Why Lawyers Should Use LinkedIn: Understanding the Three Essential Building Blocks

Before you start to think about why you might want to use LinkedIn, take a moment to reflect on how you network in the real world.

Most lawyers get a large percentage (if not all) of their business through word of mouth or referrals, including referrals from lawyers in other areas of practice or from other professionals. But in order to receive these referrals, lawyers must have a network of professionals and others who can refer business to them. Lawyers who do well for themselves, their clients, and those they work with often have long-standing, well-nurtured, and thriving networks.

If you map out on paper the people you know and your relationships in different categories such as colleagues, classmates, clients and providers, you will quickly see how rich and complex your networks can be, even if you are a solo practitioner.

If you then consider the ways in which your networks allow you to tap into the similar networks of your connections for recommendations and referrals, you will see the value of “who you know” and “who they know” in your professional practice.

Now, imagine what might happen if you could map the networking you do in the real world to the Internet, extend your range and add some useful networking tools. That’s a big part of what LinkedIn does, and why you will want to consider using it or making even better use of LinkedIn than you do today.

LinkedIn is a tool to help you make your networks more visible and usable than they are when they exist only in your head. It lets you map your networks, organize them, grow and nurture them, and efficiently use them both for your own benefit and the benefit of your connections. It does so in an easy-to-understand way that works very well for lawyers, with results you can see and measure.

In contrast to other social media platforms, LinkedIn is the “professional network,” emphasizing professional networking over personal interactions. LinkedIn’s universe of Profiles and Connections and its emphasis on professional relationships just make sense to most lawyers.

LinkedIn is a huge business network, encompassing more than 300 million users, an estimated 800,000 of whom are lawyers. In 2013, the InHouse Counsel New Media Engagement study revealed that not only do in-house counsel use LinkedIn regularly, but they use it to research both their existing outside counsel and other attorneys with whom they do not yet work. A recent Inside Counsel article cited a survey showing that 67 percent of in-house counsel reported that they had recently used LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a tool to help you make your networks more visible and usable than they are when only in your head. It lets you map your networks, organize them, grow and nurture them, and efficiently use them both for your own benefit and the benefit of your connections. It does so in an easy-to-understand way that works very well for lawyers, with results you can see and measure.

Using what we call the three essential building blocks of LinkedIn: Profiles, Connections, and Participation, you should find LinkedIn to be a valuable use of your time.

Profiles establish your presence and professional identity on LinkedIn. Your Profile is an online, living professional biography or résumé that lets others know, in detail, who you are. Your Profile is your “face” on LinkedIn. Whether you are a solo practitioner, a law firm partner or an associate, your LinkedIn Profile showcases your unique education, experience, skills and strengths. It helps you to stand out from others in your field. If you don’t have your own website or your own firm, LinkedIn is an important part of establishing your own online reputation. More than just a printed resume or a static bio on your website, your LinkedIn profile is out working on your behalf 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Connections are the people in your networks. LinkedIn lets you identify people in your existing networks, find new people to meet, and invite them all to connect to you. By accepting these invitations, people show that they are connected professionally. LinkedIn’s excellent search tools can help you to identify the right people within a particular industry, business or professional firm that you would like to connect with – whether you make that connection initially through LinkedIn or in “real life.” A key approach to effective networking is to go to where your target market is, and LinkedIn has many available tools to help you identify where your target market it on LinkedIn and to reach out to them to share information, ideas, messages, and other content. That brings us to the third building block.

Participation is the cultivating and tending of Connections in your network. It is the way you engage with members of your network. Lawyers who have joined LinkedIn but say they have found no value often have neglected this crucial aspect. Properly understood, social media is participatory media. You must put effort into your online networking, just as you do your real-world networking. Posting regular updates, participating in Groups and discussions and providing information of value to your audience, whether they be clients, potential clients, referral sources or potential employers is another way to become known as an expert in your field.

There is no question that LinkedIn is currently, and likely will remain, the number one social networking tool for lawyers. LinkedIn’s emphasis on professional networking and its alignment with the professional approach lawyers prefer make it well suited to lawyers’ needs.

It is not just “who you know” literally that makes the biggest difference in the success of your practice, but how you create, nurture, and maintain a community of those whom you know. That is what LinkedIn offers. It should be an extension of the way you network offline. It’s the Internet platform that delivers real world results.

By Dennis Kennedy and Allison C. Shields

Dennis Kennedy is an information technology lawyer and legal technology author. Allison C. Shields is the president of Legal Ease Consulting, Inc. They are co-authors of the books, LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers and LinkedIn in One Hour.

Anne Marie Segal

Executive & Leadership Coach | Author | Former VP & Deputy General Counsel | Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

6y

Great article, Dennis Kennedy. Many people think they are “done” with a profile and forget the other two essential parts of LinkedIn!

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Mac Witmer

Associate at McKinsey & Company

9y

Mark Stignani -- Per our conversations last year! Take a read :)

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Andrew McCarthy

Head of Account Partners @ LinkedIn | MBA, Sales Leadership, GTM Strategy

9y

Marianne, I thought you might find this article valuable.

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Jason Abrams

Vice President of Enterprise Sales at Spring Health

9y

Joseph C. Megariotis and Leo Dugan III, Esq. step your games up!

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