For at least a solid decade, social media has been a part of most people’s everyday lives. Slowly, social media began to be integrated (and accepted) in the business world too, including amongst attorneys.
In the beginning, there was a lot of skepticism surrounding lawyers integrating social media into their practices—it was seen as unnecessary and even unprofessional. However, as more people began using social media, the benefits began to outweigh the negatives and social media crept into the legal industry.
Amongst lawyers and litigators, social media is a way for attorneys to better represent their clientele. This not only includes looking for potential evidence and doing background checks on jurors, but it even extends to making a case for clients in court.
Additionally, lawyers can use social media as it was intended— a place to network with fellow attorneys and enhance themselves professionally.
An ABA Legal Technology Survey Report found that more attorneys than ever are using social media. The survey also showed that over three-quarters (85%) of law firms maintain a website and 76% have an active online presence (which is up from 55% in 2012).
Furthermore, lawyers use social media for the following reasons:
- Career development (71%)
- Social networking (71%)
- Client development (48%)
- Furthering education (45%)
- Case investigation (24%)
And what’s the most popular social media sites for lawyers? According to the data, it’s LinkedIn (57%), Facebook (35%), Twitter (21%) and Google Plus (10%).
