Networking is a key element of any successful legal career. Six partners talk about the importance and challenges of networking for women in the legal profession.

Know your industry

Michelle Taylor

Asia Managing Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Hong Kong

It is very important to understand the industry you are in, and know the players. Networking within your industry is very important for success. Being seen to be "part of" the industry is key to increasing your share of the work available.

Writing articles and speaking at conferences is a good place to start to establish your credentials in your industry. However, it should be used in moderation and not to the exclusion of face-time with clients and industry participants.

The simplest networking to do when you are a young lawyer just starting out is to develop a relationship with the junior clients on the team. Several of my senior clients now were the young bankers on deals I did when I first came to Hong Kong 14 years ago.

I think it is too easy to think that networking boils down to playing golf and other events that tend to be male-dominated. While there are large pockets of that, it is still possible to successfully network as a woman lawyer.

Make an effort to force yourself to talk to someone you don't know at events you go to – cocktail parties, seminars, even CPD lectures. Start small, get over your nerves and then keep at it.

Play to your strengths and be yourself

Elle Todd

Partner, Olswang, Singapore

Sadly, there are many obstacles to effective networking among women in the profession. Some are talked about all the time, but others are more subtle. The obvious ones are networking activities skewed towards men, such as visits to breweries and golfing events, or events held in the evening, which can be a challenge if you have children.

What may be less obvious is that women tend to have a smaller pot of contacts they can draw upon in the first place. One of the first groups lawyers network with tends to be friends from college, university or law school. People also tend to have their closest friends be of the same gender as them. With women, those groups of contacts become smaller and smaller because many women drop out of the workforce to have children. For example, of all my friends from college, only one is still in the workforce.

I try and network in different ways. In terms of meeting people, it will be lunch or coffee rather than evening activities. I focus on my strengths, which include listening, responding and staying in touch. I remember little things about people, such as the fact that they’re going on holiday, and think of ways of helping them out.

It’s also important to start building and maintaining your network early. When I started out, I thought I would only be judged on merit and how hard I worked. Later, I realised how valuable having this network of people is, and I wish I worked on that earlier.

Barriers gradually disappearing

Kumkum Sen

Partner, Bharucha & Partners, India

When I started out, there were fewer opportunities, and more social barriers. At that time, networking was difficult because many clients had concerns about working with a woman, such as whether a woman would be able to work late into the night, travel, and so on.

Whenever we went to meet a prospective client, we always went in a team consisting of at least one male member. You needed the token male presence initially, as on the client side, there was no visible female representation.

Now, there are several women in high positions in the senior legal ranks in most large corporations. Networking is always a challenge, but it’s not so much of a gender issue as it’s one of competition. There’s only so much legal work in any one organisation, and there are many firms pitching for that work. So networking in Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore as a female lawyer is not a problem. Most doors would open easily.

In smaller cities, there could be issues as clients’ culture and background is different and they may not be comfortable with empowered women lawyers. There are few law firms, and women lawyers may face networking barriers. But Justice Leila Seth, the first woman judge to head a high court, started practice in one such small town more than 50 years ago.

Standing out in a male-dominated profession

Reiko Sakimura,

Partner, Clifford Chance, Japan

Obstacles women in Japan face when it comes to networking effectively are probably not that different from those in other jurisdictions, e.g. getting close to male clients through client entertainment may be easier in an all-male context, especially in some industries and practices where the clients are still male-oriented.

As an associate, occasionally a female lawyer may, for no particular reason, be assumed by a client to be more junior, perhaps sometimes taken more lightly, than a male lawyer working in the same team.

However, there can also be advantages to being a woman professional in a still predominantly male business culture. For a start, you are more likely to stand out, be remembered, make an impression; so long as that impression is good – by delivering excellent service – you can leverage on that for further developing your network. Women lawyers are often also in a better position to strike up close relationships with women clients.

Prioritise the important over the urgent

Michelle Phang

Partner, Shook Lin & Bok, Singapore

Relationships built on casual meetings with people who do not necessarily require my assistance at that point in time have translated to long-lasting key client relationships.

I would advise prioritising between seemingly competing demands and learning to remember to choose what is important over what is urgent. Be wise with your time. Be discerning with what you commit to. We're not super-humans. Don't blindly follow a trend, but at the same time, ensure that whatever you've committed to, you undertake it with absolute drive and determination.

Overcome stigma by proving it wrong

Hanim Hamzah

Resident Partner, Roosdiono & Partners, Indonesia

When companies or individuals are looking for a legal service, they are looking for a firm they know they can trust. When they know the attorney on a personal level – whether as acquaintance or through referral – the trust comes more easily.

More women are becoming more prominent in the legal industry, although it is still an industry dominated by men. For networking, I have joined some women-focused groups. But generally speaking, I look objectively at the value of any group for networking based on its members, focus and reach.

I can believe that the stigma that men are more capable still exists, but that has not hampered my ability to network. For women starting out in the industry, I would say: Don’t presume you will face gender-related obstacles. And if you do, the best way to overcome any stigma is to prove it wrong. Just keep working hard, and show what you are capable of.

It is important to remain up-to-date with happenings in the industry so that people know you are well informed. However, it is just as important to be confident when presenting that knowledge. As long as you are confident, people will take you seriously, regardless of any prejudice they may have.

Follow us on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.