Attorneys belong to everything from bar associations to industry organizations connected to their legal practice. However, I say they need to follow the lead of Los Angeles gangs. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement officials say that gangs use Facebook and Twitter to share information, including information that helps agents identify gang associates and get valuable details about their organizations.
For years, due to state regulations, lawyers have had their hands tied when it came to promoting their practices and firms. Advertising and marketing were “dirty” words that made every lawyer feel like they were “stalking” for new clients. However, that’s been changing over the last ten years. I just came off the board for the Midwest Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association, and I can assure you that lawyers are marketing more than ever.
Gangs used to operate in the shadows of society (well maybe not Al Capone). And in regards to self-promotion, so have lawyers. However, with Facebook and Twitter, lawyers can stay connected with clients, prospects, law schools they recruit from, and referring lawyers. The key is CONTENT.
While most states have strict rules on “sales” messages from lawyers, sharing information that shows a lawyer’s expertise or news written about one of their cases, in most instances, is fair game to share with the world. So it can be “legal” and “promotional” at the same time.
The PR laugh is the wide gap between “old school” and “new school” lawyers and law firms. If our agency was still pitching to traditional media and avoiding social media, we’d be dead.