What to Know About Networking as a Law Student
Karen Sargent, assistant dean and executive director of the Office of Career Services at SMU's Dedman School of Law, talks about what law school students can do to increase their chances of finding work after graduation.
By Delece Smith-Barrow
Reporter
For Harrison Freeman, reaching out to friends, strangers and associates has been a large part of his strategy for finding summer internships as a law student – and it's worked.
"Networking literally got me my 1L internship," says Freeman, who just finished his second year at Boston University School of Law.
During his first year of school, Freeman discussed his career goals with a BU grad who was his mentor. . .
Law career experts say that networking is key when pursuing summer internships – which often lead to full-time job offers – or long-term employment.
"It's extremely important," says Karen Sargent, assistant dean and executive director of the Office of Career Services at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law. "It's maintaining relationships that are going to carry you throughout your career. And you never know when those relationships are going to come into play."
In March, the unemployment rate for 2015 law graduates at schools under the purview of the American Bar Association was 9.7 percent. Learning how to meet and approach people in your legal area of interest as a soon-to-be lawyer and ask for advice, experts say, can help with finding job leads.