Networking In Law

We’ve all heard that having a mentor is critical for career success. But what if you don’t have one? The reality is, senior leaders with the time and interest to mentor you are in short supply. Fortunately, there’s another way to get the career advice you need. In my newest article for Harvard Business Review, co-written with Alexis Redding, we explore the power of micro-mentorship—short, actionable guidance from a range of sources that can shape your career just as effectively as a traditional mentor. Here are four ways to make it happen: 👉 Identify hidden mentors Professors, former colleagues, or even casual acquaintances can offer invaluable advice. Sometimes, one conversation can change everything. 👉 Crowdsource advice Use LinkedIn, alumni networks, or even spontaneous interactions to gain insights from a broad range of professionals. 👉 Embrace self-reflection Since micro-mentors don’t know you deeply, their advice may not always fit. Learning to filter and trust your own instincts is a powerful skill. 👉 Seize digital opportunities Thought leaders share valuable insights online, and AI tools can help you brainstorm solutions using their frameworks. A single mentor can be great, but it can also lock you into a fixed perspective. By broadening your sources of guidance, you expand your possibilities: https://lnkd.in/eeCEveXW

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been putting together all the advice I’ve received over the past year or so, bits of wisdom from more than 40 lawyers I’ve had the privilege of meeting. After all these conversations, this seems to be the collective consensus on what a young lawyer should be doing: 🔹 Build a meaningful network. Your network is your most valuable asset, but don’t just build it for career growth. Use it to understand the deeper needs of the legal industry. Focus on genuine relationships, not just transactions. Join professional groups and engage with professionals beyond legal circles, including legal tech, business, and public policy. 🔹 Be curious and proactive. Reach out to experienced lawyers with personalized messages, attend events, and always follow up. Go beyond surface-level networking by asking meaningful questions about where legal services are falling short. Pay attention to recurring frustrations faced by businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals. These gaps often hold the biggest opportunities. 🔹 Offer value and stay engaged. Share insights, introduce contacts, or volunteer because in networking, "givers gain." Listen more than you speak, track patterns in conversations, and keep in touch with your connections even when you don’t need anything. Toronto’s legal market is small, and your reputation travels fast. Your biggest advantage won’t just come from networking but from using those relationships to identify and act on the legal industry’s blind spots. What do you think? Do you agree? Would you add or challenge anything on this list? Let me know in the comments! 👇 - - - Hi, I’m Claudio – a law student and podcast host. I’m on a mission to connect with 75 lawyers before I graduate. Follow me and tap the 🔔 to stay updated on this journey. Let’s connect!

I always hear professionals say things like, "My family is most important. If my wife calls, I'll step out of any meeting to take that call." This is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard... Here's why: For years, I struggled with the traditional concept of work-life balance. I thought I was failing because I couldn't neatly separate my day into "work time" (8-5) and "family time" (evenings and weekends). The reality? Legal careers don't work that way. Unlike other jobs where the employee can clock out after a shift, attorneys are mentally "on call" almost constantly. I'd feel guilty answering emails at night, then guilty again for missing family moments during the day. It was lose-lose until I finally realized something important: Work-life balance in law isn't about equal BLOCKS of time - it's about being fully PRESENT in smaller CHUNKS of time throughout your day. Here's what I mean: When I drop my kids at school in the morning, that's family time. I'm present, not checking emails. When I'm in client meetings, that's work time. I'm focused there. If my daughter has a tennis tournament at 3pm, I leave work early. That's family time. After dinner, I might work for a few hours. That's work time again. For this to work, you need two things: 1) A family that understands your career involves trade-offs (sometimes working nights, but also flexibility during traditional work hours) 2) A workplace that trusts you to manage your time (not measuring value by hours in a seat) And here's where many attorneys get it wrong: My wife knows she can call anytime, but I won't always answer. If it's truly urgent, she'll call twice, and I'll step out. But we both understand that an important client meeting shouldn't be interrupted to talk about what we're having for dinner. This isn't about prioritizing work over family. It's about respecting both by giving each your full attention when appropriate. Old-school law firms struggle with this. If a partner walks by and you're not in your seat, they assume you're slacking—never mind the four hours you put in after your kids went to bed. Legal careers demand flexibility. Sometimes emergencies happen during vacations. Sometimes you miss work for family events. Neither means you're failing at balance. Balance isn't about perfectly equal time. It's about being intentional with the time you have, wherever you are.

