Networking

Networking will potentially be the most important aspect of your career search.  Networking is a remarkably effective way to discover and explore different career paths and practice arenas, to learn information vital to your professional development and success, and to uncover specific employment opportunities.

Approximately 80% of all available positions are not advertised to the general public. Networking and developing contacts is a time-consuming process and will not always produce immediate results. Effective contacts require cultivation. Consequently, networking should start as soon as you are enrolled in the LL.M. program and should continue throughout your professional career.

Business Cards for LL.M. Students

One of the first steps an LL.M. student should take upon arriving at Georgetown Law is to order personalized business cards.  Students need to have professional business cards because they can be useful in networking.  Whether you are seeking a job at the end of your LL.M. program, an internship or externship during the academic year, or simply want to develop a network of contacts to assist you in your future professional life, it is never too early to think about how you are going to build your professional contacts while in Washington, D.C. Developing a network of contacts is crucial to your job search process. In addition to the networking events offered by Graduate Career and Professional Development, there are a number of bar associations in the D.C. metropolitan area that have relevant programs throughout the year, and we will highlight those events we think may be of interest to you in Graduate Connections, our news and information platform.  Students should bring their business cards to these networking events and hand them out to practitioners and others they meet and ask whomever they are speaking to for their business card in return.

There are a number of ways students can create personalized business cards:

• By calling Hoya Copy Center at (301) 870-2313;
• By ordering them through the Georgetown University Business Card Web site (Before placing your order you can see the styles available on the Copy Center Web site)
• By ordering business cards from a commercial vendor such as Vistaprint
• By printing them at the local FedEx Kinko's Office at (202) 682-0349 or the nearby Minuteman Press; or
• By simply printing them using a personal printer at home.

Remember to describe yourself as an “LL.M. Candidate” or “Master of Laws Candidate” on your business card and to set out your contact details clearly and concisely.  If you have any questions about what information you should put on your business card or where to place this information, please stop by during our Open Office Hours to speak to a member of Graduate Career and Professional Development.  Our Open Office Hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Hotung 5008.

Click here to view an example of a business card for an LL.M. candidate.

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