Why Every Lawyer Needs a Strong LinkedIn Profile (and How to Get Started)
Blog Post
Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable shift in how lawyers and law firms present themselves online. LinkedIn, once seen mainly as a tool for job seekers, has become an essential platform for building relationships, sharing expertise, and staying visible in a competitive market.
Today, it's one of the most effective ways for legal professionals to build credibility, connect with their network, and reinforce their reputation, not just as lawyers, but as trusted advisors.
Why LinkedIn Matters More Than Ever for Lawyers
With over 1.2 billion users and 1.7 billion visits each month, LinkedIn has evolved into the most influential B2B platform in the world. It’s where your clients, colleagues, and referral sources are spending their time and increasingly, it’s where they go to learn about you.
For lawyers, LinkedIn is more than a networking tool — it’s a space to build trust, demonstrate leadership, and stay visible in an ever-evolving and competitive legal landscape. Whether you’re hoping to strengthen your relationships, attract new opportunities, or keep your name top-of-mind, LinkedIn gives you a direct and human way to engage with the people who matter most to your practice.
By consistently and authentically showing up, you can build meaningful relationships, reinforce your reputation, and share your expertise with a wider audience. All while contributing lasting value to your firm’s brand and future growth.
Your Personal Brand Already Exists. LinkedIn Helps You Shape It.
Your personal brand is about how people understand and remember what you do, how you work, and what you stand for. As a lawyer, your reputation is built on trust. LinkedIn allows you to build on that trust by showing up with clarity, consistency, and a bit more personality than a traditional bio allows.
That’s not to say your firm bio isn’t important — it is. But where your website bio provides structure and credentials, your LinkedIn presence can bring warmth, insight, and approachability to your story. Used together, they tell a more complete picture of who you are.
Whether you're a partner, associate, or in-house counsel, LinkedIn gives you the space to:
- Share updates about your work or industry
- Highlight your values, approach, and achievements
- Reinforce the credibility you’ve built offline
- Show prospective clients and connections what it’s like to work with you
Your Profile Is Your Digital Handshake
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your digital handshake: a quick but powerful introduction to who you are, what you do, and why you’re great at it.
A well-written, up-to-date profile helps you appear in the right searches, communicates your credibility, and makes it easier for potential clients, colleagues, or referral sources to connect. It reinforces what you bring to the table, not just in terms of legal skills and expertise, but in professionalism, personality, and presence.
If you plan to be more active on LinkedIn, whether by sharing content, engaging with others, or expanding your network, your profile is the foundation. Getting it right sets the stage for everything that comes next.
16 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Here’s your step-by-step guide to creating a polished, professional profile that reflects your legal expertise and supports your personal brand.
1. Profile Image
Start with a high-quality, professional headshot. It should be well-lit, current, and framed from the chest up. If your firm bio photo meets those criteria, it’s perfectly fine to reuse it. Choose attire that reflects how you’d dress when meeting a client and skip the selfies, group photos, or overly casual images. Aim to refresh your photo every few years.
2. Background Image
Your background banner is a small but valuable piece of real estate. Replacing the default blue screen with a firm-branded image or something that reflects your values, passions, or practice area adds a layer of professionalism, personality and visual interest.
3. Name & Pronouns
Use the professional name by which your clients and colleagues know you. If you feel comfortable, consider adding your pronouns. It’s a simple, inclusive step that reflects the platform’s evolving standards.
4. Custom URL & Contact Info
LinkedIn automatically assigns a long, clunky URL when you first create your profile. Take a moment to customize it, ideally to just your name, for a cleaner, more professional look. Make sure your contact information is up to date and that your profile is public with key sections visible to people outside your network.
5. Professional Headline
Go beyond just listing your job title. Use your headline to briefly highlight the value you bring, the clients you serve, or the problems you help solve. Keep it natural and avoid too much keyword stuffing. A clear, compelling headline helps people understand your focus at a glance. Max: 220 characters.
Example: Employment Lawyer | Helping businesses and employees navigate complex workplace issues
6. About Section
Think of this as your personal elevator pitch. Write in the first person and try to avoid just copying and pasting your firm bio. Instead, share who you help, how you help, and what drives your work. Talk about your “why,” touch on accomplishments you’re proud of, and let some of your personality shine. The character limit is generous at 2,600 characters, but clarity and authenticity matter more than length.
7. Services
Make it easy for people to understand what you do. Use this section to describe your legal services in plain, accessible language. Be specific and consider what potential clients or referral sources might be searching for.
8. Featured Section
This is the perfect spot to showcase key work or accomplishments. You can include LinkedIn posts, media coverage, articles, videos, awards, or upcoming speaking engagements. Keep this section curated and current. Think of quality over quantity.
9. Experience
Rather than simply listing roles, use this section to give context. Provide short summaries or bullet points that highlight your responsibilities, key areas of focus, and any notable outcomes or achievements. If you’ve progressed within the same firm, break out your roles to reflect your growth. Link to your firm’s company page and add media or case links where appropriate.
10. Education, Certifications & Licenses
Include your degrees, licensing jurisdictions, and certifications or continuing education relevant to your practice. This section gives weight to your expertise and shows a commitment to ongoing learning.
11. Volunteering
Whether you’ve done pro bono work, served on boards, or volunteered in your community, this is the place to highlight it. It adds dimension and shows what you value beyond your legal work.
12. Languages
If you speak more than one language, be sure to include it. This can be especially meaningful if you serve diverse communities or work with international clients.
13. Skills
Choose a focused list of skills that reflect your strengths and practice areas. Keep it updated as your career evolves. It can be tempting to list every legal term and soft skill that pops into mind, but a curated list is more effective than an exhaustive one.
14. Recommendations
Thoughtful recommendations from clients, peers, or mentors go a long way in building credibility. Don’t hesitate to ask people you’ve worked closely with to share a few sentences about their experience with you.
15. Interests & Follows
Your follows and interests are public on your profile, so take a moment to make sure they align with your professional brand. Follow people, firms, or organizations that reflect your values and areas of focus.
16. Projects, Publications & Patents
If you’ve written articles, spoken at events, contributed to legal publications, or worked on noteworthy cases, this section is a great place to highlight them. Include anything that reinforces your expertise, especially if you’re active in thought leadership, education, or advocacy.
Your Profile Is the Foundation — Not the Finish Line
Optimizing your profile is just the beginning. Once that foundation is in place, LinkedIn becomes a powerful platform for relationship-building, reputation management, and visibility.
The lawyers who see the most success on LinkedIn add value by sharing useful insights, highlighting others' wins, engaging with their network, and contributing to the conversations that matter in their field. Over time, this kind of authentic presence builds trust and keeps you top-of-mind.
The most effective profiles aren’t just visible, they’re active, consistent, and aligned with a clear sense of purpose. Whether you're looking to attract new clients, share your expertise, or grow your referral network, it all starts with showing up thoughtfully and strategically.
Looking to Get More Out of LinkedIn?
If you’re looking to elevate your LinkedIn presence or develop a more comprehensive digital strategy for your firm or practice, we can help. At Cubicle Fugitive, we work with lawyers and law firms to build smart, authentic, and effective marketing strategies that deliver results. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you get the most out of LinkedIn.