In-House Counsel

Pump Up The Volume

When the in-house employment ends, the in-house lawyer who has not taken the time to build a personal professional brand may struggle to find a new role.

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(Image via Getty)

Taking the time to develop a personal professional brand is something all professionals should consider doing, and lawyers should be no different. In my experience, lawyers who work in private practice generally understand the importance of building a personal professional brand because it is so closely tied to business development and growing a successful law practice.

Lawyers who work in-house, however, generally do not spend much time building a personal professional brand because they do not feel the same pressure as those lawyers in private practice. To the extent in-house lawyers put any energy into developing a brand, they often focus that energy on building the company brand. In-house lawyers who take this approach do so at their own peril. When the in-house employment ends, the in-house lawyer who has not taken the time to build a personal professional brand may struggle to find a new role because their identity has been tied only to a company for which they no longer work.

Nothing says that in-house lawyers cannot develop a personal professional brand while also developing the company brand. Done correctly, it can be a win-win proposition for both the in-house lawyer and the company for which they are working. If you are one of those in-house lawyers, it is never too late to reconsider developing a personal professional brand. It is not an all-or-nothing proposition.

What Is A Personal Professional Branding Anyway?

Personal professional branding is the process by which you showcase your unique skills, abilities, experience, and personality for all professionals in your chosen industry to see. When personal professional branding is done well, industry leaders will come to know who you are, what you stand for, and what you are capable of accomplishing.

Why Is Creating A Personal Professional Brand Important?

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When you take the time to develop and cultivate your own brand, you are giving yourself greater control over your career. With a well thought out and carefully considered brand, you will also invite opportunities to come your way because you will:

  • make yourself known to influential people within your industry
  • assume control over your own personal career narrative by showing your skills, abilities, and strengths
  • be better able to stand out from the crowd
  • have a greater opportunity to build relationships with like-minded people who value your skills and who will see you as an industry expert

How Do You Create A Personal Professional Brand?

Shine a spotlight on what you do. When I landed my first in-house role, I believed that my work would speak for itself and that there was no need to do anything else. I still believe that to be true — to a point. Many of the job offers that came my way came because I worked hard to build a reputation based on results. The employers that hired me wanted to hire someone with known skills and abilities rather than take a risk on someone that they believed may have them. Once you reach a certain level of career success, however, you need to start shining a spotlight on your work to get noticed outside of your immediate circle.

Become recognizable. Once you make the decision to shine a spotlight on who you are, what you do, and who it is you serve, take the time and effort to become recognizable. Some of the things you may want to consider include using a single headshot across social media platforms so that the brand you are presenting is consistent. You can also create a personalized hashtag or logo.

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There is no question that the work that you do and the content that you share is of paramount importance to your brand, but, if no one sees it, your energy is wasted. The most effective way to capture the attention of those people who can send opportunities your way is by using visual elements to build brand recognition.

Leverage the power of social media. Shining a spotlight on the work that you do does not just mean winning cases and receiving awards. You can also shine a light on what you do by learning to effectively use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok. You can blog. You can publish newsletters. You can host a podcast or you can be guest on one. You are limited only by your imagination.

For all the talented in-house lawyers out there with their heads down working hard and fighting the good fight, I want to leave you with this. Pump up the volume. Get this party started. You have no idea the opportunities that will come your way when you make building a personal professional brand a priority.

Lisa Lang is an in-house lawyer and thought leader who is passionate about all things in-house.  She has recently launched a website and blog Why This, Not That™ to serve as a resource for in-house lawyers.  You can e-mail her at lisa@lawyerlisalang.com, connect with her on LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter.

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