Legal Networking – Set Yourself up for Success

Is legal networking worth your valuable time, or is it a waste? Call legal business development expert Steve Fretzin at (847) 602-6911 to learn more about building your law firm’s book of business.

I completely believe in the value of legal networking to build your law firm, but to do it right, you have to set some goals before you even step foot in an event.

There are three internal motivators that every successful networker must possess to succeed at networking: the right behaviors and habits, a positive attitude, and self-confidence. Without these internal drivers, it’s nearly impossible to accomplish anything, let alone something as challenging as developing new business.

It might seem rudimentary to talk about forming good habits and developing a positive attitude. After all, you wouldn’t be a licensed attorney if you weren’t able to implement good habits to study in law school and pass the bar exam. However, in my experience many attorneys overlook the importance of forming good habits when it comes to business development. I accept as the standard definition of behavior “a manner of acting or controlling oneself.” Your behavior directly affects everything that happens in your life, including your income, your relationships, and your ultimate destiny. As you know, good habits can set you on positive paths while negative ones can cause you to veer off course.

Conversely, in business development, bad habits can have direct consequences on your ability to generate activity. Furthermore, poor habits can compound over time and confine you to the role of the law firm “worker bee,” who is beholden to senior partners to bring in business.

But while the legal networking process can be exhilarating, it can also prove to be exhausting.  It’s simply not easy. At some point, the thrill of meeting new faces and expanding your practice starts to wane. It’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day office routine and consequently put networking on the back burner. And for every 20 to 30 people you meet, there might only be 1 person with potential business or connections that are helpful for you.

That said, based on my own experiences and the results that I’ve seen with the hundreds of attorneys I’ve coached, I’ve concluded that networking is the best way to truly grow your practice. Visit my website at  www.fretzin.com to read many of my client’s success stories. Some people naturally love to network, while others despise it. What’s true for all is that anyone and everyone can develop and improve on their legal business networking skills.

A good place to start is breaking down your goal into components such as researching an upcoming event, registering for the event, and logging it on your calendar. A good place to start looking for events might be the Illinois State Bar Association website. Beginning that positive habit that will propel you forward to accomplishing your goal. Every time you commit to taking action and then actually follow through on that commitment, you’re positively reinforcing winning habits. The positive experience creates momentum to continue this networking behavior in the future.

The secret of making, and keeping, a self-commitment is a key factor in why some people are more successful in accomplishing their goals than others. The small victories add up over time and reinforce the drive to continue good networking habits. Call (847) 602-6911 to set up a consultation and get started on the right track for legal networking success.