventually land, and you could be one of those lucky law firm partners whose best bud from law school ends up as General Counsel of a major corporation. (It could be the gunner from the first row, so be nice to him, too!) Many law firm partners have built enormous books of business that evolved from such relationships. Develop and continually refine your own personal “brand.” Any young attorney in private practice faces a daunting number of decisions when it comes to figuring out what kind of lawyer she wants to be – whether choosing a practice area or examining the law firm environment that best suits her and her long-term goals. For any attorney who wants to become a rainmaker, in today’s law firm environment developing business is the best way to be autonomous and marketable. It is critical to think early on about such things as: • where you want to practice geographically • what practice area (beyond just litigation or transactional”) • what type of firm • what size firm • what kind of culture is the best fit, and the reputation of the lawyers who work there • the overall rate structure that will be most conducive to bringing in clients • what the client base looks like and whether conflicts are common • your own network and where the most opportunity lies (i.e., the“low-hanging fruit”), and • whether training and support is offered to young attorneys who want to develop business development skills. By thinking about who you are and who you want to be and feeling comfortable in your own skin based on the environment you have chosen, you will be in a better position to develop business and earn the confidence of your colleagues and clients. The truer you are to your personal goals and ideals, the better your chances will be of developing business. It should not be a one-time exercise, though. You should continue to refine your personal brand as you move through your career, and make adjustments when necessary. Be loyal and trustworthy. Many female attorneys tell me that they find other female colleagues and clients to be incredibly loyal. Even though women demand the same high standards that men do (as they should), women are more likely to value (and tend not to forget) hard work, loyalty, responsiveness, and accessibility. There is still no such thing as a free lunch, but once you’ve earned respect and loyalty from your female clients and become their trusted advisor, the business is usually yours to lose. The same applies to female colleagues; once you have developed a trusting relationship, you may find yourselves seeking out opportunities together and watching each other’s backs. Be a good person. Remember the old male-female comparisons that said things like “He’s assertive; she’s a bitch”? This seems like obvious advice, but in addition to doing a good job and “holding your own,” it’s important to treat others – men and women, colleagues, clients, and even adversaries – fairly and professionally. Be honest. Don’t try to cut corners or be cut-throat. Don’t back-stab. Always take the high road. Most of all, try not to fall into female stereotyping traps that can be unfairly exploited. (And remember it works both ways. We all know men who are way more emotional or oversensitive than we are!) Continued on Page 12
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Page 5 and 6: Alliance for Women Committee Deep D
Page 7 and 8: Who is Training New Lawyers? Evalua
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Page 13 and 14: Holiday Party Highlights By Elizabe
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