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What Are the Benefits of LinkedIn for Lawyers?

For individual lawyers and law firms, LinkedIn.com offers not only the opportunity to connect with colleagues and organizations, but also to market legal services to people who need legal representation. Law firms and individual lawyers can use LinkedIn to establish referral relationships with other firms and lawyers so that they can send potential clients to each other. In addition, lawyers can use LinkedIn as a platform to demonstrate their expertise in a particular area of law and help grow their practice or to find a job with a firm.

  1. Background

    • LinkedIn, which is a social networking site focused on business and professional networking, is the second most popular social networking website in the U.S. as of the date of publication, according to Bloomberg. More than 120 million professionals worldwide were members of LinkedIn in August 2011. Like any other business, law firms can use LinkedIn to help build their business and market their services to potential clients.

    Networking

    • One of the benefits for lawyers for using LinkedIn is the ability to efficiently and cost effectively find clients through building a network of relationships. The Wisconsin Law Journal reported in a September 2008 article that some lawyers will ask their LinkedIn connections to make introductions to people they are connected to. In addition, lawyers will use the discussion group function of LinkedIn to connect with law school classmates not only for social purposes, but also to refer people who are located in other states to lawyer colleagues nearby.

    Seeking Resources

    • In addition to using LinkedIn to find or refer clients, lawyers can use LinkedIn to find new resources or assistance in helping them be more effective. For instance, according to a January 2009 article by Lawyer Casting, lawyers can use the LinkedIn “Answers” feature to ask other LinkedIn members for information or suggestions. Some lawyers use LinkedIn to find expert or fact witnesses, or technical experts to assist with a case. Lawyers should also consider answering questions by other LinkedIn members to demonstrate their expertise in a particular subject area, according to the Lawyer Casting article. When a lawyer answers a question in the “Answers” section, this also appears on their LinkedIn profile. Potential clients may see these answers and be interested in contacting that lawyer or firm.

    Job Searching

    • One of the biggest benefits of using LinkedIn for any profession, including law, is finding a job. The ABA Journal, a publication of the American Bar Association, reported in a December 2008 article that some lawyers who have lost a job at one firm are able to find another position quickly. LinkedIn allows users to send emails to all of their connections notifying them that they are seeking a new position.

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