How Do Attorneys Establish Themselves as Thought Leaders in a Particular Practice Area?

You’re at the point in your legal career where you’ve found the practice area that you’re passionate about. It motivates you to get up daily and zealously advocate for another client. That’s an indicator of the practice area where you’ll want to establish yourself as a thought leader.

Becoming an authoritative source in a particular area of the law can prove fruitful for you and your firm on multiple levels, including from a marketability standpoint. As the Co-Founder and CEO of GAVL, a legal marketing agency, I want to share what I’ve learned about how attorneys establish themselves as thought leaders in a particular practice area.

Key Steps To Take When Positioning Yourself as an Authority in a Specialized Area of the Law

Since our legal marketing agency’s inception, we’ve helped our client firms’ law partners and promising associate attorneys attain increased recognition for their practice area knowledge, client advocacy, and leadership skills.

How have we successfully done this?

By Creating High-Quality Content

Our success centers around us dedicating significant effort to devising a content strategy that establishes you and your firm as having unique expertise in a particular practice area.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Content is still king. Thus, strategizing needs to occur before creating these assets, from the text on your law firm’s website to videos to social media posts.

If you want to establish yourself as a thought leader in a specific practice area, then any content attributed to you should center around it. When developing law firm websites, our digital marketing agency emphasizes site architecture, which can significantly impact search engine ranking.

The quality of the content produced also matters, which is why you need to be able to trust the legal marketers creating and publishing it. The choices they make, such as when performing keyword research for legal practice area pages, making informative attorney blogs, or editing a law firm video, can significantly impact your success in attracting the clients you want or attaining the recognition you seek.

Consistency and timeliness also matter when it comes to content. Others (including search engines) may write you off as irrelevant unless you regularly produce and disseminate timely, relevant, and informative legal content.

Being Active Professionally

You may spend the bulk of your time in client-facing meetings or a courtroom advocating for them. However, if you want to grow your recognition as a thought leader in a specific practice area, you’ll need to find time to get out of your comfort zone and do more.

What do I mean by saying this?

I certainly understand your time may be limited. However, I’ve learned that to attract your ideal law firm client, you must put in the groundwork necessary to show you deserve or can handle them. This is especially the case if you’re seeking the attention of some of the following:

• A high-net-worth family law client
• The surviving family members of a victim of a wrongful death
• A high-profile individual charged with a serious crime

So, what does becoming more professionally active have to do with getting more of the clients you’re seeking, and what is the roadmap for doing that?

Being a member of a local (i.e., county), state, or national bar association and practice area work groups at different levels, like the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys or The National Crime Victim Bar Association, can be beneficial. However, membership is not enough to become an authoritative figure in the legal industry. You must instead actively participate in it.

What does that mean?

• Regularly attending legal association meetings: Consistently showing up to these events (especially if they’re related to your practice area) can help elevate your profile. In my experience, I find that people want to see familiar faces, especially if they’re going to become a referral partner to you.
• Registering for and speaking at multi-day legal conferences: Organizations like the American Association for Justice (AAJ) hold several conventions yearly. While attending these events certainly has educational and networking value, presenting at them in your area of expertise is critically important for establishing yourself as a thought leader in that space.
• Joining and actively participating in specialized litigation groups: Most legal organizations with a broad scope, such as the AAJ, offer litigation groups, such as an aviation section, to which members currently or anticipating practicing in this area of the law can join. Joining specialized groups like these can provide you with a wealth of insight into your preferred practice area and also allow you to establish connections with other lawyers who can provide you with vetted, warm leads. Assuming a leadership role in the subgroup may be more easily attained and be the stepping stone you need to gain the increased recognition you seek.

How Our Legal Marketing Agency Can Help You Become an Authoritative Source in a Certain Area of the Law

There are many incentives, from both a professional and leadership perspective and a marketing angle for you and your firm, in establishing yourself as an attorney who is a thought leader in a particular practice area.

Certainly, attending some of the many events our legal digital marketing company attends, including seminars, symposiums, conventions, annual meetings, and summits, especially when they focus on a particular area of the law, is one step you can take. As mentioned above, taking matters a step further and presenting at these events or assuming a leadership role in the organization that puts them on can truly distinguish you from other similarly specialized lawyers.

However, my experienced GAVL legal marketing team can help you become more visible as an authoritative source in a particular area of the law; the content you and your firm publish matters. Having the following can help:

• A well-designed, modern law firm website
• Cinematic video that introduces you as an attorney and the services you offer
• An active, engaging presence on social media sites
• High-quality, SEO-rich practice area pages and legal blogs on your website

If you’re ready to move from just being one of the more than 1.3 million attorneys that the American Bar Association (ABA) said our country had as of January 1, 2024, and position yourself as a thought leader in your preferred practice area, let’s talk. My team and I are committed to helping you and your firm grow its visibility, which is necessary to attract more of your ideal clients so you can make a more meaningful impact on their lives.