Blogging Is for Lawyers, Too

For lawyers interested in practice-building, there are few methods more proven than law blogging (or blawging, if you prefer) and getting social via social media online.

As I wrote in a recent paper, Social Media, A Vital Tool for the Modern Family Law Practice, delivered at an Ontario Bar Association CPD programme for family law lawyers last month:

Increasingly, the sophisticated shopper for legal services is looking online for the legal professionals he or she will hire. A strong social media footprint will help these shoppers to find you. Quality content, branded and delivered authentically and professionally, will help these purchasers to choose you.

The results may not be apparent overnight.
But opportunity abounds in the Ontario online family law space, in particular, for family law blogging and social media participation, focussed exclusively on family law topics, video and content. There are an abundance of family law firm websites, but comparatively little participation in blogging and other social media.

Over time, with active regular blogging and social media participation, your firm’s stable and recognizable online presence will emerge. You will have clients call you because you have written or even tweeted on a topic that is central to them. Opposing counsel will let you know they’ve read your work. The press will call for comments on important court rulings, law reform topics and new legislation. Your Google ranking will start to improve. The OBA or CBA or LSUC may start calling on you to participate as a presenter in CPD programmes.

And your practice will grow.

As I said, trust me on this. It happened to a friend of a friend of mine…

And it happened to me.

So this week’s practice tip is a simple one. Think about starting a law blog and participating professionally in social media.

It could make a giant difference in your practice.

-Garry J. Wise, Toronto (@wiselaw)