How Can You Use LinkedIn Strategically to Grow Your Legal Career

LinkedIn is a popular tool which is now used extremely widely used across the legal profession in the UK. Your potential clients, legal recruiters, law firm hiring teams and colleagues will typically browse LinkedIn, so it is a key chance to make a good impression of your professional profile. When it comes to getting headhunted for a job, your LinkedIn profile might be viewed before a potential employer gets in touch. As such, it is important to maintain a clear, well-drafted and up to date LinkedIn profile to support your professional reputation, demonstrate your expertise, and help you stay connected.

We explore some key tips which could help you use LinkedIn strategically to help boost your career, even if you are not actively on the lookout for a role.

• Work on and update your profile regularly

You should make sure your profile is up to date and showcases your skills and achievements. You may wish to make sure that your headline also highlights your practice area of focus e.g. ‘Data Privacy Lawyer – Helping Businesses Tackle UK GDPR Compliance’. This will tell both recruiters and potential clients exactly what you do so you are easily searchable, and your skills are quickly understood.

Your summary section is your opportunity to explain your current role, the types of matters you handle, and the sectors you work in. You should write it very clearly and directly, avoiding vague descriptions or generic buzzwords. If you regularly advise clients in a particular industry, lead on a certain category of work, or have developed specialist knowledge in a specific area – this is your chance to say so and try to stand out from the crowd.

Legal recruiters will regularly use LinkedIn to search for candidates with specific experience. So, you should ensure that your profile is complete and includes any specific keywords relevant to your practice as this could help ensure that you appear in recruiter searches for suitable roles.

If you are open to hearing about new opportunities, then you can update your LinkedIn settings to let recruiters know – which could help you find your ideal role.

• Build a focused and relevant network

You should prioritise connecting with people you know or have worked with e.g. colleagues, clients, or other notable lawyers or professionals you have met at events. This may help open doors and allow you to connect to them for opportunities where you wish to. If you are contacting someone you have not met directly – remember to try to propose a short, polite message explaining why you are connecting. Sometimes connecting to new individuals if a good networking opportunity. For example, you might say ‘Hello, I work with lots of clients in the technology space and would love to connect, as your business sounds really interesting’.

Building a strong and relevant network can help you stay informed about developments in your practice area and increase the visibility of your own activity, which could bring new opportunities your way e.g. where you are headhunted for potential roles.

• Be thoughtful about your activity and keep up to date

You do not need to post frequently to benefit from LinkedIn, but it can be quite helpful to share or comment on content that is relevant to your practice. For instance – if you contribute to an article, speak at a legal event, or attend a conference then you may wish to share your experience or a key takeaway you learned. This can help show your interest or skill in your practice area but also help others engage with you. Commenting on posts by others (e.g. on significant legal developments) can also help showcase your expertise and get you noticed. However, be vary of what you post and comment and keep it professional.

You may find it helpful to check LinkedIn regularly (not just to post or comment) but to respond to any messages you may have received, keep track relevant of big news in your industry and the latest issues and trends. For example, many savvy lawyers will quickly post significant updates on legal cases or regulatory news on LinkedIn – so it can be a good way to stay informed on key issues.

How The Legists Can Help

While LinkedIn can be a strong career growth tool, working directly with a recruiter is one of the best ways to actively secure your ideal legal role. If you are actively exploring legal career opportunities, you can register with The Legists for support.

The Legists’ advanced AI-powered search system matches you with roles tailored to your expertise and career aspirations. The Legists is a multi-award-winning job platform dedicated to the legal profession described as ‘Best Search Platform to Legal Jobs’ in 2022 by Business Elite Awards. It is a leading resource for legal positions across the UK, offering a vast selection of opportunities in various industries.  

To find your next role in the legal industry, you can register with The Legists. You can Create an account to apply for roles on The Legists.  You will never miss a law job opportunity in this field by setting up a Job alert. To be headhunted Upload your CV to our CV database.