Article summary: Moving to consultancy means moving away from the built-in social structure of office life. However, it doesn’t mean you need to feel isolated. Building both a professional network and a personal support system in your first year matters just as much as building your client base, so you can thrive both professionally and personally.
Most of the questions about consultancy focus on money and client work. These are important considerations. But ask many consultants a year or two in what actually surprised them most, and a good number will talk about building their network – and just how much it matters.
This article looks at how to build both a strong professional network that helps your work and reputation grow and a personal network that keeps consultancy enjoyable every day.
Considering consultancy? Read the rest of the articles in this series:
- Your First Year as a Consultant Solicitor
- Finances as a Consultant Solicitor
- Marketing Yourself as a Consultant Solicitor
- Building Your Client Base as a Consultant Solicitor
- Junior Lawyers: Preparing for Consultancy
Your professional network
As a consultant, a lot of what used to happen automatically (bumping into a colleague who specialises in something adjacent to your case, hearing about a development in another practice area over coffee, getting a second opinion on a tricky point) no longer just happens by accident. If you want to prioritise this kind of interaction, there are steps you can take to build it deliberately.
As an example, your professional network in your first year as a consultant could include:
- Other consultants, who understand exactly what your first year is like because they’ve been through it themselves. They’re often generous with advice as a result!
- Peers (both consultants and traditional lawyers) in adjacent specialisms. You can turn to them for a second opinion or refer work to and from them, as you might in an office setting.
- Wider professional communities, such as law society events, specialist groups or informal meetups relevant to your area of practice.
- Former colleagues and contacts, who can remain a valuable source of professional insight and referrals.
Remember, you don’t need a fully formed network from day one. It’s built over time. However, most consultants find they have an established network to build upon as they get started. Staying open to connections, wherever they may come from, is helpful. So is deliberate effort, including reaching out to connections, attending events, and staying in touch with those you already know.
Plus, consultancy works both ways. Don’t feel awkward about reaching out. The same people who provide a sounding board are often glad to receive the same back.
Personal support
There’s also the question of day-to-day personal support, which is just as important as your professional network to help keep you motivated and happy inside and outside of work.
A few things can help you build this up:
- Staying connected to former colleagues and friends, not just as professional contacts but as people you talk to about things other than work. You already have common ground, which can really help deepen those connections.
- Try to find at least one or two people going through the same transition into consultancy, so you can go through the same thing together and lean on someone else who truly understands. Your chosen firm should be able to put you in touch with others onboarding at the same time.
- Build some structure into your week so working independently doesn’t tip into working in isolation. This might be as simple as a regular call with a friend or colleague, a coffee outside of the house, working from a co-working space or attending a weekly exercise class to give you something other than work to get stuck into.
Building a personal network might get talked about less than finances or business development, but it’s just as important. Everyone needs support, and feeling a little isolated as you get used to a new way of working is normal. Just know that there is plenty of support out there for you; it might just take some deliberate steps and structure to find.
The good news is that a professional network and personal support tend to reinforce each other. The other consultants you meet through professional circles often become part of your personal support too, and vice versa. So, don’t worry about building two separate circles, just stay open to making connections wherever you can.
A few habits that help with both at once
- Saying yes to invitations and introductions in your first year, even if it’s not something you’d usually consider.
- Being the one to reach out first, rather than waiting for others to make the effort.
- Giving it time. A genuine network, whether professional or personal, is built over months of small interactions.
- Checking in with yourself regularly on how connected you’re feeling, and treating a feeling of isolation as a prompt to act on instead of something to wait out.
Your firm matters
While most of your network and support will come from your own efforts, the firm you’re consulting through makes a real difference too. Feeling connected is essential, so this is something to bear in mind when you’re choosing where to base your consultancy.
At Setfords, we work hard to help our consultants build their network:
- Our dedicated wellbeing team was the first of its kind in the industry. The team is there specifically to support our lawyers through the practical and personal adjustments of consultancy and are always there to lend a listening ear.
- Firm-wide events, including our famous annual Christmas party, bring consultants together from across the business. For many, these are the moments that turn colleagues they’ve only spoken to on the phone or by email into people they know and can connect with in real life.
- Smaller regional get-togethers help our consultants build more local connections and provide an opportunity for networking outside of our firm-wide events. Many of these consultants then meet up independently on a regular basis.
- We also provide office space to work from in both London and Guildford, for consultants who want the option of a change of scenery, or simply somewhere to go that isn’t a home office. It’s also the ideal opportunity to meet others across practice areas: ideal for the cross-referral of work.
Overall, we’re here to help our consultants feel supported, included and part of a wider community. While this doesn’t replace your own network, it can make it significantly easier to build, especially in your first year, while consultancy is new.
In conclusion
Building a network and a support system is easy to overlook when planning for consultancy. However, having a proper network can make your first year and beyond feel more enjoyable and ensure you feel supported. It’s simple to build on your existing connections with a little consistent effort, making sure consultancy means working independently but not alone.Ready for consultancy?
Get in touch for a confidential conversation about what it could look like for you.
