I am asked all the time whether joining a networking group makes sense. There are more opportunities to join these groups than you can shake a stick at. I get invitations all the time.

Generally, networking groups aren’t the best and highest use of your marketing time as you build a family law practice. We’ve talked about that here before.

Why?

Because they’re overly general. Most of the people you meet won’t be prospective clients, and most of them won’t be aware of the opportunity to make a family law referral until it’s too late. The other group members usually won’t become aware of their contacts’ divorces until after the fact.

However, that doesn’t mean that all networking groups are a bad idea. The best networking group is the one you form that is specific to generating family-law-related referrals.

You can form a group consisting of businesses that are of use to clients in the midst of a divorce. This group can serve as a source of referrals, plus it gives you a relationship with people you need to assist your clients.

Who should be in the group?

Start with a good accountant. Accountants often have a broad network of clients and can help you determine who else to invite.

Move on to a financial planner and an insurance agent. You might need a few different insurance agents to meet all of your clients’ needs.

Who else? Include a real estate agent and an apartment rental consultant. Add a mover and someone who owns a storage unit business. You’ll want a marriage counselor, a psychologist, and a child psychologist. You should add a banker, a business broker, a real estate appraiser, and a personal property appraiser. You’ll likely want a small business attorney as well.

That’s 16 members including you. That’s a good start. As you get to know one another, you’ll likely add people from other occupations as well.

Create an e-mail list and take control of the meeting notices, reminders, and updates. That’s an important function for you to take on. Hold a monthly gathering at one member’s location and take a tour of his or her office. Have drinks and snacks brought in and get to know one another. It makes sense for the host to give a short talk about his or her business so you’ll learn a bit more at each meeting.

Just this core group will keep you busy for more than a year. You’ll quickly come to like and trust one another, and the referrals will begin to flow.

This networking group will work for you because it’s specific to family law. You’ll be making referrals to them, and they’ll be making referrals to you. The few hours you spend on the group each month will be an investment that pays off over both the short term and the long term.