Why Twitter Shouldn’t Scare Lawyers

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Black-necked stilt, AKA "lawyer bird"*

It’s fair to say Twitter has taken the social media world by storm. In less than five years, Twitter has become one of the go-to media outlets for bloggers, newspapers, companies, and the everyday Internet user. I won’t go into a long discourse on what Twitter is, what it can do, or how it works. Other people have done a much better job at describing it than I could have.  (Consider checking out About.com’s “What is Twitter” article or viewing Common Craft’s “Twitter in Plain English” video. Also, Twitter has its own about page.)

I’ve discovered through casual conversations (with law school classmates, lawyers, businesspeople, and family and friends) that there are three basic reactions to Twitter. A) “I don’t get it. What’s the point?”, B) “That would never work for me,” or C) “Awesome. Sign me up.” The links in the previous paragraph address the first reaction, and the third reaction needs no additional encouragement, so my message today is directed at the second: don’t be afraid of Twitter. As law students, lawyers, or professors, Twitter offers something for each of us.

The basic benefit of Twitter as a lawyer (either as a solo practitioner or a member of a law firm) is in providing information to current or potential clients and to other lawyers. But it’s about more than just “tweet”ing firm news releases or updates. Indeed, as an individual lawyer, any specific updates you could provide would likely breach attorney-client confidentiality or violate state ethics codes. Twitter is, instead, a useful tool in keeping your followers up-to-date about legal news. That news could be about important decisions in courts around the country, news about legislation, or a story about how the law operates in practice.

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Closing Thoughts on Opening a Law Practice

This is my fourth and final guest post. I have dedicated my blogging this month to the topic of starting a law practice. The first week was focused on the reasons why people would want to hang a shingle. The second week’s post discussed start-up costs. The third week was focused on attracting clients. This week, I wrap up with a few final thoughts. Some of these points are responses to questions and comments I received from people thinking about making the leap.

1. Yes, there is a lot of work involved. Starting any business requires a lot of passion, hard work and long hours. Starting a law practice adds to that the work of practicing law, which is in and of itself a full-time job. My take on this is that for the first couple years until things stabilize, you should fully commit to getting your practice off the ground. This means working evenings and weekends if that’s what you have to do.  

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Getting Clients to Hire You

I once applied for a job and the person interviewing me said words to the following effect:  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why should I hire you?”  A client who has a problem that warrants spending hundreds or thousands of dollars of hard earned money and/or company assets undoubtedly asks the same question (at least in their head).  I apparently had a good enough answer to the question because I got the job and if you can answer the same question (whether or not the client asks) you will probably get the client to hire you.  

Of course, before you get to answer the question, the client has to find you.  Attorneys who are just starting out can rarely, if ever, come out of the gate with a large advertising budget and marketing campaign.  So word of mouth is really key at first.  The absolute best way to make contact with a new client is through another attorney.  Here’s why:  

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