In the past few weeks I’ve been chatting with superstar, international legal recruiters Michael Ellenhorn of Longbridge and and Nick Rumin of Rumin Legal Search in preparation for an article about lawyers working abroad (forthcoming in the June issue of The Complete Lawyer). They concur that, as always, networking plays an important role in finding a terrific job and cultivating clients in any new market. 

One of my favorite books on networking is Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone, in part because it encourages people to help others rather than focusing on helping themselves.  (Caveat:  Some of the specific networking techniques taught in this book are very direct, US-style strategies, which would be perceived as too aggressive in some other cultures.) This other-centered approach to making connections is more effective–and frankly more pleasant–than a self-centered one.  The payoff may not be immediate, but the results are deeper and longer lasting because true relationships–rather than superficial ones–are being built.

I ran across a post on Keith Ferrazzi’s blog by someone who had build his network in another city well before relocating there and simultaneously changing careers; his network proved invaluable.  The same holds true of any international move.  As international lawyers well know, in many countries, cultivating deep personal relationships is often a prerequisite to any business being done. A lawyer who wants to relocate abroad will also need such relationships.

So, whether you are a law student aspiring to work abroad down the road, or an experienced international practitioner wanting to develop more clients abroad, develop–and maintain–your international network well before you actually need it. Meet people (co-workers, clients, colleagues and the like); build substantial relationships; and consciously nurture those across the miles over the years.