Session from 28th February 2025
Helen Burness, a seasoned legal marketer with over 20 years of experience, shared invaluable insights on how legal professionals can effectively build their personal brands on LinkedIn, still the most important social media tool for professionals.
LinkedIn’s Evolution in Legal
LinkedIn, launched around 2002-2003, was specifically designed for professional networking. While many lawyers were early adopters, the platform has evolved significantly.
“It’s still about networking, but it’s much more content-driven now,” Burness explained. Despite being designed with professional services in mind, the legal sector is now lagging in adoption – largely due to regulatory considerations and cultural barriers.
Personal vs. Corporate Branding
While company pages remain important, the real power now lies in personal branding.
“The company page has to represent the whole company,” Burness noted. “But it’s often not the thing that people will connect with for an opportunity to suggest working together. That tends to come from building up the relationship on the personal level.”
Burness advocates for a “virtuous circle” where individual lawyers clearly indicate their organizational affiliation, while company pages highlight their people.
Optimising Your Profile
For those looking to enhance their LinkedIn presence, Burness recommends:
- Craft a compelling headline – Ensure the first three words clearly indicate what you do
- Update your profile photo – Keep it current and professional
- Create an engaging “About” section – Focus on the present, not your entire career history
- Include a call to action – Always invite readers to take a next step
Content Strategy
When it comes to posting, Burness emphasises “consistency over frequency.” Different content formats serve different purposes:
- Short text posts perform well but have less longevity
- Long-form blogs reach fewer people but attract more qualified leads
- Video content can be powerful for those comfortable with it
The key is finding the format that feels authentic to you: “Find what content you are comfortable with and don’t make yourself do things that feel out of your comfort zone.”
Beyond Posting
LinkedIn effectiveness isn’t solely about creating original content. Burness highlighted several other valuable activities:
- Commenting on others’ posts
- Building community through engagement
- Active network growth by connecting with relevant professionals
Talking About Work Without Breaking Confidentiality
For lawyers concerned about demonstrating expertise without breaching confidentiality, Burness suggested:
- Providing commentary on public cases or news events
- Creating educational content that breaks down legal concepts
- Focusing on making technical areas of law accessible
The Silent Audience
Many senior professionals, including general counsel and law firm leaders, browse LinkedIn without commenting or liking posts.
“They are watching,” Burness assured. “A lot of law firm leaders and general counsel are using the weekends to catch up on their network. They will get in touch with you when the time is right.”
For this audience, posts that clearly state what you do, how you do it, and provide evidence of your expertise are particularly effective, even if they don’t generate high engagement.
Being Authentically Professional
On the question of how personal to be, Burness advocated for “intentional authenticity”:
- Purposeful authenticity: Share parts of yourself that serve your audience
- Purposeful vulnerability: Share, but make a point when you do
- Curated realness: Show you’re human without being mundane
The Business Impact
For those wondering whether LinkedIn activity truly generates business, Burness was clear: “If you have the right approach… if you turn up, if you give value to your audience, if you make it very clear who you are, what you do, how you do it, how you help people, if you give evidence of that, it will end up generating work.”
As the legal sector continues to evolve in an increasingly digital marketplace, LinkedIn represents a powerful tool for lawyers to build their personal brands, demonstrate expertise, and generate new business opportunities through authentic engagement.
