Channel Your Inner Networking Animal
While Awaiting Bar Results
By Elisa Kodish
Nelson Mullins Riley &
Scarborough LLP
elisa.kodish@nelson-
mullins.com
To quote Tom Petty, “the waiting is
the hardest part.” The time period
between taking the Bar Exam in
July and getting your results in
October is equal parts excruciating
and liberating. However, it can be a
wonderful time to get reacquainted
with a regular sleep schedule and
hobbies, along with your neglected
friends and loved ones. Should you
network during this time period? To
quote Mr. Petty again once more,
“yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
If you have a job lined up, network-
ing is a way to make new friends,
find meaningful volunteer opportu-
nities, and get leadership training.
If you are still mulling over your
job options, networking can help
you warm up cold leads and add
experience to your resume that will
dazzle future employers. Here are
the top ten networking tips from the
Law School Outreach Committee
14
April/May 2019
By Jessica Wood
Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein, PC
[email protected]
(psst - you can start these NOW
before the Bar, if you dare).
1. Be strategic (like a Siamese
Cat) before, during and after
networking events.
Your networking should begin by
selecting an event and having the
right attitude. Elisa Kodish (Nelson
Mullins) and Debbie Segal (Kilpat-
rick Townsend), who teach net-
working at Emory University School
of Law, advise you to plan to have
fun. “Don’t think ‘I have to leave
here with a job.’ Think, 'I’m going
to leave here with one new friend.
Or I’m going to leave here more
inspired. Or I’m going to learn more
about a new cause,'” said Segal.
Segal’s practical advice includes
coordinating your attendance with a
friend. “Make it easier on yourself.
It’s okay to have a buddy you walk
around with. That’s fine, as long as
it’s a tool and not a crutch.” Kodish
agrees that the right frame of mind
is key, saying, “Go because you
want to go. Go to foster relation-
ships. Go to see a friend or make
a friend or catch up with a friend.
And have faith that the relationships
you’re forming will lead to more
causes down the road.”
Atlanta Bar members receive
periodic updates about upcoming
events, but you can also go to the
Atlanta Bar’s calendar any time to
register for educational and fun
events.
Once you register for an Atlanta
Bar event, you can view other at-
tendees and let them know to look
for you at the event. During the
designated event, Kodish and Se-
gal agree that you must be focused
and alert (not staring at a device or
engaging in otherwise distracted