Business development begins at home

Yes, now you can turn all your disgraceful uni mates into CA$H! That’s right, like so many before them, those shambling idiots who bumble around in their late teens and early 20s have a habit of emerging, butterfly-like, as thoroughly respectable go-getters, whizzing up the corporate ladder. In other words when you achieve your aim of becoming a lawyer, you’ll probably have lots of friends, and friends of friends, dotted around companies in other business sectors. The type of business sectors lawyers do business with… you can see where this is going, can’t you?

Last week we spent an enjoyable evening at the ‘Contact Nabarro Beat the February Blues’ reception, where we saw such networks start to pay off. Organised by trainees at the firm, the event is an annual opportunity for them to face up to their business development responsibilities by getting their mates along for a pleasant booze-up. As the firm’s recruitment partner, Justin Cornelius, observed in his entertainingly blunt introduction, some of those present were future captains of industry and thus just the type of folk lawyers want to spend time with.

Nabarro reckons they are ahead of the game on this sort of thing, claiming no other firm runs an equivalent project by and for the trainees. And they think it works. Apple were originally snared as a client as a direct result of this event back in the day when somebody knew somebody working on a cool little start-up.

Why are we telling you this? Well, hopefully you’ve worked out that being a lawyer involves more than just doing law. Just as, if not more, important is bringing in business so there is some actual law to do. And you will be expected to pull your weight. So face up to it, predict which of your pals are going to be movers and shakers, and STICK TO THEM LIKE LIMPITS!!