This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Association for Continuing Legal Education Administrators (ACLEA) meeting in Boston, MA. It was a fabulous four day event that included conferences, exhibits and networking events. I only recently began my career in continuing legal education (CLE) and I have a lot to learn. Joining an association, attending meetings and joining committees is the best thing I can to do to gain expertise in my career.
Joining an association gives you the opportunity to meet colleagues and mentors. Now, when I have a question about an application that I am working on or a bar association I am reaching out to, I have someone to whom I can ask questions. I have someone with whom I can brainstorm ideas for new programming.
It also gave me the opportunity to meet and network with people who own businesses that are complimentary to mine. This is a great opportunity to network and learn how we can help each other’s businesses grow.
Joining a national professional association puts me in a room with the big players in my industry. I was able to meet national speakers, state bar directors, and the officers of the association. This is a great opportunity to introduce myself and the work that I do. Now when I send an email, I can include “It was so nice speaking to you at the ACLEA convention this summer. I hope you had a safe trip home to Colorado…” I’m no longer sending “cold” emails.
How can a professional association benefit your career?
Speak to people in your industry. Ask them which organizations they are affiliated with. In your industry, the local association may be the best way to network and make connections. Maybe there are a few professional associations that you should look into joining; maybe there is only one. You won’t know until you do some research.
Start your research today!
