Social media for lawyers works best as the place people check you out, not as a machine that produces cases from strangers. Someone hears your name from a friend, sees a short video that answers their question, or looks you up before a consultation. What they find decides whether they call. This guide covers which platforms are worth your time, four kinds of post that work, a way to fill a week from one short recording, and the rules to check before anything goes out.
What social media does for a law firm
Few people hire a lawyer on the strength of one post. More often the post starts something: they go to your profile, then your website, then they get in touch. So a post only pays off if the next two steps are ready.
Before you post anything, check that your profile says plainly what you do and where, links to your website, and that the website has a clear page for each kind of matter you take on. A post that sends people to a vague homepage wastes the attention it earned. If your site isn't ready for that traffic, fix it first: law firm website design covers what those pages need. Your Google Business Profile is part of the same check, because people often look you up on Google after seeing you elsewhere.
Pick one or two platforms, not five
The best platform is the one your clients already use and that you will keep up with. Two accounts posted to every week beat five that went quiet in March.
| Platform | Best for | What to post |
|---|---|---|
| Business clients, in-house teams and referrals from other lawyers and advisers | Short written posts on changes in the law, lessons from your work (with no client details), short videos | |
| Local consumer practices: family, estates, injury, immigration | Plain answers to common questions, local news that affects clients, the people at the firm | |
| Consumer practices whose clients watch short video | Reels answering one question each, behind-the-scenes posts | |
| YouTube | Questions people type into search | Longer explainers that keep finding viewers for years, plus Shorts cut from them |
| TikTok | Consumer practices with clients who use it | The same short answers as your Reels |
If you are unsure, start with LinkedIn for business and referral work, or Facebook plus one short-video platform for consumer work.
What to post: four types that work for lawyers
Most good legal posts are one of four kinds. Rotate them and you will rarely stare at a blank screen.
- Explainers answer one question a client actually asks. Write down the questions you hear on calls this week; that list is your first month of posts.
- Myth vs fact posts correct what people believe from television or the internet. Keep the fact general and accurate, and say when it depends on the situation.
- Step by step posts explain what happens next: a first meeting, a hearing, how a matter moves. They take the fear out of calling.
- The firm posts show who people will deal with. A short introduction to the person who answers the phone does more for trust than a stock photo of a gavel.
Each format is also a video format. We use the same four for law firm video marketing, because each of these posts works just as well as a short video.
One recording, a week of posts
Lawyers rarely run out of things to say. They run out of time to turn it into posts. The fix is to record once and cut many ways.
Pick one question. Answer it on camera for about five minutes, sitting down, in the words you would use with a client. From that one recording you get short clips, a written post, a quote card, a fuller article for your website, and an item for your next email to past clients. Here is how a month could look for Alder Lane Family Law, a fictional two-lawyer firm:
| Week | The recording | What it becomes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What happens at a first custody hearing? | Three clips (who is there, how long it takes, what to bring), a list post of the five things to bring, and a post introducing the paralegal who prepares the bundle |
| 2 | Do we both need lawyers if we agree? | Two clips and a myth vs fact, a post on why each of you may need your own lawyer, and a local charity the firm supports |
| 3 | How is child support worked out? | One clip per factor, a plain-words post linking to the official guidelines, and a post on where to park and what the first meeting looks like |
| 4 | Can I move away with my children? | Two clips and a step by step, a post on what to do before telling the other parent, and a round-up of the month's answers |
Book a fixed slot each week to record, and another to check and schedule. Most of the work is in the checking, which is the next section.
Social media ethics for lawyers: the rules to check
A post is a communication about your services, so the advertising and confidentiality rules apply to it the same way they apply to your website. This is a summary, not legal advice. In the US each state adopts its own version of the ABA Model Rules, so check your state bar's rules and opinions before you rely on any of this.
Nothing false or misleading
Model Rule 7.1 bans false or misleading communications, and its comment says a true statement about past results can still mislead if it leads people to expect the same result in their own case. A disclaimer may help, but the safer habit is to post about how things work, not about wins.
Confidentiality, even for public records
ABA Formal Opinion 480 says lawyers who post or blog may not reveal information relating to a representation, including information in a public record, unless a rule allows it. Calling a story a "hypothetical" does not help if a reader could work out who the client is. Ask a client's informed consent before you post anything about their matter, or leave it out.
Specialist claims and who is responsible
Under Model Rule 7.2(c), you can't say or imply you are certified as a specialist unless an approved body has certified you and you name it. Watch profile fields and hashtags that say "specialist" or "expert". Rule 7.2(d) asks that a communication under that rule includes the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or firm responsible for it. On social media, the simple way to keep to it is a profile that shows the firm's name and contact details.
Direct messages and comments
A post to the general public is not a solicitation, according to the comment to Model Rule 7.3. The Model Rule's ban is on live person-to-person contact with someone you know needs help with a particular matter, and its comment says text messages and other written messages people can easily ignore are not "live". States' versions of this rule vary more than most, so check yours before you message anyone about a legal problem. When someone asks for advice in your comments, don't give it there. Under Model Rule 1.18 a person who consults you about hiring you becomes a prospective client, and what they tell you is protected. Thank them and move the conversation to a phone call or your intake form.
Reviews
ABA Formal Opinion 496 says lawyers should give serious consideration to not answering negative online reviews at all, and that any reply must not reveal anything about a client's matter. It suggests asking the host to remove a false post, inviting the person to talk offline, or replying with a line such as "Professional obligations do not allow me to respond as I would wish."
If you practise in England and Wales
The SRA Code of Conduct says publicity must be accurate and not misleading (paragraph 8.8), that you keep current and former clients' affairs confidential (6.3), and that you don't make unsolicited approaches to members of the public, other than current or former clients, to advertise your services (8.9). The SRA's warning notice on offensive communications adds that personal accounts are not exempt: if people can tell you are a lawyer, what you post can be a conduct matter.
Turn attention into inquiries, and measure it
Social media only counts if people who see you get in touch. Three habits make that happen and let you see it working.
- Ask every new inquiry how they heard of you, and write the answer down. It is the only measure that matters. Likes and follower counts are not cases.
- Answer messages as fast as you answer the phone. A message that waits until Monday can go to the next firm. If inquiries slip through now, read why law firms lose inquiries before you add another channel.
- Check monthly, not daily. Look at which questions got watched and which led to profile visits and website clicks, and make more of those.
Doing it yourself or handing it over
Everything above can be done by one lawyer with a phone and a fixed slot each week. What usually breaks is consistency: a busy month comes and the account goes quiet. If that is likely, keep the part only you can do, which is answering the questions, and hand over the rest: choosing the questions, scripting, filming or editing, and posting. Our law firm marketing service works that way, with every post approved by the firm before it goes out.
Sources
- ABA Model Rule 7.1: Communications concerning a lawyer's services
- ABA Model Rule 7.1: Comment
- ABA Model Rule 7.2: Communications concerning a lawyer's services, specific rules
- ABA Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of clients
- ABA Model Rule 7.3: Comment
- ABA Model Rule 1.18: Duties to prospective client
- ABA Formal Opinion 480: Confidentiality obligations for lawyer blogging and other public commentary (6 March 2018)
- ABA Formal Opinion 496: Responding to online criticism (13 January 2021)
- SRA Code of Conduct
- SRA warning notice: Offensive communications