Networking Suggestions: Joining Your Local Bar

And by "Bar" I don't mean the place you go to knock back a few pints (duhhhhh).

(A small disclaimer: I work at a local Bar Association. But that doesn't mean that the following advice isn't great advice.) 

Local Bar Associations are AMAZING networking opportunities for law students (or soon-to-be law students). There are events every month for local attorneys and judges to attend, and if you're there too you'll be meeting the people who (someday soon) could be giving you a job -- or at least an interview. While meeting them in a social setting like this doesn't guarantee you a job, it does give you a leg up on the competition...unless you make a drunken fool of yourself at a Bar event.

So don't do that (you would be surprised at how regularly this actually happens).

A lot of local Bar Associations even waive their membership fees for current law students, but even if you have to pay a fee to join, I would argue that it's well worth it. At these social events, whether they're dinners, luncheons, meetings or cocktail hours, you're getting invaluable face-time with major players in the local legal field.

In my experience, a majority of the lawyers and judges who come to local bar events are ECSTATIC when they come across someone considering going to law school. They give great advice, and often make suggestions as to where you might find work after 1L. I, personally, have been guaranteed three 1L SA interviews in my hometown, should I choose to return during the summer. All before having set foot in a classroom. How many people can say that?

Aside from the networking events for the general membership, each Bar Association has "sections" devoted to specific practice areas. It would behoove any person considering law school, or in law school, to attend the section meetings that interest them. Often times food is provided, and you get to hear amazing speakers in areas of interest to you specifically. Most Bar Associations have a Young Lawyers Section, as well, which gives you the opportunity to chat with people who were recently in your shoes, and get some great tips and tricks from them.

Lastly, a TON of Bar Associations offer scholarships and stipends to law students that have ties to the local area. You don't have to be a member to apply for any of them, of course, but it couldn't hurt, and oftentimes helps! If you're a member of your local Bar then you'll be getting emails/newsletters about the different opportunities, which will make your search for the money that much easier. And may I say, my firsthand experience shows that most of the scholarships offered by the local Bar Association have very few applicants...you've got a good chance of winning it just by applying. Honest.

All in all, I can't say enough about the wonderful opportunities that working for (and being a member of) a local Bar Association has afforded me. I'm more aware of the opportunities that exist for local scholarships and writing competitions, and I'm much more savvy (and comfortable!) in my interactions with attorneys on both a social and professional level now. I'll definitely be joining the Dallas Bar Association the minute I get to Texas, and would encourage people considering law school to do the same in their respective cities/counties.