Yes, we flocked. That would be Kimberly Alderman and me. Our own contract lawyer mini-convention.
I was working late last night when Kimberly (a/k/a @nomadtoes) tweeted that she would be driving up to to New York in the morning. Since I’m an unabashed fangirl, I immediately sent off a DM (direct message, for the uninitiated) asking about her plans while in New York.
This morning I woke to an e-mail in which Kimberly told me that she was headed for a location that happens to be ten minutes from where I live, only a few hours hence.
Over lunch a lunch that ended all too quickly, we talked about a wide variety of subjects, from her Alaska cabin to my kids. Although we had never before met in person, it felt like we’ve known each other for years, a powerful demonstration of one of the reasons to be your authentic self online.
Although one of the benefits of contract lawyering is that you can work from even remote locations, and never even have to leave the house if you don’t want to, contract lawyering is far from lonely. The nature of my practice has naturally led me to be a very active online networker, and my networking activities have led to both business relationships and cherished friendships. For me, conferences like the ABA’s TechShow and the National Solo & Small Firm Conference are more about continuing to nuture the friendships that have begun online than about attending CLE sessions or even meeting new people (though I love that aspect of conferences as well).
Such a nice picture and great that the two of you were able to meet in person. I’ve had the same experience with my “blogmeets” and have met some wonderful people.