How Lawyers Can Use Personal Branding to Grow Their Careers

For a long time, personal branding felt like something reserved for influencers, entrepreneurs or marketing professionals. It didn’t feel like something lawyers needed to think about, especially those in big firms with built-in reputations. But that has changed.

Today, lawyers at every stage of their careers need to think about how they’re perceived both inside and outside their firms. Whether you’re a junior associate or a partner, people are looking you up. They’re checking LinkedIn. They’re noticing how you show up online and offline. Your personal brand is the reputation you’re building every day through your work, your communication style and your visibility.

A strong personal brand is not about chasing likes or becoming a social media influencer. It’s about clarity. When people understand what you do, how you work and why they can trust you, they’re more likely to hire you, refer you and think of you when the right opportunity arises.

Start by Owning Your Online Presence

If you don’t take the time to shape your online presence, you risk being invisible or misunderstood. Focus on showing up in a way that reflects your work, your values and your strengths. Show up where it matters, and make it count.

Here are a few ways to strengthen your online presence:

• Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and current. Use a strong headline that reflects what you do and who you help.
• Use the About section to tell your story. Make it conversational but professional.
• Add recent experience, publications and speaking engagements.
• Include a professional photo and a background image that reflects your work or interests.
• Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and current. Use a strong headline that reflects what you do and who you help.
• Use the About section to tell your story. Make it conversational but professional.
• Add recent experience, publications and speaking engagements.
• Include a professional photo and a background image that reflects your work or interests.
• Choose a cover image that aligns with your professional identity. Avoid generic cityscapes or abstract patterns. Make it relevant.
• Use the Featured section to highlight articles, media and links that reinforce your experience and interests.
• Google yourself regularly. Make sure the results reflect how you want to be seen.

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first place someone goes to learn more about you. Whether you realize it or not, people are looking at you – everyone from your colleagues, alumni, clients, prospects, recruiters and even reporters. It’s your digital first impression, and it speaks before you ever say a word. A strong profile reinforces your credibility and opens the door to opportunities. A vague or outdated one sends the opposite message. It makes it seem like you’re not paying attention or don’t care how you’re perceived. In today’s world, that can cost you visibility, relationships and referrals.

Think About For What You Want to Be Known

Too many lawyers think they have to wait until they make partner to build a brand. That is backwards. Your brand is what helps you get there. It’s your reputation. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.

Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, get clear on for what you want to be known:

• What kinds of matters do you want to be doing more of
• What are you known for among your peers
• What unique experience or background do you bring to the table
• How do you want to be described when you’re not in the room

Once you know that, you can start to shape your communications, your profile and your visibility efforts around those messages. You don’t need to shout them. You just need to reinforce them consistently.

Be Seen and Heard

People remember those who stay engaged in meaningful ways. When you contribute, follow up and offer helpful insight, others begin to associate you with credibility and experience. Make a habit of participating where it counts. These consistent actions help reinforce who you are and how you work, so when someone needs what you do, they know who to contact.

• Comment on LinkedIn posts from colleagues, clients and alumni. A few sentences that add perspective go a long way
• Share an article with a short caption explaining why it’s relevant to your practice or client base
• Write LinkedIn posts about trends you’re seeing, common questions you’re hearing or issues you’re tracking for your clients
• Attend firm and industry events, then follow up with a quick note to the people you meet
• Offer to moderate or speak on internal panels or CLEs to raise your profile with peers and firm leadership
• Send an article or podcast episode to a client or colleague with a quick message that connects it to something they care about
• Mention and tag others in LinkedIn posts (when appropriate) to spark connection and show engagement
• Reconnect with former colleagues, classmates and clients on LinkedIn by sending a short, thoughtful message that doesn’t ask for anything

You don’t need to do all of these. Pick one or two that feel right for you and do them consistently. Visibility is built over time, and it starts with showing up in ways that feel natural and valuable.

Build Relationships Inside the Firm

Personal branding isn’t just for external visibility. It’s also about building your reputation inside the firm. That’s how you get staffed on better matters, considered for leadership roles and brought into client opportunities.

Ways to raise your profile internally:

• Be proactive about meeting colleagues across offices and practices
• Volunteer for initiatives that align with your interests and strengths
• Speak up in meetings when you have something to add
• Follow through on what you say you will do and deliver quality work consistently
• Get to know the marketing and business development team and let them know what you’re working on
• Introduce yourself to senior lawyers and ask thoughtful questions about their work

A strong internal brand helps you build the kinds of relationships that lead to client exposure, mentoring and leadership opportunities. It also helps your colleagues refer work to you more confidently.

Balance Consistency With Authenticity

You don’t have to become someone else to build a strong personal brand. The most effective ones are rooted in what’s already true about you. The key is to show up in a consistent, thoughtful way so that people understand who you are, what you care about and how you work. It’s not about curating a version of yourself that feels performative. It’s about being intentional with what you share, how you contribute and the impression you leave behind.

Some reminders:

• You don’t need a huge platform to have an impact. Focus on your network and your voice.
• Be helpful, not promotional. People respond to insight and authenticity.
• Stay true to who you are. Don’t copy what others are doing if it doesn’t feel right for you.
• Keep showing up, even when it feels like no one is watching.

People want to work with lawyers they like, trust and remember. A clear and consistent brand makes it easier for people to understand what you do and why they should work with you.

Use Content to Build Credibility

You don’t have to churn out articles every week. But when something comes up that you know others are dealing with too, say something. Share a few lines about it on LinkedIn. Send a client a quick note about a development in their industry. Talk about something you’ve been asked lately. These small things show people that you’re paying attention and that you understand the issues they care about. That’s what helps you stay relevant.

Here are a few ways to do that:

• Share takeaways from a recent matter or industry event
• Post a LinkedIn update with a quick insight about a legal issue
• Co-author an article with a colleague
• Ask to moderate a panel discussion or speak on a webinar
• Repurpose internal work into short client-friendly insights

Content doesn’t need to be long to be effective. It just needs to be clear, useful and relevant to the people you want to reach.

Personal Branding Is Career Insurance

Law firm roles change. Practices evolve. People move firms or go in-house. A strong personal brand gives you more control over your professional trajectory. It helps you maintain visibility, grow your network and open doors that might not have been available otherwise.

When you have a clear brand:

• People know what to come to you for
• You stand out in a crowded field
• You get asked to speak, write and lead
• You build stronger relationships with clients and colleagues
• You create more career opportunities

Your brand doesn’t guarantee success. But it makes success more likely. And it makes transitions smoother when they happen.

Your Homework

Take 15 minutes to audit your LinkedIn profile. Update your headline. Rewrite your About section. Think about the story you want to tell.

Then, make a list of three to five people at your firm and outside your firm you’d like to get to know better. Come up with a simple plan for how you’ll do it, such as grabbing coffee, sending a note after a meeting or reading their LinkedIn and firm bio so you can start a conversation.

Finally, commit to doing one small visibility action each week for the next month. That could be a comment, a post, an email or a conversation. Track what you do and how it feels. Adjust along the way.

The strongest brands are built by people who are intentional, engaged and willing to show up. You already have the tools. Now it’s time to use them!

Connect with me on LinkedIn, X, Threads, YouTube, Instagram, sign up for my email list and follow my blog.