Networking or Name-Dropping? Both! LinkedIn for Lawyers

LinkedIn: The Beyoncé of B2B. The singular Microsoft answer to the many-headed Meta social media monster. LinkedIn has actually been around since before Facebook, but it’s undergone a few full-scale transformations—from digital rolodex to “professional Facebook” to…its current form. Today it’s a professional social media platform, a job board, a digital publication and news source, an advertising avenue, and a business development tool. Like the other big social platforms, LinkedIn in its current form aims to be a one-stop-shop for its user base (professionals). For lawyers and law firm owners, that means using LinkedIn not just as a digital resume or contacts list, but as a place to cultivate a network, share expertise, and drive visibility, credibility, and organic growth.

Why LinkedIn?

It’s the “the largest professional network,” according to itself. And at over a billion users, it really is one of the most widely used platforms in the world (it’s in more countries than Facebook!). According to the ABA, 90% or more of lawyers and law firms in the US use LinkedIn. An active profile is almost a prerequisite for work at this point. Throughout the 2010s LinkedIn’s reputation as the hub for decision-makers, KOLs, and corporate social stars crystallized. But are we past the peak? Let’s address some common criticisms:

“Is LinkedIn Cringe?”

Kind of, but so is everything else online. Embrace it.”

“Is LinkedIn Fake?”

It’s as real or as fake as you make it. Just know that no one is being totally earnest, and you shouldn’t feel the pressure to do so either.

“Is LinkedIn for Humble-Bragging?”

Yes, but so most of the other social platforms. It’s also for networking, advertising, and, yes, casually letting everyone know you’re “so honored” to be included.

It’s gotten a little ironic. The platform still has the juice, but it’s also become a bit insular and sometimes self-serious. The key is to focus on your own small networks—your local community or region, your legal niche, your personal school and professional connections. That’s where you can cut through the noise and where LinkedIn works best.

LinkedIn v. The Challengers

All talk about Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok comes back to the almighty algorithms. LinkedIn…not so much. The LI feed is still algorithmic, but it prioritizes connection between related or adjacent users, professional opportunities, and “value,” in contrast to the entertainment-based algorithms of the other social platforms. LinkedIn is an avenue for relationship-building, not just audience-building. A brief comparison….

All have SEO value. All have search marketing value. All boost brand awareness. But only LinkedIn is built specifically for growing professional relationships, not just reaching the masses. Or collecting digital birthday wishes.

B2C and B2B Lawyers

LinkedIn is especially useful for B2B lawyers—those working in corporate or employment defense, IP, M&A, real estate, corporate finance, etc.—because your target clients, collaborators, and potential referral sources are all using the same platform. Consistent activity on LinkedIn creates opportunities to collaborate with adjacent, non-competing businesses and keeps you and your firm on the radars of general counsels or in-house lawyers who regularly need outside counsel. 

But there’s plenty of opportunity for B2C lawyers on LinkedIn too. Firms practicing criminal, family, personal injury, or immigration law can leverage the platform for growth like they would any other platform. Individual lawyers can cultivate niche communities in which they act as micro-influencers—in their region, practice area, or a specific corner of legal knowledge. Take our friend Ben Glass, a long-term disability lawyer and legal marketing pro who focuses nearly all of his social media marketing efforts on LinkedIn. Ben is a standout example, but he’s also proof of the untapped potential this platform holds for B2C firms willing to show up consistently.

Tools & Features for Business Development

Linkedin, unlike its peers, still prioritizes organic content rather than ads, but there are still a couple of paid tier options with additional benefits and biz dev tools.

LinkedIn Premium: For a monthly subscription fee, you can see who has viewed your profiles, send direct messages before directly connecting, and access paywalled platform resources. Honestly, it’s really only useful for firm owners (great for recruiting) and those responsible for business development (easy lead reach-outs). The advanced search function can be a great growth tool if used correctly.

Sales Navigator: Distinct from LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator is essentially a lead management tool—it’s not a full CRM, but it can be integrated with the one your firm uses. Like Premium, this tool is best suited to firm owners, marketers, and all others engaged in robust outreach efforts.If you’re serious about strategic growth or referral partnerships, it’s worth a trial.

LinkedIn for Lawyers: The Basics

Personal Profiles

This is your page, not your firm’s. Even if your firm has its own company page, most traction on LinkedIn happens through personal profiles. Start here.

