Why Networking is Essential to Your Success as an Attorney
 
A. Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes

By networked, I mean these attorneys have developed a very large circle of people with whom they can (1) access information they would not otherwise have and (2) make themselves known to a pool of people to whom they otherwise would not be known. Having access to information about jobs, developments within your firm, happenings in the legal market, clients with business they can give you and your firm, and more is essential to your success as an attorney. Moreover, being known to sources of information relevant to your career is even more important. What others outside your immediate circle of influence know is arguably just as important as what people inside your immediate circle of influence know.

This article examines the importance of networking to your legal career. First, this article discusses the value of networking in finding a job inside a law firm; second, it discusses the importance of networking to keeping a job inside a law firm; and, third, it discusses why the failure to network can be fatal to your career.

As this article will demonstrate, few things are as important to your legal career as the ability to effectively network.