One of the biggest reasons lawyers and business professionals don’t post on LinkedIn is because they think every post has to be groundbreaking. Meanwhile, some of the strongest LinkedIn content comes from ordinary conversations, observations and experiences that happen throughout the workday. A client asked a thoughtful question on a call? That can become a post. You spoke at a conference? Share one takeaway people kept bringing up afterward. You noticed a shift in your industry? Talk about it. You read an article that sparked a strong reaction? Add your perspective. You mentored a junior colleague? Share the advice that came up during the conversation. You worked on a deal, matter or project? Discuss what people in your industry should be paying attention to right now. You attended an event? Share who you met, what stood out and what conversations people were having. You keep hearing the same concern from clients or colleagues? That’s content too. A lot of professionals overcomplicate LinkedIn because they assume every post has to sound formal, polished or deeply original. In reality, consistency and perspective matter far more. A few easy content categories for lawyers and business professionals: • Questions clients ask repeatedly • Industry trends and observations • Lessons learned throughout your career • Conference takeaways • Networking and relationship-building tips • Behind-the-scenes moments from your practice or business • Common misconceptions about your industry • Career advice for junior professionals • Reactions to market news and developments • Books, podcasts or articles that made you think differently • Stories about business development and relationship building • Professional wins, milestones and lessons • Things you’re noticing in the market right now • Advice you wish someone gave you earlier in your career The people building visibility on LinkedIn usually aren’t waiting around for perfect ideas. They’re paying attention to what’s already happening around them and participating in the conversation consistently over time. Your homework: Write down five conversations you had this week related to work, career growth, clients, networking or your industry. Several of them could probably become LinkedIn posts with very little effort! Tag me in the post when you do it! #LinkedInTips #PersonalBranding #LegalMarketing #BusinessDevelopment #LinkedInForLawyers

Ever left a conference with plenty of new numbers or names but zero real connections? When I was first learning about legal tech, it started with conversations with those working in the space. Those discussions established my first legal tech blog, which largely consisted of interviews based on those discussions. That experience taught me something fundamental: the most valuable professional moments don't happen during scheduled networking hours in crowded exhibition halls. They happen when we slow down and genuinely connect. Here's what I've learned about building meaningful professional relationships: 🤝 Choose depth over width: Three genuine conversations beat 30 elevator pitches 💬 Listen first, pitch never: Ask about their challenges before sharing your solutions ☕ Create intimate moments: Suggest coffee meetings or small group dinners at large events 📱 Follow through meaningfully: Send that article they mentioned, not just a LinkedIn request. 🎯 Be selective: Attend fewer events but engage more deeply when you do At the heart of everything I do is helping people. Technology should enhance our ability to connect, not replace it. #legaltech #innovation #law #business #learning

Yesterday I was at a senior legal leaders’ workgroup. Part strategy session. Part cultural analysis. Part group therapy. A lot of the discussion centred on what it really means to be an effective in-house leader today. One framework that stayed with me was the “3 P’s”: 🏢 Place – Are you in the right rooms? 👩💼People – Do you have access to the right people? 👆Point – When do you raise your voice? When do you make it happen? It sounds simple. It isn’t. Because being a lawyer at the executive table is not about technical excellence. That’s the entry requirement. The real shift happens when you are seen as a business person with legal expertise, rather than a legal expert occasionally commenting on the business. That means speaking the language of the business. 🏦 Being financially literate. 📈 Understanding the P&L as well as the indemnity clause. If we’re expected to avoid legalese in favour of plain speech, then clarity has to be a shared discipline. Translation should be a two-way street (though, if we’re honest, that applies to all of us). There was also a robust discussion about the GC as “the conscience of the company”. It’s a powerful position. Culture determines business success. When you are seen as conscience, you have the opportunity to influence behaviour at the highest level. But there is a risk. If you are perceived only as the voice of caution, your leadership potential can quietly narrow. You are heard, but not always invited into the strategic core - where you actually need to be to deliver on your mandate. One theme kept resurfacing: you have two teams: 1. Your legal team. 2. Your executive team. With the exec, you have to show up as a business leader, not just the technical expert. Understand what each executive needs. Deliver it. Translate flexibility into trust. And, when necessary, remind them what you delivered last time. Values + behaviour × consistency = culture. One description of the GC’s purpose that stayed with me: “Facilitate agility whilst managing risk.” That tension is the job. And perhaps the most provocative idea of the day: Consider writing your own job description. Because if you don’t define the role, someone else will. Thank you Charlotte Hudson, Peter Daniels and the rest of the Workgroup Legal team for curating such a fantastic event, and the panelists and attendees for giving me lots to think about!