Must-Haves:

• Banner image with firm branding, legal niche, or environmental representation of your location or profession (skyline, court room, etc.)
• Clear headshot (no group pics or cropped wedding photos, please)
• Headline that states your professional title and/or a little something extra, like “Helping Utah business owners avoid courtrooms since 2010”
• About section with client-focused copy: who you help, how you help, why it matters
• Featured section: highlight your articles or blog posts, court wins, interviews, or speaking engagements
• Experience filled out with your firm role(s), plus prior roles if relevant
• Contact info and correct website links
• Regular activity (likes, comments, shares) to keep your profile “warm”

Firm Pages

This is your law firm’s central hub on LinkedIn. It won’t get as much love from the algorithm, but it cements credibility, raises your industry profile, and gives potential clients or partners a place to check you out.

Should Include:

• Branded logo and firm name
• Tagline and short, scannable “About” section
• Practice areas listed clearly
• Firm location(s)
• Who you serve—industries, audiences, or geographies
• CTA (follow us, contact us, read more, etc.) with correct links
• Regular posts that keep your page active and engaged

LinkedIn Strategies for Lawyers: Connect with Intent

It’s not a numbers game on this platform—the goal is to build an engaged and useful network, not the broadest audience available.

Connections

• All former and current colleagues and mentors
• Law school colleagues, professors, and alums
• Lawyers in other practice areas in your region (referrals!)
• General counsel and relevant in-house teams
• Local business owners and professionals in complementary fields
• Follow local industry leaders (or speakers from CLEs and conferences)

Engagement

• Engage with content on your feed for 5 minutes before hitting send on a post for better visibility
• Use the plethora of reactions available to you instead of the default “like”
• Start conversations on other people’s posts and leave thoughtful comments
• Congratulate promotions, anniversaries, and wins
• Build goodwill with referral sources by interacting with and re-posting their stuff
• Share relevant articles with connections over a brief message like “thought of you when I saw this”

Posting

• Aim for one post a week (or a re-post! Just be sure to add your own commentary) 
• Utilize line breaks to keep posts readable and punchy
• Add hashtags—they’re annoying, but they still work, especially on LinkedIn. 3 will do.
• Like and reply to every comment, even “Great post!”
• Tag your firm, colleagues, state bar association, alma mater, etc. for better visibility and engagement 
• Use the scheduling tool to bank a couple of posts at once

Content & Thought Leadership

LinkedIn allows you to post directly to your feed or to actually write, publish, and share an article hosted on the platform itself. Both posts and articles should be useful, interesting, and consistent. You’re not just talking to clients here, you’re connecting with peers.

Posts

• Short, casual, and timely
• Highest engagement and reach
• Great for opinions, insights, stories, and announcements

Articles

• Long-form and timely
• Lower visibility on LinkedIn, but strong SEO value potential
• Best posted on your website instead (duplicate content risk if posted both places), but if you’re aiming to be a LinkedIn legal influencer, LinkedIn articles may be the right choice.

LinkedIn Content Ideas for Lawyers

• Firm blog articles, posts and wins from colleagues, and other content that already exists
• Big news or recent case decisions (add your take)
• FAQs, frequent misunderstandings, and common client mistakes
• Client-friendly explainers (yes, even for B2B)
• Insights gained, lessons learned, quick legal tips
• Reflections on changes in your industry or community (take a national news piece and make it legally and locally relevant)

Final Tips

Measure Success

A little effort on LinkedIn can go a long way in the legal industry. But how are we measuring the impact of those efforts? Is the metric views, likes, leads, clicks, conversions? It’s a little of everything. Organic social posts don’t have the kind of 1-to-1 conversion stats that paid posts or ads have—their impact can be more nebulously related to brand awareness and search visibility. Keep an eye on baseline performance of your pages and adjust your posting strategy if you’re getting zero responses. 

Stay Compliant

You already know the drill. Just a gentle reminder to keep ethics rules in mind when you’re posting about wins, clients, or legal issues.

Set a Consistent Schedule

Once you’ve optimized your profiles and built a solid base of connections, stick to a regular schedule:

• 5–10 minutes a day engaging with your feed: like, comment, share.
• 5–10 minutes a day posting or saving articles to share later.

Or, batch it with 20–30 minutes once a week to read messages, engage with others’ content, and publish your own.

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Haven’t updated your LinkedIn since law school? Commit to spending 25 minutes this week giving it a little TLC. If you’re updating your other socials while you’re at it, check out our comprehensive social media marketing guide.

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