Buy This Book!

There is a great new tool out there for law students and lawyers who really want to take control of and advance their careers.  "The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development" is a new book by Ari Kaplan.  Kaplan is a lawyer, writer, and speaker who teaches the art of dynamic networking and business development.   His new book is very informative, often funny, and extremely practical in the advice it gives those in the legal profession. 

As I read Kaplan's book, I found myself nodding over and over again.  I might have even let an "amen brother" slip out a time or two.  My favorite chapter is Chapter 5, entitled "Networking & the Personal Aspects of Promoting Yourself".  Networking has become an ugly word that makes many people cringe.  This is because people are doing it incorrectly!  Kaplan outlines how to network and promote yourself in a way that advances your interests while respecting others and maintaining your integrity.  Not only does Kaplan show the reader how to establish relationships but, through tips like "create your own advisory board", he teaches us how to maintain these relationships in a meaningful and authentic way.

If you work in a law school career services office and need to drain your budgetary coffers before the end of the fiscal year, buy several copies.  Once your students realize that the advice contained inside is golden, you won't be able to keep these on the shelves.  If you are a law student or lawyer, get a copy for yourself, grab a highlighter, and start following Kaplan's advice.  You won't be sorry.