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From June 26 through 27, 2008, LegalTech will be returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center. You don't need to attend a legal technology conference or even a legal conference to find value in the experience. Check your local convention center and see what is coming. Some business-oriented newspapers will list such events regularly. Maybe you'll like the motorcycle show or the gift fair better. Find events that are consistent with your interests so that you will meet people that share your passions.
LegalTech happens to be a great forum for exercising your self-promotion muscles because most of the advertised products are sold to lawyers, which makes you an attractive person with whom to speak. Unlike at a trade show in another industry, you are actually the prime consumer. The people who run these companies are often interested in hearing from lawyers about their products to make them better and more appealing to their constituency: you.
If you are not interested in meeting people who could transform your day, perhaps you would like to be a trend-spotter taking key information back to your office. Or maybe you want to learn more about legal technology so that you can be the go-to person for the partners and sometimes even the clients. People at the firm will come to rely on your knowledge and interest.
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Look for opportunities to interact that are closer to home, zero- or low-cost, and flexibly scheduled (i.e., available). The key investment is your time. In fact, the key element to self-promotion is spending whatever time is necessary to hone your skills. The great ones are frequently not born with natural instincts for engaging people in discussion and sharing information. They more often have placed themselves in situations where they could exercise their technique and perfect it over a number of years. Those who start now have a huge jumpstart on their peers.
That's why I suggest attending LegalTech. When you get there, don't worry so much about what you will see; concern yourself with who you will meet (and, of course, the crisp $2 bills).
A version of this article was originally published on February 11, 2008, at NLJ.com.
About the Author
Ari Kaplan is an attorney and the author of The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career through Creative Networking and Business Development (Thomson-West, 2008). He teaches attorneys at law firms nationwide to organically promote themselves through the art of getting published and creative networking. Visit www.arikaplanadvisors.com to learn more.
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