by Brandie Knox
NYLMA moved downtown for its June 15 luncheon program, "The Ties That Bind (and Generate Business): Leveraging Your Alumni Network.” Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton hosted the session, which gave attendees lovely views of New York harbor – and of how to put together and effective alumni program.
- Elizabeth Claps, Alumni Relations Manager at Cleary moderated the panel, which included two law firm managers and one in-house counsel:
- Sheri Mayerowitz - Global Alumni Relations Manager, Hogan Lovells
- Graziella Reis-Trani - Alumni Program Manager, White & Case LLP
- Sumathi Subbiah - Director & International Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs at A&E Television Networks and an alumna of both Hogan and Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom.
The panelists provided a lot of helpful advice from their experiences, including these key takeaways:Remember that firm alumni can turn into future client contacts and potential referral sources as they move out of the firm and into the workforce.
- Include alumni who have gone to peer firms when possible or appropriate. They may move on to clients later and may not respond if they have been excluded previously.
- Get as much information as possible when a lawyer is leaving a firm and add them to your network. Make them feel like the firm is their “home firm.”
- Leverage long-time relationships. You want alums to feel that they are still a part of the family and that the firm is a place where they can seek advice.
- Treat all lawyers with respect (even before they move on) and remain as a resource for them as alums.
- Make your network as inclusive as possible (except in cases of serious misconduct). Smooth out any hurt feelings as necessary. Let individuals decide on their own if they want to participate in alumni events.
- Be sure your alumni program is consistent across offices.
- Piggy-back on existing programs and events. Consider asking alumni to attend or speak. This approach can help streamline event planning and manage budgetary parameters.
- Time commitment and relevance are important to alums. Well-done social events and CLE opportunities (especially for ethics credits in NY) are very attractive
- While LinkedIn groups are good, the data isn’t yours — it does not belong to the firm and LinkedIn is constantly changing.
- Consider how your firm can own and maintain alumni contacts. Develop and grow an in-house site or portal if at all possible and use analytics to measure success of your site as well as events and newsletters.
- When possible, instead of including everyone on general email blasts, tailor invitations based on current practices and areas of interest.
Alumni managers should use Business Development colleagues as a resource and work with BD departments to see where opportunities lie.