Above: Alumni panelists offer advice before students practice their skills at the networking reception.
Dressed in their best business attire, Maryland Carey Law students had a special opportunity in January to practice a soft skill vital to career development—networking. The program, dubbed Networking 101, included a panel discussion with Maryland Carey Law alumni working in various areas of the law, followed by a reception where students put advice into action connecting with legal professionals.
Panelists, who represented attorneys at various career points, were:
- Maggie Davis ’13, Director, State Government Affairs, Emergent BioSolutions (Director, State Health Policy,
- Sara Lucas ’19, Associate Attorney, Mitchell Sandler PLLC
- Anthony May ’15, Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP
- The Hon. Michael Siri ’01 (moderator), Associate Judge, District Court of Maryland, District 8, Baltimore County
- Michelle Wilson ’04, Deputy Director of Administration, DC Department of Corrections US
First-year student Greyson Cox ’27 appreciated the evening activity. “I loved hearing the alumni panel share about how they created and maintained their professional networks,” said Cox, “and I was able to meet several alumni who worked in education law—my desired field.”
Judge Siri, who moderated the discussion, stressed to students the importance of relationship building in the legal profession, citing a study concluding that at least half of legal jobs are filled through word-of-mouth referrals. Panelists offered tips on everything from developing “elevator pitches” to appropriate follow-up after making a connection.
Immediately after the workshop, students proceeded to Westminster Hall where alumni and friends from the public and private sectors and the judiciary were supportive conversationalists for the mostly first-year students.
Cox couldn’t help noticing the camaraderie within the Maryland Carey Law community that he will join upon graduation. It was striking, he added, "to see how many of the alumni at the event knew each other. They were taking the opportunity not just to help the students, but also to catch up with their peers and keep their own networks strong.”
Maryland Carey Law’s alumni network exceeds 13,000 graduates who have reached the top echelons of the legal profession in Maryland and beyond.
Networking 101 was co-hosted by the Maryland Carey Law Career Development Office and Alumni Board.