Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28H OW TO NETWORK W HEN YOU DON’T KNOW ANYONE No one likes that guy who casually name-drops that his father/ mother/ great aunt Agnes is/was a barrister/ lawyer/ High Court judge/ leader of the free world. No doubt that we’d all like to be that guy too. But no matter how hard it appears, it’s still possible to network even if your parents have nothing to do with law and are instead artistic and not so secretly disappointed that you didn’t follow their career into pottery. (In my case, a former architect who was disappointed to learn that I can’t draw). What’s needed is resourcefulness, a knack for small talk about things other than the weather, and shedding any kind of embarrassment about talking with strangers. WHAT THE HELL IS NETWOR K ING ? Networking, simply, is building relationships. It’s not asking people for jobs (although that may be an added perk later on) but gaining an insight into what a career may or may not entail. It’s more along the lines of establishing meaningful relationships before you jump headfirst into your first job. You’re probably already doing it without realising it. Have you spoken to a person from another law school? Told a friend you wanted to get into commercial law? Networking is valuable because majority of jobs may not be advertised at all, and a referral through a contact can help to get your awesome cover letter and CV to the top of the pile. W ILL PEOPL E TAL K TO ME ? Most of the people you’re contacting will probably have had a similar experience and usually are happy to chat. Not only that, but you are validating their expertise and life experience by picking their brains. ASK EV ERYO NE (AND I M E AN E VE RYO NE ) ‘But I don’t know any lawyers/barristers/policy makers/lawstudents-turned-baking-entrepreneurs!’, you say. At first glance, this may seem like the case. Your parents might not have finished high school, don’t BY ANGELIQUE 22