Which one matters most for long-term success? A. Consistency B. Luck C. Network D. Skills If you asked 100 successful people this question, you’d hear different answers. But the real answer isn’t about choosing just one. It’s about understanding how they all play a role—and which one you should master first. Let’s break it down. 🔍 🍀 Luck: The Wild Card Yes, luck plays a role. Right place. Right time. Right opportunity. But here’s the catch: You don’t control luck. What you do control is how often you show up—so when luck does knock, you’re ready. 👉 Luck favours the consistent. 💼 Network: The Fast Lane Ever heard the quote: “Your network is your net worth”? It’s true. One connection can change your entire career. But… a network without value = vanity. You don’t just need contacts, you need credibility. And that only comes from… 👉 Consistency and skill. 🧠 Skills: Your Toolkit Skills pay bills. Period. No matter your field, the person with sharper, stronger, more relevant skills always has the edge. But there’s a catch here too— Skills are useless without application. You need to keep improving and using them over time. That brings us back to the foundation… 🔁 Consistency: The Game Changer It’s not the most glamorous. It won’t give you overnight fame. But it will give you something no other trait can—compounding power. 📌 You don’t need to be the best every day. 📌 You just need to show up. 📌 Every. Single. Day. Skills get sharpened with consistency Networks grow through consistent value Even luck shows up more often for those who keep showing up 💡 So, what’s the answer? If you had to choose one trait that unlocks all the others: ✅ Consistency wins. Every time. Because over time… Consistency turns average skills into expertise Consistency builds trust and credibility Consistency increases your surface area for luck You don’t need to sprint. You just need to keep walking long enough to outlast the noise. Because in the long run, it's not about how fast you go… It’s about how long you can stay in the game.

Monday Mindset! Is the fear of asking for help preventing you from seeking mentorship? It can be intimidating to ask someone for guidance and support as you pursue your career goals. Fear of rejection, imposter syndrome, or hesitation about being a “burden” can stop us from reaching out to others for guidance. Unfortunately, these concerns hold many of us back from one of the best sources of professional growth and development. In my opinion, a core issue is that many of us put too much stock in an official mentor-mentee relationship. I’ve spoken with countless professionals who tell me they don’t have access to mentorship because their company doesn’t have a formal mentoring program. Or they are looking for advice on how to ask a very busy senior leader to be their mentor. While there are certainly benefits to formal mentorship, you need not have an official program or access to senior leadership to obtain effective mentorship. In fact, I think these expectations can work to the detriment of professional development. Like any relationship, when we look to one person to meet all of our needs, we will bump up against diminishing returns. Instead, when we seek help and guidance on a specific topic from an expert in that skill, we minimize the weight of the request, gain access to a much broader pool of potential mentors, and maximize the impact of the development by finding those who excel in exactly what we are looking to develop. In this way, you might have multiple mentors across several different capabilities simultaneously. And, depending on your goal, these relationships need not be long lasting. You could seek guidance from a peer who excels in executive story telling on a presentation you are building. At the same time, you might solicit help from a tenured leader on building your internal network. We all love to be recognized for what we are good at, so highlighting another’s superpower can also help them understand their strengths. This week, how can you challenge your definition of mentorship by observing what others around you do well and asking them for insight? #lifecoach #leadershipcoach #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #womeninbusiness #womenempoweringwomen #mondaymindset

