how to brand yourself as a lawyer

6 steps to personal branding for lawyers

1. Find your niche. Don’t spread your brand too thin by trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, define a target audience...
2. Be true to yourself. Once you’ve thoroughly defined your niche, you can start to create your brand message: Why...
3. Tell your story. Leverage the fact that the human brain loves a good story. The classic...

Full Answer

Do you need lawyer branding?

. Published on April 23, 2018. Whether you’ve just passed the bar exam or have been a partner at a top law firm for twenty years, lawyer branding is essential. Today, online screenings – both formal and informal determine whether or not people will hire you, work for you, or refer new clients to you.

Why is a personal brand important for lawyers?

Regardless of your area of expertise, level of experience or where you work, a personal brand is a must for lawyers and attorneys who want to increase their professional opportunities.

Can an attorney build an effective online brand without violating compliance?

Luckily attorneys can build and maintain an informative and effective online brand without violating any compliance issues. Whether you create your brand on your own, use BrandYourself’s software or work with our Managed Services team – you get to set the boundaries.

Why is online branding important for law firms?

Whether you are building this professional brand as an individual attorney or as part of a law firm, online branding can reinforce your credibility and cultivate a broader audience (which ultimately leads to more clients). Writing strategic content on the platforms and in the communities where interested parties will find it.

How do I brand myself as an attorney?

Build a Personal Attorney Website Even if your firm already has a website, one of the best ways to establish your personal brand is to build a separate website for yourself. This could be a variation of your first and last name (e.g., johnsmith.com, johnsmithlawyer.com, johnsmith.

How do you brand yourself as a professional?

Overview.Get Started. Refresh Your Resume. Create a Branding Statement. ... Prepare To Network. Update Your Profile Picture. Best Social Media Sites for Job Search. ... Start Your Hunt. Visit a Career Counselor. ... Use Your Network. Contact Friends and Family. ... Find the Job. Attend a Job Fair. ... Interview/Follow-Up. Research Companies Beforehand.

How do I create my own brand of myself?

Ten Tips for Developing Your Personal BrandFigure out who you are.Determine what you want to be known for.Define your audience.Research your desired industry and follow the experts.Ask for informational interviews.Embrace networking.Ask for recommendations.Grow your online presence.More items...•

How do you label a lawyer?

When you correspond with a lawyer, you have two choices:Write the person using a standard courtesy title (“Mr. Robert Jones” or “Ms. Cynthia Adams”)Skip the courtesy title and put “Esquire” after the name, using its abbreviated form, “Esq.” (“Robert Jones, Esq.” or “Cynthia Adams, Esq.”)

What are the 3 C's of branding?

Building a strong brand is an arduous task under constant attack by three challenges: cash, consistency, and clutter, also known as the three Cs of branding.

What are the 5 A's of personal branding?

These are the 5 A's of personal branding:Authenticity.Authority.Aspiration.Affinity.Artisanat.

How do I find my personal brand?

6 Steps for Creating Your Personal BrandDefine who you are. Choose 3 words that you'd use to describe yourself. ... Understand your audience. Think carefully about who you're aiming your services at and where they're located. ... Decide what you want to be known for. ... Prepare your elevator pitch.

What is my personal brand examples?

Your personal brand statement has to be strong, descriptive, short, and catchy all at the same time. Some examples include: “I help individuals reassess their life choices to discover their true paths to success.” “I develop sustainable business models and marketing strategies to fuel small business growth.”

What are 3 characteristics of a good logo?

A good logo is:Simple.Relevant.Memorable.Timeless.Versatile.

How do you write JD after a name?

Use abbreviations without periods—such as AB, BA, MA, MS, MBA, JD, LLB, LLM, DPhil, and PhD—when the preferred form is cumbersome. Use the word degree after the abbreviation. Example: Louise has a JD degree from California Western School of Law. On occasion it may also be appropriate to use formal names of degrees.

What initials do lawyers use?

''J. D'' is short for “Juris Doctor''“J.D.'' stands for Juris Doctor, an academic degree granted by university or law school, that a person receives after graduation. ... So, once you have graduated and earned the lawyer abbreviation J.D., you should pass a state bar examination.More items...•

Can I use Esq after my name?

"Esq." or "Esquire" is an honorary title that is placed after a practicing lawyer's name. Practicing lawyers are those who have passed a state's (or Washington, D.C.'s) bar exam and have been licensed by that jurisdiction's bar association.

How do you personally rebrand yourself?

How to rebrand yourselfClearly define your objective. ... Determine what your unique selling point is. ... Create a coherent narrative of your transformation. ... Introduce your new brand to your existing network. ... Show your accomplishments.

What does it means to brand yourself?

Branding yourself means to develop a unique professional identity and coherent message that sets you apart from others either in your company or in your industry. If you are a CEO or an entrepreneur, you may say, 'I have enough on my plate by building and managing my company's brand, much less my own.

How would you describe yourself as a brand?

A personal brand statement is 1-3 sentences that explain what you do and why you are unique in your field. It sums up your experience, your skills, and your passion so that people can easily understand who you are and what you offer.

What is a professional brand?

