Templates & Tools to Grow Your Network

Deep Dive

Building a network is rewarding, but it takes work. These resources will make it easier.

Two weeks ago, we talked about the incredible value of having a strong network of in-house lawyers. And last week, we considered different networking styles and principles of effective networking.

This week, I’m providing practical tools to make networking easier, so you can focus on building great relationships, and not worrying about what to say in a cold email or how to start a conversation with a new connection.

1. Conversation Starters

There’s no single “right” way to start a networking conversation. But when in doubt, curiosity is a great place to begin.

When people tell me they find networking boring, I often wonder whether they would feel less bored if they were more curious. Because when you dig in and really get to know people, most of them have some fantastic stories to tell and some really interesting things to say.

The questions below are designed to spark meaningful dialogue beyond the usual “What do you do?” or “What brought you here?” They can help you move past small talk and into conversations that actually lead to connection.

These questions also work well when you aren’t quite ready to end a conversation, but there is a lull that you’d like to fill.

Career & Role-Specific

• What does a “typical” day look like for you, if there is such a thing?

• What’s your favorite part of your job right now?

• Are there any skills you didn’t expect to use in-house that now feel essential?

Growth & Strategy

• How do you think about growing your legal team or influence internally?

• Are there any tools or processes that have meaningfully improved how your legal team operates and interacts with your company as a whole?

• How do you decide what to prioritize when everything feels urgent?

Relationships & Influence

• What’s helped you build trust with business partners and executives?

• Have you found any strategies for saying “no” without creating a reputation as the “Department of No.”

Learning & Development

• What’s something new you’ve learned in the past 6 months that’s made a meaningful difference in your work?

• Are there any books, podcasts, or newsletters you’ve found particularly valuable as an in-house lawyer?

• What’s a skill you’re working on improving right now?

• Has your team found any use cases for AI that you’re especially excited about?

• What does your team do that other legal teams might find surprising or even strange?

Personal Perspective & Reflection

• What advice would you give someone one step behind you in their in-house career?

• What’s something you wish more in-house lawyers talked about openly?

• How do you define success in your role?

Open-Ended & Relationship-Oriented

• What kinds of professional conversations do you find most energizing right now?

• Is there a project you’re excited about that’s a little different from your day-to-day?

• What other roles or paths have you considered, or are you still curious about?

• Is there anyone else you think I should talk to as I explore this space?

Light & Personal

• What are you excited about outside of work at the moment?

• How have you gotten know other lawyers in your [geography/practice area/industry]?

These questions are all appropriate for early conversations with new connections and may be interesting to ask once you know someone well, too.

2. Email Templates

Many meaningful relationships start or progress via email. I drafted some templates to help make this process easier for you. You can access them here.   

There is no magic to the specific language in these templates or in any email template.  But using these templates will meaningfully decrease the amount of effort you have to spend on the email basics, so that you can spend more energy and time actually building relationships. 

3. Brainstorming Who to Connect With

One of the hardest parts of networking outside of formal events can be knowing who to reach out to. Because you don’t want a network full of random people—you want one full of people who you enjoy being around, learning with and from, and whose work is relevant to your own.

I can help. Use this Brainstorming Guide to come up with a list of people you might want to add to your network. It includes general and specific categories of people you should consider reaching out to, as well as some ideas around getting started with your outreach.

Start building your network today.

In-House: Outside the Box provides resources to help you make your career awesome. But doing that is not a passive activity. You need to take action in order to build the powerful professional network that will support your goals and make your life as an in-house lawyer more enjoyable.

You now know how you can benefit from building your network, understand principles of great networking, and have tools to help you brainstorm who to talk to and easily send emails to get the conversation going.

Use these tools to take one step towards building your network today.

When you get started, I’d love to hear from you. What steps did you take? How did these resources help?