Referrals are the gold standard of business growth, but asking for them directly can sometimes feel awkward. The good news? If you nurture your LinkedIn network the right way, referrals will come naturally – without you having to ask. Here’s how to make it happen: 1️⃣ Be top of mind through consistent content People refer professionals they remember. If you only show up on LinkedIn when you need something, you’re missing opportunities. Post valuable insights, client success stories, and behind-the-scenes looks at your work to stay visible and credible. 💡 Example: Share a post about how you helped a client overcome a challenge. This subtly signals what you do – so when someone in your network knows someone who needs your help, they think of you. 2️⃣ Engage with your network authentically Your best referrals won’t just come from clients – they’ll come from peers, former colleagues, and industry connections. But for that to happen, you need to engage, comment, and support their content too. 📌 Try this: Spend 10 minutes daily interacting with posts from people in your industry. Meaningful engagement strengthens relationships, making people more likely to think of you when a referral opportunity comes up. 3️⃣ Showcase your expertise in your profile Your LinkedIn profile should do the heavy lifting for you. A clear, optimized headline and “About” section should communicate who you help and how. ✅ Example: Instead of: “Founder at XYZ Consulting”, try: "I help small business owners streamline operations and increase revenue with customized growth strategies.” A well-crafted profile makes it easy for people to refer you because they instantly understand what you do. 4️⃣ Make giving referrals a habit Want to receive more referrals? Start giving them. When you introduce people in your network, they’ll naturally think of you when the time comes. 💡 Pro tip: If you see two people in your network who could benefit from knowing each other, introduce them in a quick message. Your generosity will often come back to you in unexpected ways. 5️⃣ Subtly signal that you’re open to referrals You don’t have to ask for referrals outright, but you can plant the idea. Mention client success stories in posts, thank people for referrals publicly, or share a case study that shows the kind of work you do. 📌 Example Post: "I’m incredibly grateful for a recent referral from my network that led to a fantastic collaboration. It’s amazing how connections on LinkedIn turn into real opportunities!" This reminds your audience that referrals happen – and that you welcome them. Your next big opportunity might already be in your network. By staying visible, engaging genuinely, and positioning yourself as the go-to expert, referrals will start coming your way – without you having to ask. #SocialSelling #LinkedInNetworking #Referrals #PersonalBranding

Last year a friend of mine asked me, “Can you make a LinkedIn post asking students to stop cold-emailing me for a quick phone call to chat about my career?” Well I’m not going to do exactly that. Because I don’t want to discourage any law student out there from taking initiative and contacting people who they think could have meaningful advice on their career. But I do want to encourage law students (and newer lawyers) to be more strategic when reaching out. Here are my recommendations on how to be more successful in reaching people most likely to help: 1 / Reach out to people 1 or 2 steps ahead of you rather than the person with the most power and success. If you’re a law student curious about M&A, don’t reach out to the M&A practice group heads at the top 10 firms in the country. Instead, find first or second year associates in M&A practices. It’s not just that they are more likely to respond to you. They also have more relevant information for you. They remember what it was like to be you. Partners (and most senior associates and in house counsel) really don’t. 2/ Give a specific reason for reaching out to them, and have 1-2 specific questions. “I am interested in IP, but I don’t have a tech background. I see you have a history degree like me. I’d like to talk to you about how you made that happen, and whether you face any challenges as a non-tech person in IP” works a lot better than “I would like to practice in IP. I see you do too. Can I pick your brain about what that’s like and how I can do it too?” 3 / Focus on people who are generally more likely to take the time to respond. Think people who: 🔹Have signed up to be mentors in an organization like The Legal Mentor Network 🔹Post regularly on LinkedIn (ideally after you've engaged with their posts) 🔹Have something in common with - same law school/undergrad, previously worked at the same company, etc. 4 / Don’t take this as discouraging you from contacting me. If I think I’ll be able to help and have the time to do so, I will. If I don’t, then I won’t. But either way, it never bothers me when anyone asks. Any other tips that any of you would add? #development #mentoring