Social Media Scene: Teach Your Lawyers Well

Lawyers are often loathe to change, so social media training needs to appeal to all lawyers ' even those who are not so social. Some are reluctant, private and closed to the “openness” of social media. The unsocial lawyer needs a different approach. Anecdotes can work, especially if training includes what the competition and clients are doing online. For some lawyers, face time is more important than Face book . These lawyers need to understand that social media can help them do what they are already doing ' but better and quicker.

There are those who got left behind and cannot conjugate “tweet.” This audience needs the basics, which could be in a webinar or checklist and not only explains Twitter and other tools, but also advises on practical aspects, like setting up accounts, using applications, and deciding whom to follow and how to follow them.

Consultants

Some firms opt for external consultants to teach their lawyers about social media. Gina F. Rubel, a marketing and public relations consultant, author and founder of Furia Rubel Communications, Inc., recommends having a social media policy in place before engaging a consultant. “Then and only then, should the firm hire strategic support[,] who needs to be brought up to speed on the firm's policy and be willing to educate the firm's lawyers within the firm's social media boundaries.” She cautioned that, like the training, polices and consultants are not one-size-fits-all. “What works for a consumer-facing law firm or practice areas such as family law, personal bankruptcy and criminal defense, doesn't work for business-to-business lawyers who serve corporations,” said Rubel.

Rubel noted that consultants need to understand the differences in audiences, know how and where to reach them, and the content and conversations they want. She advised that consultants also need to know the differences in who they are training. Rubel reminds the lawyers she works with, “At the end of the day, you want to be perceived as knowledgeable, approachable, interesting and interested. It's a conversation, not a diatribe.”

Molly Peckman, Dechert LLP's Global Director of Legal Talent, has over 25 years of law firm experience. She is a frequent writer and lecturer on legal talent management and law firm life.