Lawyers How To Network Like A Pro At Your Next Event

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Lawyers: How to Network Like a Pro at Your Next Event Have I ever told you I hated going to events and conferences? I only went if I was speaking, and I always tried to arrange my presentation so it was before the cocktail party. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn’t. I remember when I was asked to speak at a Maryland Bar Association Annual Meeting held during the summer on the Eastern Shore. I arrived on Friday night, just in time for the cocktail party. I didn’t know any of the lawyers, so I stood with my diet coke in one hand and a vegetable plate in the other. After I finished my diet coke, I left and went to my room. You might ask: “Why didn’t you strike up a conversation with anyone?” I  never liked just striking up conversations with people I didn’t know.  In this case, the lawyers were catching up with their friends from other parts of the state.  What  could I add to their conversation? Not much. My presentation the next morning was at 8:00 AM. When I started my presentation only five people were in the audience. They told me the lawyers stay out late after the cocktail party. When I finished, there were at least 10 lawyers in the audience. In 2019, you will likely attend one or more conferences. Like me, speaking at the Maryland Bar Association Annual Meeting, you may not know anyone at the conference. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? Eric Pruitt is a Birmingham, Alabama lawyer I coached 11 years ago. When I first met Eric he told me he would be attending an industry conference and asked if I had any ideas for him. I gave him some and told him to read chapters from Keith Ferrazzi’s book: Never Eat Alone. Eric did and it changed how he approached industry conferences. Here are some of Eric’s thoughts that he shared with me when I was coaching him. Keith Farrazzi has 15 Tips for Being a Conference Commando. Some of it sounds over the top, or “dorky”, however, I decided to look at his tips with an open mind and see how I could apply his concepts as a lawyer. I found some great ideas. Here are a few of the things I’ve started doing: These are just some quick comments. The book is packed with great insight. What can you learn from Eric’s ideas and actually use at the next event you attend? I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.