Grad Fellow
Law Career Services
During law school, and your professional legal career, you should consciously manage your brand. What is a brand, you might ask? Dictionary.com defines “brand” as “a kind of variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.” This is the exact purpose of your brand – to set yourself apart from the rest, to highlight the distinct qualities that you can bring to employers, and to show employers and clients what kind of an advocate you are. (For more info on what a brand is, and the importance of a professional brand, read this Forbes article.)A professional brand is developed by your reputation, which is essential in the legal community. Your reputation is demonstrated by your style and professional interactions, your paper trail, your social media profiles, and your involvement in the community. Ultimately, your personality and values drive your particular brand, so it is vital that you remain genuine.
Appearance and Professional Interactions
Your appearance and professional interactions are the first things people notice when you walk in the door, or even a courtroom. They send messages about who you are. This message becomes part of your brand. Consider incorporating the following in your appearance and professional interactions:
• Maintain eye contact during conversation.
• Sustain a strong posture.
• Be personable in your own unique way.
- Examples: Actively engage in conversation, show your interest in the person to whom you are speaking to, smile when talking, relate to the speaker by sharing a similar experience, and so forth.
- Note: Most practice areas require formal attire, but you can still personalize it. For example, I know of a litigator who is required to dress formally for court. However, he has branded his image by wearing a pocket watch every day. Notably, I only saw him once in court, but I still remember him because of that pocket watch.
Your paper trail provides employers and contacts with insight into your thought processes and working habits. Keep in mind, your paper trail is permanent, so it should be absolutely free of errors of any kind. When an employer sees an error in a cover letter, résumé, writing sample, etc., that too becomes part of your brand. In addition to eliminating errors, try some of the following:
• Headings: Your headings act as your unique signature or trademark, so all of your headings on your cover letters, résumés, and other documents should match.
- Note: You should stick to formal fonts and sizes. To make your heading unique without using loud fonts, position your information in a distinct manner. For example,
NAME | ADDRESS | PHONE NUMBER | EMAIL
-OR-
• Salutations and Valedictions: When writing any sort of correspondence, think about your salutations and valedictions. Your word choice can say a lot about who you are. Of course, the salutation and closing will vary depending on your relationship with the recipient.
- Examples: Sincerely, Kindest Regards, Warm Regards, Many Thanks, Respectfully, Respectfully Yours, Dear, Greetings, etc.
Social Media
Social media is one of the most convenient and effective forums to promote your brand. This means, however, that you need to regulate the content that is available to the public eye. Here are some tips on how to preserve and promote your brand via social media:
• Search For Yourself: Conduct a web search of yourself to see what pops up. If someone shares your name, add your middle name or title to your profile. You can also use the same photo across forums to differentiate yourself from that person.
• No Commingling: Refrain from commingling your personal and professional social media forums. Designate some social media forums, like LinkedIn, for professional use, and others, like Facebook, for personal use. Also, use the privacy settings on your personal forums to preserve your professional brand.
• Use the LinkedIn Summary and Headline Functions: Actually fill out the summary box and Headline on LinkedIn to publicize your brand.
• Management: If you need help managing all of your social media tools, look into free forums like Hootsuite, which allow you to manage multiple forums all on one platform.
• Blog/Website: Create an ongoing blog or build a website about your cause, field of practice, and/or non-confidential projects you have completed. One easy way to create a blog is through the free Gmail Blogger Application.
• Post Content: Post articles or research that interest you, or that you think other professionals may benefit from. You can set up alerts on Westlaw, Lexis, Google, etc. to receive notifications of articles and events to share on your media spaces.
Involvement in Multiple Communities
Community involvement can display your areas of interest and commitment to the law. As you get to know people within these communities, you are simultaneously promoting your brand. Community members will associate your contributions with who you are as a working professional. Ultimately, this could lead to employment opportunities and/or client referrals. Consider becoming involved in the following ways:
• Pro Bono: Not only is pro bono work a noble endeavor, it can demonstrate your commitment to a legal cause and an ethical practice. In addition, volunteering at pro bono clinics long-term allows an attorney to learn a new area of law, which in turn, diversifies that attorney’s skill sets. These skill sets can be added to your brand.
• Bar Associations: Join bar associations and network. Creating relationships with other attorneys and legal professionals naturally promotes your brand as these individuals become accustomed to who you are. Attorneys may make referrals or offer assistance because they are impressed by your brand.
• Committees/Boards: Your participation on committees and boards also enlightens employers and the public on your current interests and abilities. By joining a committee or board, you show the world that you don't just talk the talk, you actually walk the walk.
Final Thoughts
To get started, use these examples if they truly speak to you and can naturally be incorporated into your brand. As you thoughtfully expand your brand, I encourage you to think of your own branding tools to establish and promote your professional self. Do NOT create a knock-off brand! In this industry, you cannot fake your love for criminal law, you cannot pretend to enjoy pro bono work, and you cannot claim to be connected to your community, if that is not the truth. Employers and professionals will see right through this facade, and your brand will be tarnished. Remember, the objective behind branding is not to conform yourself to what other professionals are looking for. Rather, the objective is to share your genuine, professional qualities to attract people who are on a similar path. So be yourself and wear your brand with pride!
