Marketing and business development are key skills as a solicitor, so it is important to get involved early in your career. At Michelmores, trainees have lots of opportunities to write articles and attend events. We are also encouraged to begin developing our personal brand both face to face and online.
Writing articles in your own name as a trainee is a great way to practice and build on your marketing and business development skills early on in your career. Many teams have sector specific publications, so offer to write a brief piece on a relevant topic.
For more technical pieces, ask a more experienced lawyer if you can assist by co-authoring an article, perhaps by researching the topic and writing a first draft to review together. This can be a valuable learning experience and can strengthen your working relationships internally whilst refining your writing skills.
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn are increasingly important for marketing and business development, so an informative profile and regular interaction with the news your network is sharing is essential, particularly in the post-pandemic digital world.
As well as interacting with posts from your connections, social media is the perfect platform to increase the firm’s external reach by sharing your own articles and those written by your colleagues.
As restrictions ease, in-person events are likely to start happening again. [If you feel comfortable doing so,]and where possible, be sure to volunteer to attend these events. It is an excellent way to expand your knowledge, meet new contacts and raise your profile.
If you have a particular area of law you are interested in, ask to attend seminars, shows and events in that sector to show your enthusiasm for the sector and stay up to date.
Your personal brand reflects the firm as a whole and by growing a solid contact base, new opportunities can flourish.