YOU CAN’T DO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FROM YOUR FRONT-ROOM...

How has the networking landscape transformed Post-Covid asks Ruth Kupshik from Robert Walters.

A conversation with Tony McDaid, the President of the Birmingham Law Society and CEO and Director of Clerking at No5 Barristers’ Chambers, has provided insight into the ways in which a return to the office is welcomed and encouraged at both a junior and senior level.

If Tony had told me this time two years ago, that last week, he had 200 clients visit his Chambers to watch the World Cup, you would have West Midlands Police knocking on the door with no business cards and a £10,000 fine. Robert Walters and the Birmingham Law Society share a mutual understanding that face-to-face networking post-Covid has been a breath of fresh air ever-since restrictions have been lifted in the United Kingdom. It is important that people feel both comfortable and confident when navigating the in-person networking sphere, and Tony kindly provided his take on how to build effective business relationships in this once chartered, and now unchartered, territory.

UNTAPPED AND UNEXPECTED PERSPECTIVES

It is a truism that participation numbers at in-person networking events are lower post-Covid, especially at a senior level, due to flexible working arrangements such as ‘Working From Home’ (WFH). Tony understood that now you have ‘to give people a good reason to go [to the event]’. He says ‘whether it is educational or social, you need to draw people back into the office, or the city centre, and not bring them something dull, or something that they can’t see the benefit of.’ It is easy to understand that you are far less likely to be incentivised to attend an inperson event if you have just popped the kettle on in the warmth of your own home.

To this end, why now, is it more important than ever, to finish that cup of tea and return to Birmingham to speak to other legal professionals? From our specialist recruitment perspective, in-person networking events are mutually beneficial for both senior and junior legal professionals; it provides access to perspectives that both groups would not usually come across on a daily basis. Junior legal professionals are able to provide senior legal professionals with a snap-shot of what the current market looks like to them, and are able to gauge an understanding of junior aspirations and ‘get a feel for what drives them at that stage’ (McDaid). In turn, juniors are gifted the opportunity to speak freely about their progression in a highly competitive market, and receive personable guidance in an open, unforced and unstructured conversation.

Tony mentioned that just recently, BLS hosted the highly successful ‘Alternative Dinner’, where a number of senior legal officials attended in order to give juniors a chance to speak to them about their expertise and experience. From a specialist recruitment perspective, this is highly critical in today’s market. Increasingly, junior professionals are now more than ever prioritising a strong and immersive company culture where they are provided 1:1 training with the seniors that they aspire to be like. Informal conversation that answers questions on a company’s culture are mutually beneficial; a junior professional can decide whether or not they can see a future in a particular firm, and in openly answering their questions, a senior professional allows the company to appear more personable and approachable to a potential employee. On top of this, it is

also important to note that young legal professionals (especially in the city) may not have the perfect setting conditions at home to produce high quality work peacefully without distraction, so it is ever important to confirm that they are in an office environment where they are supported by their seniors to fulfil their potential. Tony agreed, saying that ‘a lot of seniors understand the importance of guided interactions with junior professionals, so they are starting to come in to ensure [juniors] are the best they can be… it is a mind-set’.

CURATE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

Shifting towards the benefits of networking at a senior level, Tony’s rich experience guided the conversation to an important aspect about networking in-person; the power of building your personal brand. At Robert Walters, we stress the importance of building your personal brand through not only connecting with like-minded individuals, but also representing the high-quality service you provide, and how it can help others maximise the efficiency of their recruitment processes. An example on our end was the joint event we shared with BLS; a ‘speed-quizzing’ Halloween event held for Birmingham’s Legal 500 and Top UK-100 firms, where we invited conversation about the recruitment market, whilst also catching up with some of our professional clients to maintain our long-term relationships with them. Despite the terrible weather, the event was a success; and points to my title for this piece which is Tony’s fantastic quotation ‘You can’t do business development from your frontroom’. We agreed that networking in-person allows potential connections to objectively see your active interest in them. Open conversation in a casual setting allows professionals to recognise opportunity, and act on it, in a naturally spontaneous manner.

Stepping back into a world where face-to-face interaction is encouraged, rather than criticised, can be nerve-wracking. However, both Tony and I concluded that there is a ‘genuine thirst at the moment to meet in-person’ (McDaid). There is excitement across the board to reestablish those intricate interpersonal day-to-day interactions. Whether you are in the office or at the football, these interactions provide the cement for sustained long-term business relationships. You can’t do business development from your front-room.

For more information about legal networking events in the Birmingham market please reach out to Ruth at Robert Walters – ruth.kupshik@ robertwalters.com or 07385 468 835.