Some of the lawyers we work with are genuinely reluctant to build a presence on LinkedIn, let alone take part in the conversations happening there. In our Friends in Law podcast conversation with Karen Hollenbach, LinkedIn training specialist and founder of Think Bespoke, she explained why that reluctance can quietly limit a career over time.
Quick answer: A LinkedIn profile works as a 24/7 professional ambassador, whether or not you are actively using it. Employers, clients and prospective connections will look you up online regardless, so an accurate, up to date profile lets you shape what they find, rather than leaving it to chance.
As Karen put it in our conversation:
"We often collaborate with lawyers who have seen colleagues who are not as competent as them, shining brighter on LinkedIn than they do. Under-representing yourself online can be a career limiting move. Whilst comparisons are not necessarily helpful, you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not at least have a presence on the biggest professional networking platform in the world."
Your Profile Works Even When You're Not
Keeping your profile current, well keyworded, and correctly linked to your employer history means it works on your behalf around the clock. Some lawyers assume their work should simply speak for itself, but people will still research you online before working with you, hiring you or referring you. Better that you have some say in what they find.
In practice, your next employer, your next client, or your next opportunity is likely to find you first through your firm's website or through LinkedIn. Putting yourself online can feel uncomfortable, but as Karen puts it, the goal is simply to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. People connect with people, and seeing a face they recognise on LinkedIn tends to land well.
An accurate profile also does some of the due diligence for you. It helps people understand your values and how you operate before a conversation even starts, which can save everyone time later.
Start With Two Questions
Before touching your profile, Karen suggests working out your goals for the platform. She asks two questions at her LinkedIn workshops:
- What do you want to be known for? This might be a subject matter expertise, a practice area, or simply how you conduct yourself professionally.
- Who do you want to influence on LinkedIn? This relates to who you are connected to, and the conversations you choose to take part in.
Once you have honest answers to both, the profile itself becomes much easier to build.
The Profile Basics Worth Getting Right
A few practical fundamentals:
- Use your personal email address. This means you retain access and editing rights even after you leave an employer. If you end up with duplicate profiles tied to old work emails, LinkedIn can merge them for you. If privacy is a concern, LinkedIn's settings allow you to keep that email address private.
- Use a professional photo. Not a holiday snap, a wedding photo, or one featuring pets. A photo alone can meaningfully increase profile views.
- Write a clear headline. Your current role, where you work, and your area of specialisation. If there is a cause you advocate for, it can belong here too. You have around 260 characters to say what you stand for.
- Write your About section in the first person. Cover who you help, the problem you solve, and what you would like a reader to do next. You have roughly 2,600 characters to work with.
- Use the Featured section. Link to articles you've published, resources, or podcast appearances.
- Include your education. Degrees and postgraduate qualifications.
- Keep your employment history chronological, and make sure it reconciles with your CV.
For Employers: How to Read a Profile Properly
A polished LinkedIn profile can sometimes feel too good to be true, and it is worth remembering that the person writing it controls every word.
That said, profiles are relatively easy to fact check against a CV, a company website, or mutual connections, and skills and experience can generally be verified. Karen's advice to employers is to be cautious of profiles with a thin employment history and few genuine endorsements, connections or recommendations.
What Being "Active" Actually Means
Being active on LinkedIn is not for everyone, and that's fine. Karen's view is that strategic, consistent activity aligned with your goals is what actually helps you get into conversations with the people you want to influence, not simply posting for its own sake.
If regular posting isn't for you, being an engaged part of the conversation still counts. Liking, sharing, and privately sharing posts with connections all help move things forward, and support the people around you. Worth remembering that LinkedIn's algorithm means your connections won't see every update regardless, so consistency matters more than frequency.
Curate What You See
LinkedIn works better when your feed reflects what is genuinely useful to you. Review the companies, groups and connections you follow, and remove the ones that no longer add value. It is also worth checking your notification and communication settings periodically, so LinkedIn stays useful rather than becoming another source of noise.
Thought Leadership Is Optional, Not Required
An active LinkedIn presence naturally opens the door to thought leadership, sharing an opinion, adding value, or commenting on industry developments. This is entirely optional and depends on your own comfort level.
You do not need to be a published author to contribute meaningfully here. As Karen notes, audiences are increasingly convinced less by the "organisational voice" and more by the crowd sourced voice of employees, colleagues and connections, in other words, genuine word of mouth.
If this appeals to you, LinkedIn's creator mode lets you select three or four topics you want to be known for, which then shape what is served up for you to engage with in your feed.
If You're Actively Job Searching
Your CV and your LinkedIn profile should tell a consistent story, without being identical documents. Your CV is a formal, role-specific document. Your LinkedIn profile is a broader statement of professional purpose, giving a reader a general sense of who you are as a legal professional and where your career has taken you.
The Modern Business Card
A current, professional LinkedIn presence functions as the modern equivalent of an accurate business card. It works for you even when you are otherwise occupied, and getting comfortable with having one matters just as much as keeping your CV current or protecting your professional reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn for Lawyers
Do I really need to be active on LinkedIn if I'm not job searching?
Yes, in the sense that your profile still functions as a passive professional ambassador even when you're not posting. Clients, employers and connections will look you up regardless, so keeping your profile accurate and current matters whether or not you're actively engaging.
What should be in a lawyer's LinkedIn headline?
Your current role, where you work, your area of specialisation, and, if relevant, a cause or focus you're known for advocating. You have roughly 260 characters to work with.
How can employers tell if a LinkedIn profile is genuine?
Cross check it against the person's CV, company website, and mutual connections. Be cautious of profiles with a thin employment history and few genuine endorsements or recommendations.
Do my CV and LinkedIn profile need to say exactly the same thing?
They should be consistent, but not identical. Your CV is specific to the role you're applying for, while your LinkedIn profile is a broader, ongoing statement of your professional story.
Want to Talk Through Your Professional Presence?
Whether you are actively looking or simply want your online presence to better reflect where your legal career is heading, use the contact form to get in touch. We are always happy to talk it through.
This piece draws on our Friends in Law podcast interview with Karen Hollenbach, LinkedIn training specialist and founder of Think Bespoke. You can subscribe to Friends in Law to hear more conversations on career stories, challenges and highlights from across the legal profession.
