Over the last couple of days, I’ve been working on developing a few sub-groups for our International Lawyers Group member group on LinkedIn.  These groups are online forums for our Specialty Groups, which member firm attorneys participate in throughout the year.

As I’m developing the groups, I’m going through my LinkedIn contacts to invite those who practice in those areas to participate. And I’m seeing a lot of this: 

What’s wrong with that, you might ask? (Besides that I’ve redacted the last names and company names)

It’s not very descriptive for one.

There are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of lawyers on LinkedIn. How will someone know what you do by just looking at your title if all it says is "partner" or "lawyer?" 

Now, I know that you can expand on your title in your profile. But with everyone being so busy these days, who is taking the time to look at your profile unless you give them a reason to…in your title.

Why not make it a bit more descriptive? Here are some examples: 

• Chair, Estate Planning Department at XYZ Law Firm
• Appellate Partner – at XYZ Law Firm
• Environmental Law Practice Group at XYZ Law Firm
• Commercial Litigation Partner at XYZ Law Firm
• Labor and Employment Attorney at XYZ Law Firm

The list is endless. So let’s get specific – tell people what you do in your title and headline on LinkedIn, and make sure that your company name is included as well. Who knows what opportunities you’re missing out on because the only thing people know about you is that you practice law.

For more information on how to set up your title and headline, check out Parts I and II for setting up a LinkedIn profile.