Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The Importance of Networking

By Darlene Yeary, ACP

According to Webster’s Dictionary, networking is defined as “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically :  the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.”

So, what does networking mean to us as paralegals? There are so many ways that networking can play a role inside and outside the office.  For inside the office, every day you go to work, you have the opportunity to meet new people, so you are networking. In my position as a real estate paralegal, I end up speaking with title companies and Buyer’s or Seller’s counsel’s paralegal.  As you work through the transaction and especially towards the end of the transaction when the deal is going to close, you end up speaking to those individuals more and more and you begin to form a relationship with them.  After the transaction has closed, it is a great time to look them up on LinkedIn and form that connection.  You never know when you may run into the same scenario again and you will remember how helpful they were to you.