How to Network in Law School When You Hate Networking
Say the word networking to a room of law students and watch people’s shoulders go up. Name tags. Stale cheese cubes. Someone asking what you want to practice when you barely know what the Rule Against Perpetuities is.
That version of networking exists, and you can mostly skip it. The version that actually works is quieter and more personal, and it starts well before you need a job.
Start with people who are already within reach. You don’t need a room full of strangers. Begin with your professors, your upper-year classmates, your school’s alumni, and the staff at your career services office. These people already have a reason to be generous with you. An upper-year student who worked at a place you’re curious about is a better first conversation than a partner you’ve never met.
Think of it as learning, not asking. The most useful networking move for a student is the informational interview, which is just a short conversation where you ask someone about their work. You are not asking for a job. You’re asking what their week looks like, how they got where they are, what they wish they’d known earlier. People generally enjoy talking about their own path, and the conversation often leads somewhere on its own.
Keep the ask small and specific. A vague request like “can I pick your brain?” is easy to ignore. Something shorter works better. Say who you are, how you found them, and that you’d love fifteen or twenty minutes to hear about their experience in their field. Offer a couple of times, or ask what works for them. Make it easy to say yes.
Do a little homework first. Read their bio. Look at what they’ve worked on. Come with two or three real questions that you couldn’t answer with a quick search. It shows respect for their time, and it makes you memorable.
Don’t ask for a job in the first conversation. This is the quickest way to make an informational interview feel like a transaction. Ask for advice. Ask who else you should talk to. If it goes well and the relationship develops, opportunities tend to show up later, often because someone remembers you.
Follow up, every time. Send a short thank-you within a day or two. Mention something specific you took from the conversation. If they gave you advice and you acted on it, tell them a few weeks later. That small update is what turns one conversation into an actual relationship.
Use events with a plan. If you do go to a bar association event or a school mixer, give yourself a modest goal, like having two real conversations. Arrive a little early, when the room is smaller and easier to enter. Ask people questions instead of reciting your resume. Leave when you’ve hit your goal. You don’t owe anyone three hours of small talk.
Join your local bar association. Many bar associations offer free or low-cost student memberships, along with committees, section events, and mentoring programs. Showing up consistently in a smaller setting often beats attending one big event once.
Keep a simple tracking sheet. This sounds like overkill until you’re a 2L trying to remember who you talked to last spring. A basic spreadsheet with a name, where they work, the date you talked, and one thing you learned is plenty. Add a reminder to check in every few months with something useful, like an article you thought they’d like or a note about what you’ve been up to.
Be generous too. You have more to offer than you think. You might share a useful resource, make an introduction between two people, or help a 1L the way someone helped you. Networking works best when it goes both ways, even this early.
Pace yourself. You don’t need fifty contacts. Five or six real relationships will do more for you than a stack of business cards. Start small and let it build.
If you’d like a plan that fits your schedule and your personality, the Networking Strategy Session is a one-on-one working session built around that, and the All Access Membership covers ongoing support through the year. We also keep a running library of free law school tips and resources on the blog.
Moore Consulting Services works with current law students nationwide on networking, career strategy, and academic support. Our law school support page has the full list of ways we can help.