Professional branding is the process of creating a "mark" around your name or your career. This is achieved by having specific strengths and messages that people remember about you. It is how you express and communicate your skills, personality, and values—in person and online.

What is personal brand in legal?

It is what sets your legal practice apart from the competition, builds your credibility, and gives potential clients a reason to trust you with their legal needs. If you haven’t created a personal brand for yourself, you are missing out on the opportunity to make a great first impression.

How to write a personal brand story?

When creating your personal brand story, you’ll need to decide what kind of plot to use and how you will portray yourself as the “hero.” Here are a few ideas: 1 Talk about a difficult situation and describe what you did to overcome it. 2 Describe a particular moment that caused you to rethink how you viewed the world. 3 Discuss something you learned that changed the trajectory of your career.

Why is it important to be genuine?

Being genuine ensures that your brand is original. It also makes it easier to maintain your brand because you’ll be less prone to making gaffs if you are communicating in a way that comes naturally .

Is it a good idea to make your story clear?

It’s also a good idea to make your story as clear as possible, so people won’t be confused about your message. This means it must be as narrowly defined as your niche. There should be zero confusion about why prospective clients should choose you.

Do you need to reinvent the wheel to build a personal brand?

The good news is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to build a powerful personal brand. While it’s important for your brand to be authentic, there’s no reason you can’t research your competition and see the techniques that others are using to create successful brands.

Why is lawyer branding important?

Why lawyer branding is important. Whether you’ve just passed the bar exam or have been a partner at a top law firm for twenty years, lawyer branding is essential. Today, online screenings – both formal and informal determine whether or not people will hire you, work for you, or refer new clients to you.

What does it mean when a lawyer mounts a smear campaign against you?

Whether a competing attorney mounted a smear campaign against you, a disgruntled client wrote awful things about you on a website, you lost a case, or someone with your name has a criminal record – negative search results are costing you business.

How many small law firms don't have websites?

According to a study from Rocket Marketing, 40% of small law firms don’t have websites. If you work at a small law firm, you can really stand out by having a well-optimized and well-executed website.

Pass Along Handwritten Thank Yous

Send handwritten thank-you notes to customers often. Clients are looking for lawyers who genuinely care about them and their cases, and nothing says “I care” more than a handwritten note.

Be Consistent and Clear in Your Message

As both a formerly practicing attorney and a marketing professional, my best personal branding tip for lawyers is to be consistent. First, decide what message you want to convey to clients and then figure out how to present that message. Get professional help picking a font, creating a logo, and designing marketing collateral.

Sell Your Expertise to Clients

Personal branding is important for lawyers, whether they are part of a large firm or working solo. Clients need to know your expertise, so they know you are the right fit for their situation. Consider your specialty, strategies, and strengths that have brought you the most success. Take your time to marshall as much detail as you can.

Build a Neat and Navigable Website

It’s crucial to meet your prospective clients where they are, which, in this case, is online. And the best way to do that? By creating a website that showcases your strengths, areas of expertise, and core values. You want your website to be an extension of everything you stand for, so pay close attention to the details.

Create Content for Your Brand

Lawyers should invest time and effort in online content marketing as a means of building their personal brand. Content marketing helps you stand out in your particular legal niche, especially if the content you are providing is genuinely helpful and insightful. The more helpful your content is, the more people will turn to you as a legal resource.

Network on LinkedIn

Most lawyers are part of a larger firm that takes care of the firm branding and marketing, but it’s up to you individually to manage your personal brand reputation. So many of the attorneys we work with have minimal or no LinkedIn presence.

Promote Your Practice on Twitter

I highly recommend that lawyers use Twitter to promote their personal brand. Twitter is an excellent platform for personal branding. It increases the visibility of your brand online and helps you build long-term relationships and trust with your target audience. Use Twitter to create a community around your expertise.

The Power of a Personal Brand

I wrote my new book, “The Essential Associate,” for young lawyers who aspire to succeed, grow and advance on a partnership track at a law firm (or at least want to keep the partnership option open). It addresses the dual imperatives of becoming an excellent lawyer and generating work for yourself and other lawyers at your firm.

Lawyer Branding: A Code to Live By

In my book, I provide a deep dive, step-by-step guide that details the actions young lawyers must take to build a powerful personal brand. They include:

The Power of Ideas: The Key to Lawyer Branding

Here’s the good news: It’s not necessarily your physical presence that matters when it comes to building your reputation among potential buyers of legal services. More important is the power of your ideas, and word of mouth from people who know and trust you.

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Shift to a self-marketing mindset, overcome your blockers, achieve your goals and grow your reputation

In the legal industry, it's not just about what you know; it’s also about how you present yourself. In this article, we explain how to look at marketing effectively to achieve your goals.

First thing first: What is self-marketing?

Sometimes self-marketing is called personal branding. Some see it as the process of promoting a person rather than a product or a service. Others define it as a strategy used by a job-seeker to improve their chances of acquiring the ideal position and advance in his career of choice.

What keeps people from marketing themselves?

As we’re always in touch with our community of lawyers, we noticed a couple of common reasons that block lawyers from promoting themselves. And some of these reasons are more common, especially among women lawyers, who themselves find marketing being intrusive and instead choose to work hard and hope to be noticed and rewarded.