There are several challenges in selecting a legal conference to attend in any given year but that doesn’t mean dump the idea in your trash bin and keep it moving. The reality is that in any given year, there is a multitude of legal conferences throughout the year, in different parts of the globe, and at different price ranges. There are also a wide range of reasons why you should give serious consideration to attending legal conferences.

Satisfy Continuing Legal Education Requirements

The attorney licensing authority in every state mandates that a lawyer obtain a certain amount of continuing legal education credit during a specific time period. As a result, an attorney needs to be able to access approved continuing legal education, or otherwise called CLE (because who doesn’t love acronyms).

In addition to CLE offered at a legal conference, you are also likely to be able to find a variation of different presentation topics. The ability to select from multiple CLE offerings increases the likelihood that you will find a CLE presentation that interests you and meets your specific needs, goals, and objectives.

Networking Opportunities

Our next reason is that of networking potential. This includes the chance to connect with fellow legal practitioners (both in and outside of your specialty), potential mentors, and even some of those in school.

As a legal professional, you can gain a great deal by developing relationships with other attorneys. Of course, legal conferences themselves are designed to provide you useful information to aid you as an attorney. However, informal interaction with other attorneys can be invaluable as well. Thanks to the concentration of lawyers at a legal confab, you have a unique opportunity to connect with your fellow peers.

In addition to networking with attorneys, you are also very likely to have the opportunity to interact, both formally and informally, with a range of other professionals. This can include networking with vendors of different types. These vendors may offer products and services that could be highly helpful to the operation of your law practice.

Connecting with Experts

On a note related to networking with fellow attorneys at law, legal conferences can also provide you the opportunity to connect with experts of different types. Networking outside your field is never a bad thing. The reality is that the most effective lawyers, at this juncture in the 21st century, are those that are able to draw upon the spectrum of reliable resources. Let’s face it, we can’t know it all.

Garner Latest Info on Technology and the Legal Profession

According to the American Bar Association, the legal profession has become ever more dependent on technology in recent years. No matter the primary focus of a legal conference, you are very likely to find vendors and presenters who have been able to combine technology with the business side of the legal sector; this would be a fantastic opportunity to see the latest and greatest software available today.

Promote Your Practice

In addition to my previous points, the business side of your law firm could always benefit from legal conferences. Implementing an effective marketing plan can be difficult no matter the size of a law firm. With that said, a significant number of law practices fall short when it comes to marketing, public relations, and media relations. Legal conferences provide an attorney the opportunity to promote and learn more about marketing a law firm in a number of different ways. These conferences can be invaluable when it comes to the development and implementation of effective law firm marketing strategies.

In addition to learning more about promoting your practice to the public at large, you also have the chance to “sell” your firm to your colleagues. At a legal conference, you are very likely to encounter lawyers who do not practice in your area of the law and vice versa. Through this type of interaction, you will be able to pitch your firm and its services, usually in a more subtle manner. By promoting your firm in this manner, you open the door to the possibility for some future client referrals.

Final Thoughts

Many legal conferences are recurring annual affairs. As a closing thought, after you attend a legal conference for the first time (or the first time in a while), if all goes well, you are likely to want to schedule attendance in future years. By attending the same or similar legal conferences, on a regular basis, you are likely to get even more out of it with each passing year. Between educational programs, networking, and promotions, it’s an investment in yourself and your firm.