How to Manage Your Lawyer Reputation
As a solo attorney or a small law firm owner, you may be attempting to build your reputation. Or, you may have a reputation that you’re simply trying to keep. Either way, you need to understand the best methods for managing your reputation.
Strive for Authenticity
Your law firm’s reputation should reflect your core values and services. After all, what benefit is there to being seen as a ruthless criminal law attorney when your firm’s focus is on mediation?
Establish Yourself as a Trustworthy Expert
To earn a good reputation inside the industry, you must establish yourself as a trustworthy expert. Clients want attorneys who are knowledgeable about how to get the best results. To be seen as a reliable expert, you must become one. Go to conferences, read, and stay up-to-date on trends.
Share your knowledge publicly via blogs, whitepapers, and guest posts on other blogs. When potential clients and colleagues ask questions on your social media or over the phone, do what you can to answer them. Who do you think those individuals will come to when they have a legal need? You guessed it: you.
Monitor Your Reputation Online
As discussed above, think about responding to reviews and keeping an eye on your online reputation. The only way to do this is via technology and some reasonable old-fashioned effort.
Listen By Setting Up Alerts
When managing social media, create alerts for the name of your firm and the names of everyone in your firm. You can also do the same thing in other places around the internet by using Google Alerts. Each time your name is mentioned, you’ll receive an alert. If a negative mention comes through, you’ll be one of the first to know it, and you’ll be able to address it promptly.
Monitor Review Websites
Keep an eye on review websites such as Yelp, Avvo, Google, and any other website where your name appears.
Consider Reputation Management Software
If you don’t have the time to monitor your online reputation properly, consider using reputation management software. These tools will automatically track reviews from multiple websites, collect performance data and compile reports, send surveys to clients, and more.