Abstract
Hamilton explores the student professional identity formation and the foundational skills of building professional relationships to support the students. It presents a guide for law faculty and staff who want each student to build a tent of professional relationships, a professional network, that both supports the student and trusts the student to do the work of a lawyer. The importance of professional networks for work performance and career opportunities has been well-established in hundreds of empirical studies. In addition, a growing research literature is documenting that the creation of a professional network requires pro-active networking behaviors-defined as an individual's efforts to develop and maintain professional relationships with others who can potentially assist them in their career or work. Part I explains how educators in the health professions understand that a student's skill in building a tent of professional relationships who support the student and trust the student to do the work of the profession is essential in the formation of each student's professional identity. This body of scholarship emphasizes the importance of "communities of practice" in shaping a new entrant's professional identity. Part II goes into the student's shoes as a new entrant in the 1L year and outlines a step-by-step approach to helping each student build a tent of professional relationships during law school.