Building your personal and professional network takes work - it's a job!

This week on the Law School Insider podcast we had the pleasure of having on Leona Lewis who is of counsel with Loop Legal and runs a site called Comply Ethic which focuses on compliance issues for small businesses. 

Leona Lewis started working for firms early on in her legal career but after a number of years in litigation she found that she really did not like what she was doing for a job and she did not like feeling like a hired gun either. She then decided to work as corporate counsel for Best Buy. She was there as they were branding their own line of products which brought her into the world of compliance. 

After being in the corporate world she decided to take her knowledge of compliance to the next level. Leona Lewis stated that compliance is a lot of fun. She also mentioned that it truly inspires her to see all of the flexibility and new ways in which people are using law degrees to provide legal services these days.

This is a change from when she attended law school. In the past many law schools prepare students to primarily be litigators, but as Leona Lewis stated, you need to think broader than this. Most clients need lawyers that can provide guidance and legal work, not necessarily litigators. Also, most businesses are not large enough to retain the services of large law firms.

Finding the right law area for you may seem daunting, but it is possible. As Leona Lewis mentions, in law school and in your career look for people that you admire and examine what they do. Also, examine how they got to where they are and choose to work for people that you respect.

In many cases you will learn your career path through the different jobs that you have, but there are exeptions including:

• Patent Law - People with technical degrees may choose to study and do this.
• Environmental Law - Occasionally, it may help to study environmental issues and biology to wokr in this field.

However, no matter what field you choose you have to learn to network in the legal community early on in law school as this will help you build relationships with others that will open up more opportunities in the future.

How do you do this? Leona Lewis stated that there are a few things you can do to build your network including:

1. Try and join the local bar association, attending functions and volunteering to seve on committees too. Even choose to take on a leadership role as this will force people to get to know you in a new way!
2. Volunteer in your local community and take on a leadership role where you have to organize or lead others as this too will allow you to meet oithers in specific ways.

Building your personal and professional network takes work. In many cases this can be a large part of the job that you have, especially if you are moving to a new community.

Leona Lewis has a podcast called Masters of Disaster and she created this as a way to be able to build relationships with others in her own field.

As you transition into your career make sure to use technology to make your life easier and to make the lives of your clients easier - always be client focused.

In many cases the legal profession is behind many other professions as it comes to its' use of technology. Thus, take every opportunity that you can to learn things, not just in your expertise area but in how work can and must be done.

Have questions for Leona or simply want to network with her contact her today:

Email - leonalewis@complyethic.com
Phone - 612-695-8890

Did you like this interview? Do you have a question for Leona Lewis? Leave a comment below to let me know!

Are you a practicing lawyer? A law student? Would you like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the Law School Insider? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu