Big Law Life #115: Social Media in BigLaw: What to Post, What to Avoid, and Staying Out of Trouble with Your Firm and Clients
Social media can be one of the best platforms BigLaw legal and business professionals have to build reputation, visibility, and network strength, but it can also create real risk if you post without understanding what your firm and clients expect. In this episode of Big Law Life, I walk through the practical and ethical guardrails that govern what you can share online, including restrictions that go beyond bar rules and get enforced through firm policies you agree to when you join. I explain why even public matters can be off-limits for comment, how clients and firms control messaging, and the types of posts that frequently trigger internal problems, from case outcomes and document screenshots to location tagging, colleague commentary, and statements that appear to speak for the firm.
I also share concrete, safe ways to use LinkedIn strategically without naming clients, violating firm policies or revealing confidential details. We talk through how to describe your work by focusing on role and skills, how to signal growth and credibility without overselling your position, and how to build thought leadership using public trends rather than client- or firm-specific content. If you want to raise your profile while staying aligned with BigLaw culture and policy, this episode lays out what to avoid, what to ask before you post, and what to say instead.
At a Glance 01:20 Why social media helps lawyers build visibility and where it can create firm risk 02:06 Ethical guardrails and why public matters can still be off-limits 02:58 How firms enforce restrictions through employment policies 03:31 Examples of posts that can violate firm policies 04:18 Why misrepresenting your role, title, or experience is treated as misleading 05:15 The kinds of conduct firms treat as reputational risk 05:39 What restrictive policy language can look like in practice 06:55 Why LinkedIn is treated differently from other platforms in the US 07:34 How to describe your work without naming clients or revealing case details 08:19 A safe example for describing deal work without giving away identifiers 09:03 How to post in a way that signals credibility without advertising you are job searching 10:55 How to use pro bono and firm-approved content safely 11:19 Thought leadership that demonstrates expertise without confidentiality risk 12:32 Why your LinkedIn experience section should describe skills, not just titles 13:33 A practical workflow: remove confidential details, then use ChatGPT for a first draft 13:57 Build a LinkedIn cheat sheet to avoid writer's block 15:08 Milestones, awards, and community engagement that strengthen your professional persona 16:02 Career reflections and lessons learned as safe content when your matters are sensitive 16:50 Profile positioning for maximum impact and accuracy 18:04 How to ask marketing or practice leadership before posting and why it builds trust
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Interested in doing 1-2-1 coaching with Laura Terrell? Or learning more about her work coaching and consulting? Here are ways to reach out to her:
laura@lauraterrell.com
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Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast