Writing = Networking
January 27, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
On Monday, I met a lovely young woman at the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting.
On Tuesday, we met again at the cocktail party for the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law section. We talked about different ways that a lawyer can distinguish himself or herself. Naturally, I suggested the writing option. Every section of NYSBA has a journal. Every journal needs content. So do trade magazines, law reviews, and bar association journals.
At career development seminars, panelists frequently talk about writing as a viable option to brand yourself as an expert on a given topic. They suggest the avenues I just mentioned. Because we live in a digital age, they also mention blogging and tweeting.
But they don’t tell you how you can benefit beyond the branding. I will.
In a word -- networking.
Let’s take our fictional friend, Larry Lawyer. Larry is in his late twenties, so he’s not experienced enough to speak on bar association panels. He just joined the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law Section because he wants to specialize in representing musicians, but he doesn’t really know anyone in the field. The next deadline for submission to the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law Section Journal is three weeks away -- not enough time to write an in-depth analytical piece in a law review style. Because the journal only comes out three times a year, Larry will not have another opportunity for several months. What should Larry do?
Larry’s solution lies in its problem -- write a practical piece with quotes from industry leaders rather than an analytical piece. For example, The Top 5 Things Every Music Lawyer Needs To Know.
Then, Larry can target industry leaders from music companies and law firms to interview for the article. What do they think are the top five things every music lawyer needs to know? You can get into a person’s office a lot easier by writing an article concerning his or her area of expertise than you can by sending resumes or requests for informational interviews.
The process is not only beneficial for Larry. The most successful attorneys I know speak on just about any panel and sit for any interview to which they’re invited. Their appearances reinforce the public’s perception of their leadership, expertise, and experience in a given area. Hopefully, the perception leads to more clients.
If Larry interviews five industry leaders, he expands his network to include five people of influence, knowledge, and stature. And those five people know five other people who know five other people...and so on and so on and so on.
And it’s all because of an article that is oriented in practicality, utility, and value. Once Larry finishes his interviews, he simply needs to connect the dots -- find the common threads and not so common threads in the industry leaders’ comments.
Postscript: When the article is published, Larry can present a copy in person -- another opportunity to reinforce the network.
david@davidkrell.com
On Monday, I met a lovely young woman at the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting.
On Tuesday, we met again at the cocktail party for the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law section. We talked about different ways that a lawyer can distinguish himself or herself. Naturally, I suggested the writing option. Every section of NYSBA has a journal. Every journal needs content. So do trade magazines, law reviews, and bar association journals.
At career development seminars, panelists frequently talk about writing as a viable option to brand yourself as an expert on a given topic. They suggest the avenues I just mentioned. Because we live in a digital age, they also mention blogging and tweeting.
But they don’t tell you how you can benefit beyond the branding. I will.
In a word -- networking.
Let’s take our fictional friend, Larry Lawyer. Larry is in his late twenties, so he’s not experienced enough to speak on bar association panels. He just joined the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law Section because he wants to specialize in representing musicians, but he doesn’t really know anyone in the field. The next deadline for submission to the NYSBA’s Intellectual Property Law Section Journal is three weeks away -- not enough time to write an in-depth analytical piece in a law review style. Because the journal only comes out three times a year, Larry will not have another opportunity for several months. What should Larry do?
Larry’s solution lies in its problem -- write a practical piece with quotes from industry leaders rather than an analytical piece. For example, The Top 5 Things Every Music Lawyer Needs To Know.
Then, Larry can target industry leaders from music companies and law firms to interview for the article. What do they think are the top five things every music lawyer needs to know? You can get into a person’s office a lot easier by writing an article concerning his or her area of expertise than you can by sending resumes or requests for informational interviews.
The process is not only beneficial for Larry. The most successful attorneys I know speak on just about any panel and sit for any interview to which they’re invited. Their appearances reinforce the public’s perception of their leadership, expertise, and experience in a given area. Hopefully, the perception leads to more clients.
If Larry interviews five industry leaders, he expands his network to include five people of influence, knowledge, and stature. And those five people know five other people who know five other people...and so on and so on and so on.
And it’s all because of an article that is oriented in practicality, utility, and value. Once Larry finishes his interviews, he simply needs to connect the dots -- find the common threads and not so common threads in the industry leaders’ comments.
Postscript: When the article is published, Larry can present a copy in person -- another opportunity to reinforce the network.