Most lawyers invest years into their education and craft — yet overlook the one asset that quietly determines their trajectory: their network.
I wrote this piece for Vault.com because I kept seeing the same pattern: smart, hardworking attorneys stalling out not because they lacked ability, but because they hadn't built the relationships that create opportunity. Social capital isn't a soft skill or a nice-to-have. It's the multiplier on everything else you've worked for — and nobody teaches you how to build it in law school.
From the article:
"Your success as a lawyer does not depend solely on your abilities — your human capital. Most lawyers are pretty smart and hard working. So, it's not knowledge and ability that set lawyers on different paths. Career success depends on the opportunities you get, take, and create in order to channel those abilities — your social capital."
"Like any investment, building a legal network takes an up-front outlay for a future benefit. The earlier you invest and the more you contribute, the more opportunity you create for growth. Like many other investments, this one compounds in value over time — if you tend to your investment."
"Early in your career, it is often hard to see the value of your network, but the earlier you begin building it, the more likely it is ready when you need it. Otherwise, you're stuck asking for favors from strangers, and that won't get you very far."
In the full article, I walk through the exact framework I recommend: find your community, make your first connection, build triangles of relationships, contribute value, and stay consistent. It works whether you're a 1L or a fifth-year associate who's been too heads-down to think about this. The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now.