Law firms often talk about the importance of relationships. The client relationship. The partner relationship. The trusted advisor relationship. But there’s one relationship that too often gets overlooked – the alumni relationship.

Your alumni network includes former lawyers and staff who spent meaningful time at your firm. Many of them are now general counsel, investment professionals, founders or leaders at other organizations. Some are decision makers who can hire or refer work. Others are connectors who open doors. All of them are part of your extended ecosystem, and the smartest firms are investing in these relationships as part of their business development, marketing and recruiting strategies.

This article outlines why alumni relations matter more than ever and how firms can turn passive alumni lists into powerful engagement and growth tools. Whether you’re building a program from scratch or looking to modernize what you already have, here are some best practices to keep in mind and a few creative ideas that go beyond the usual newsletter or annual cocktail reception.

Why Alumni Relations Matters

Alumni represent institutional knowledge, brand advocacy and potential business. They understand your culture, your values and how your lawyers work. That familiarity translates into trust. Trust leads to opportunity. For law firms, alumni relations support three critical areas:

  • Business Development: Your alumni are often in a position to hire you. They may be inside legal departments, private equity firms or operating companies, or major corporations. Even if they aren’t directly hiring, they may influence decisions, make referrals or help connect you with others in their network.
  • Marketing and Visibility: Highlighting alumni success stories helps reinforce your firm brand. It signals that your lawyers go on to do great things. Alumni also serve as unofficial ambassadors. When they feel valued, they are more likely to say positive things about the firm, share your content and attend your events.
  • Recruiting and Retention: A strong alumni program shows your people that the firm cares about long-term relationships, not just the time someone is there. That sends a powerful message to current and prospective hires about culture, investment and community.

Best Practices for Building a Strong Alumni Program

  1. Map and Segment Your Network: Start by building a clean, centralized list of alumni. Include names, current roles, companies, practice areas, geographies and industry focus. Use LinkedIn, your CRM and institutional knowledge to fill in the gaps. Segment the list by relevance to current BD goals, seniority or likelihood to re-engage.
  2. Assign Relationship Ownership: Not every alum needs a relationship manager, but your top 25 or 50 should. Make sure partners or client development leads know who the high-impact alumni are and stay in regular contact. Treat it like any other relationship that drives business.
  3. Use Content to Stay Connected: Instead of only sending firm news, highlight alumni achievements, new roles and shared success stories. Feature alumni on your blog or in newsletters. Ask them to co-author articles or join panels. Make it about them, not just you.
  4. Offer Real Value: Give alumni access to exclusive content, CLEs, job opportunities and briefings on legal and business topics that affect their industries. Create spaces for peer-to-peer learning or cross-industry networking. Offer something they can’t easily get elsewhere.
  5. Focus on Inclusion and Long-Term Relationships: Make sure the program reaches alumni at all levels and across backgrounds. Diversity of experience and perspective strengthens the network. Remember that even those who left early in their careers may rise to senior roles later and their experience with the firm will shape how they talk about it for years.
  6. Track and Report on Impact: Build a simple system to track alumni engagement, referrals and participation. Measure what’s working so you can invest in the right touchpoints and demonstrate ROI to firm leadership.

Creative Ways to Engage With Alumni

  • Alumni Spotlights: Feature short Q&As or career updates on your website or social channels. Use these to highlight how alumni are leading in their fields and stay top of mind in their networks.
  • Industry Roundtables: Invite alumni to small-group discussions around sector trends—especially in private equity, life sciences, tech or real estate. Keep them informal and insight-driven.
  • Client-Attorney Alumni Teams: For alumni who are now clients or GCs, build dedicated account teams that include someone from their time at the firm. It strengthens continuity and creates a more personalized relationship.
  • Alumni Mentorship Match: Pair senior alumni with midlevel lawyers or lateral hires in the same industry. It builds goodwill and reinforces community.
  • Deal or Matter Reunions: When former colleagues have worked together on high-stakes deals or cases, bring them together for a private dinner or anniversary conversation. It’s personal, relevant and memorable.
  • Referral Acknowledgments: Quietly recognize alumni who send work your way. A handwritten note or an exclusive invite can go a long way in reinforcing appreciation.
  • Podcast or Webinar Guest Features: Invite alumni to be featured guests in firm content. Let them share their expertise and reflect on their career journey. This gives them visibility and strengthens the firm’s brand by extension.

What Alumni Really Want

Alumni want to feel valued. They want to be remembered and respected for their contributions. They want to stay connected to the people they worked with and the brand they helped build. They want to be part of a network that helps them grow, not just a list that gets emailed once a year.

The best alumni programs are not transactional. They’re grounded in shared experience, mutual respect and the understanding that today’s alum may be tomorrow’s client, board member or referring lawyer.

Leveling Up Your Alumni Program

You don’t need a giant team or budget to get this right. Start with the people. Map your alumni. Identify five you can reach out to this quarter. Invite them to something meaningful. Share something that matters to them. Reopen a line of communication.

The goal is not to sell. The goal is to reconnect. To stay close. To be helpful and visible when it matters.

Law firms that do this well create long-term advantage. They generate warm leads, referrals and reconnections that would be impossible through cold outreach. They create communities that reinforce their brand and values. And they do it in a way that feels authentic, not opportunistic.

Strong alumni strategies turn former colleagues into future clients, connectors and advocates.

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