Why lawyers are ditching networking drinks for trainers

Most lawyers are used to networking in predictable places: conference rooms, panel discussions, firm socials or the pub after work. LegalRunner offers something different.

It is a running community for people working in the legal profession - solicitors, barristers, trainees, legal executives and business services staff - who meet to run, walk or jog together, often followed by coffee rather than drinks. There are no performance targets and no requirement to be a runner in any conventional sense.

Founded by Mark Evans, president of the Law Society, LegalRunner has grown quietly into a nationwide network with around 1,500 members and dozens of local groups across England and Wales. Its appeal lies as much in fitness as in what happens alongside it: conversation without formality and space to talk - or not - away from desks, deadlines and billable hours.

I sat down with Evans to learn more.

How it all started

LegalRunner began long before Mark Evans became president of the Law Society. It started in late 2019, after years spent juggling work with personal responsibilities.

“For over a decade, I witnessed my father go through dementia. And my mum, who was his carer, died in 2014.” Evans says.

As the pressure mounted, his health suffered. “With work, with looking after my father and seeing him deteriorate, my weight went up,” he says. “I didn’t really look after myself, physically or mentally, and I decided something needed to change.”

Almost on impulse, Evans signed up for a marathon. “I couldn’t run 10 minutes on a treadmill,” he says. “But I signed up to run a marathon in 2020 for Alzheimer’s Society.”

His father passed away shortly after he signed up, but he carried on with training.

When the marathon was cancelled due to Covid, Evans ran it virtually instead. “I ran it in North Wales with a tag on my watch to tell me where I was in London,” he says.

Running into connection

Running opened conversations he hadn’t expected. “I was talking to people about dementia, baby loss, work,” he says. “But when I talked about work, it was difficult, because they didn’t understand the pressures of being a lawyer.”

That realisation became the catalyst for LegalRunner. “It was to create a space where you can run with other people without having to explain what you do,” Evans says. “They understand you.”

Running, he adds, changes how people talk. “When you’re not giving direct eye contact, you feel a bit safer to just say anything,” he says. “It’s like how kids talk more in the car than at the kitchen table.”

Junior lawyers stepping up

One of the most surprising aspects of LegalRunner is who has taken on leadership roles. “What surprised me is the number of junior lawyers who joined,” Evans says. “More importantly, they put their names forward to be regional contacts.”

“It shows their managerial and coordination skills,” he says. “And it gives them confidence.”

‍Where it happens

LegalRunner has regional contacts in more than 45 UK regions and this month alone, has planned 5k runs in cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff and Nottingham.

Some groups meet weekly for a 5k, including London, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Plymouth.

Not an exclusive club

Evans stresses that it’s not an exclusive club, and that anyone in the legal community can join.

“When I say run, I use the word loosely,” he adds. “I don’t want people to think you need to be an athlete. It’s all abilities.”

Beyond borders

What began as a local initiative has started to travel with the profession itself.

“We now have international members who are starting running groups as well, and it's just sort of snowballed,” he says.

“When we go on business trips, we often have very little time to see the city,” Evans says. “So, either early in the morning or after events in the evening, we get running groups together and explore. It’s a great way to see places like Toronto or Athens with other runners.”

“When I was in Australia just before Christmas, at about 6.30am in the morning, I met a judge from Australia and the president of the Law Society of New Zealand and we went for a run around the lake,” he adds.

Networking, no pressure

For Evans, LegalRunner offers a different kind of professional connection. “To me, it’s networking,” he says. “But there’s no pressure to talk. You’re there to run.”

The effect can be subtle but lasting. “A junior lawyer told me they’ve got more confidence now in networking,” Evans says. “That’s a real positive.”

Those interested in getting involved can join the LegalRunner group on LinkedIn or Strava. The run club also partners with mental health charity LawCare, which provides free, confidential support for people working in law in the UK.