A law firm alumni relations program can help both your law firm and your former employees, yet many firms aren’t yet investing in creating an alumni relations program or the program they do have hasn’t yielded ROI.

Law firm alumni are among the most important referral, new business and recruiting sources as well as brand ambassadors – so it’s worth the time and effort to create an alumni relations program for your law firm – whether your firm has 50 alumni or 5,000 alumni.

In this competitive hiring market, your alumni are among your strongest brand advocates and word-of-mouth supporters. You really need them on your side and to ensure they have a close relationship with your firm, and maintaining close ties with them through an alumni relations program can help you do that.

Today, a successful law firm alumni program is so much more than hosting periodic events and giving alumni access to an alumni directory.

It’s about creating a long-term supportive community throughout the lifecycle of their careers.

It’s also about creating opportunities for alumni to reconnect with each other.

And finally supporting your alumni’s careers and promoting their successes should be at the heart of your law firm alumni relations program. Because while they care about their former firm, they also care about how you can help them.

Here are four ways to build a strong alumni relations program at any size law firm.

1. Engage your alumni association through a combination of educational and social networking events. Offer online events as well so alumni from all around the world can participate in your program offerings even if they can’t attend live events. CLE credit is harder to get when you aren’t at a law firm, so offer your alumni access to your online CLE library. Consider segmenting events by class year, practices and affinity groups.
2. Regularly email your alumni network with information that is helpful and beneficial to them. Consider creating an e-newsletter with a “class notes” section – where you report on alumni job moves, promotions and other professional achievements. Encourage them to send in information about themselves – which will help you capture updated contact information. Allowing alumni to share their successes will enhance your relationship with them by giving them the ability to shine.
3. Alumni programs often have discount programs for members or offer special services. Housing these programs within your alumni website portal is another way to encourage members to return to your alumni platform and stay connected to your firm.
4. As your network grows, your ability to track, update and analyze alumni data can be challenging. To carry out all the components of an alumni program, you need accurate and up-to-date alumni data. Utilize outside resources to help you manage your contact data. Tracking the contact information of your alumni and their career progression should be at the core of your alumni relations program. However, once a lawyer leaves your firm, you may lose touch with them, even if you have a full-time CRM steward or an alumni relations point person.

Learn more about our alumni relations solutions to help law firms of all sizes track their former lawyers.

Watch a replay of Leopard Solutions’ recent alumni relations webinar:

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