LinkedIn Offers Painless Networking for Legal Professionals

If you’re like most attorneys I know, you recognize the importance of networking.  But many lawyers just don’t have the time to attend every event, join every group, participate on every board.  Particularly in the early years of a career, the struggle between billable time and business development time is pretty one-sided, with billable winning most of the battles.

One of the easiest ways to get connected in the South Florida community is through social media.  If you’re a LinkedIn member, it’s very easy to find and join a group of like-minded professionals.  Just click the down arrow on the left side of the search box, and choose groups.  Use keywords in the search box to find groups that might be interesting.

1. Choose your groups

You don’t want to join every group; you won’t have enough time to keep up with them.  A search for “lawyers” yields 5,248 groups!  Narrow it down a little, and then dig in.  “Florida lawyers” generates 66 results. You can also try other variations, such as “Florida attorneys” or “Florida legal.” A good way to judge whether a group will be productive is to look at the statistics – how many members it has, how many discussions this month, and how many group members are in your network.  A few interesting examples are:

• Florida Lawyers Group is connected to the Florida Bar.  The group’s mission is to “enhance our business opportunities and expand our referral networks.”  It has more than 1,400 members and 231 discussions.
• Other groups are specific to practice specialties.  Compare before you join.  Florida Criminal Defense Lawyers has 1,712 members and 10 discussions this month, whereas Florida Defense Lawyers Association has just 238 members and 10 discussions.   Check out who is in each one before you decide – quality connections are better than quantity.
• Don’t forget to check on industry groups related to your practice.  If you’re involved in protecting intellectual property related to technology, you may want to join a group like Florida Technology Professionals.  It’s been around for five years and has more than 8,000 members.

2. Watch for a while

Adjust your settings to receive group updates, but also proactively visit your groups regularly.  For the first few weeks, spend time absorbing without commenting.  You’ll get a sense of the topics, the tone, even the players.  Make sure you want to be known by these people and that you respect their opinions before you jump in.

3. Contribute intelligently

Commenting on more popular discussions gives you more visibility.  But responding to posts from people who generate few comments could be valuable too, if they are specific people you want to get to know or people who work at particular banks you’re prospecting, for example.  If you’re the only person who replies to their posts, you may make grateful new friends!

4. Start your own topics

If you’ve written a white paper or you’re presenting at a conference, starting a discussion in a group is a great way to promote your expertise.  But even curating news (posting stories you read that might be of interest to the group) gets your name in front of them, as long as you add an intelligent comment.

5. Don’t neglect your new friends

Social media memories are short.  Unless you are frequently visiting and commenting, someone else will take your place in the spotlight.  Set aside time on your calendar every day, even if it’s just 15 minutes every morning.   You’ll find it’s a great way to keep up on industry news and build connections painlessly!

Feel free to contact me via LinkedIn!