It’s a cliché, but it’s true: the Internet has revolutionized all aspects of business. Social media, especially, has altered the way individuals and businesses communicate both with each other and the wider world, and the effectiveness of well-harnessed social media is underestimated at your peril.
LinkedIn can inhabit something of a blind spot in company’s online presence. Its focus on your real-world connections and relationships rather than gaining new followers or clients can turn large companies off, but for lawyers – where professional validation and trust are vital – it can be an important addition to your working life.
The site offers a variety of opportunities to interact with colleagues and to benefit from the experience. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where the emphasis tends to lie on projecting an outward message, LinkedIn has always been the ‘professional’ network, designed to facilitate networking, personal growth, and discussion – mostly between those with whom you have an already established relationship. While firms can always manage a company-wide page, an individual account provides lawyers with a useful tool to present both a professional and a personal front.
A Presence For Colleagues
One of LinkedIn’s unique features is the concept of ‘endorsements’, a process whereby users can publically endorse another’s skills and experience, adding to that individual’s reputation. For lawyers, this can be a simple but effective way to stay on colleagues’ radar without becoming intrusive, while also building up support for your own areas of expertise. You may also choose to make your profile public, giving potential clients the opportunity to see the support other lawyers have given you in a particular field.
Users are also able to list particular works they’ve had published and experiences with which they’ve been involved, posting these items in a Facebook-style timeline. Articles and other published works can be quickly shared and commented upon. You can also follow colleagues’ publications and current interests.
Discussion and Debate
The true value of LinkedIn for lawyers and legal professionals lies in the groups feature, a collection of smaller communities – many of which have entry requirements – encouraging discussion, debate, and question and answer sessions. There’s already a strong legal presence in LinkedIn Groups, with conversations taking place daily. Groups such as the Appellate Lawyer Network or American Bar Association’s Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, act as nationwide discussion groups for issues related to specialty areas and practice management. Issues can be discussed as and when they develop, while more general issues that affect legal practices are addressed by the best source there is – other lawyers.
Relationship Building
LinkedIn works best when, after meeting someone for the first time, you’re able to follow up with an invitation to connect online. The site, being above all else about professional relationships, allows you to build up a network of those you have met, while also showing you how others are connected to each other. As a snapshot of your career and the current state of your practice, your page also gives those you are meeting a useful overview.
Social media is always going to be about just that – being social and engaging others. For lawyers, whose time with clients is naturally limited to the period of their legal issues, the concept of building a fan base is irrelevant. Building connections with other working lawyers, however, can prove invaluable, and the ease with which LinkedIn can be navigated makes it an increasingly attractive prospect for lawyers at all stages in their careers.
Author Bio: With more than thirty years’ experience in personal injury law, H. Lee Thompson has represented nationwide clients against some of the largest pharmaceutical companies operating today. Founder of The Thompson Law Firm , Mr. Thompson is licensed to practice at both Federal Court level and in Ohio and the District of Columbia, and has acted as the chairman of the AAH’s Professional Negligence Section as well as an executive board member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Counsel of the AAJ’s Medical Negligence Litigation Group.
Originally published on LawyerCentral by H. Lee Thompson on September 26, 2013 Read the original (Internet Archive).