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 28speak much English and/or have no idea what a moot is. Or your circle of friends might appear to be as clueless as you are. But there are simple ways around this. Your network can include family, friends, former work colleagues, that person you met a party last week, that guy who did little athletics with you when you were five, and so on. What about the people your parents went to school with? Maybe your brother has a friend working in wills and estates, or your family recently sought conveyancing advice? Or your friend’s-flatmate’s- boyfriend’s-best-friend just got an entry-level job in a small firm? Your brain, by this stage, should be screaming ‘let me talk to them!’ No matter how tenuous the connection is, anyone can provide valuable advice. ‘But’, I hear you say, ‘I have no interest in wills and estates, conveyancing or small firms’. By speaking to people outside your areas of interest provides valuable insight. They also went through the same things as you. They probably had to decide whether or not to grab a coffee or study for another hour during uni, what placement to do, what area of law they wanted to pursue, hating or loving constitutional law and so on. The small circle of people you originally started with has now expanded. These people went to law school (x at least 200 students in their cohort) had professors (who also did law and know their university cohort and have even more contacts through professional experience) leading to even more people working in the law. You get the point. EXPLOIT CO NNE CTIO NS If you feel nervous, or uncomfortable about contacting complete strangers, you shouldn’t. Are they a fan of the same A-League team as you? Do they know your second uncle Frank? Using these connections and things in common might make it easier to contact a complete stranger. UNIV ER S I TY If you’ve analysed your networks and still come up short, University is another network you can rely on. It might be easier to have your careers advisor contact that barrister you wanted to talk to, rather than an email from yet another law student. Your university would also have an alumni network to pick from, as well as the potential added bonus of being covered for insurance should you do some work experience. Have a look into networking events, mentoring programs and work experience opportunities organised through your uni. A LWAY S THANK PE O PL E The best advice I’ve ever heard about networking (and my life generally) is actually the most simple. Thank everyone. Genuinely. Even if your conversation didn’t leave you more knowledgeable than before, or it didn’t lead onto another connection, or it was just a brief replied email, they have taken time out of their day to give you advice. Thanking people also has the added bonus of cementing your relationship and having a greater likelihood of people keeping you in mind should new opportunities come to light. 23