"legal influencers" on linkedin

[shadow-demon]

What are people's view on these self-proclaimed "legal influencers" on linkedin that constantly pop up and clog the feed? I am a bit confused as to why there are so many of them in the legal profession in comparison to other fields like investment banking and consulting?

They have now even invaded instagram and tiktok and just seem very humble-braggy to me!

I know getting a TC is a big deal and extremely difficult to do, but how does that make someone qualified to be giving out advice to TC seekers? Just confused and would appreciate people's views on the matter

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

There are plenty in the banking/investment industries too to be fair. If you are not as connected to that industry, then you probably just see less of them.

There are probably several factors for the difference though.

1) The lead time in recruitment - having 2-3 years between being recruited and starting a TC means they tend to try and keep themselves a little bit busier. Historically, many either stop or become far less active once they start their TCs. The equivalent grad starting in IB would have a matter of months before starting a job, and are usually in their final year of undergrad/graduate level education.

2) Law is probably a little more of a creative industry than banking and therefore probably attracts people who like being creative in this format. I think law also tends to be a bit more colloborative too, and so maybe that colloboration feeds down into wanting to help people.

3) Banking/Investment is uber competitive compared to law (think 300-600 applications per vacancy while law will typically be a fraction of that) and so maybe it is so competitive, people don't want to help others?

4) The legal sector has far more diversity issues (apart from gender) than banking and so there is more need for "access" opportunities, which I think fuels people's want to make information accessible - in very much the same way TCLA came about.

I think these people have always existed, it is just social media has given them a platform where they are far more visible. Years ago, there would be people doing this on their individual university campuses or via their networks. Social media is a way of monetising the work needed without directly having to ask people for money (which is what individuals used to do in the past - asking for a fee to attend their events for example).

Like anything on the internet, you have to be mindful of the advice given out by people. I regularly disagree with content I see from legal influencers in terms of advice. But then again these things are subjective, despite my experience and training, it is just my opinion on recruitment processes and some people will disagree with the advice I give to people on here. Some of the worst advice I see is from senior lawyers/partners, but I suspect many would consider them to be the most "qualified" to give out advice.

 

[whisperingrock]

What are people's view on these self-proclaimed "legal influencers" on linkedin that constantly pop up and clog the feed? I am a bit confused as to why there are so many of them in the legal profession in comparison to other fields like investment banking and consulting?

They have now even invaded instagram and tiktok and just seem very humble-braggy to me!

I know getting a TC is a big deal and extremely difficult to do, but how does that make someone qualified to be giving out advice to TC seekers? Just confused and would appreciate people's views on the matter

I don't think they are any more qualified to offer advice than any other person who has managed to secure a TC. What's even weirder though are legal influencers who have yet to even secure a TC or pupillage. To me they all seem like narcissistic attention seekers, but that's my opinion on any type of "influencer".

 

[Dheepa]

What are people's view on these self-proclaimed "legal influencers" on linkedin that constantly pop up and clog the feed? I am a bit confused as to why there are so many of them in the legal profession in comparison to other fields like investment banking and consulting?

They have now even invaded instagram and tiktok and just seem very humble-braggy to me!

I know getting a TC is a big deal and extremely difficult to do, but how does that make someone qualified to be giving out advice to TC seekers? Just confused and would appreciate people's views on the matter

I'm not a fan of influencers in general (legal or otherwise) but I do think there are quite a few legal influencers that put out genuinely useful content.

On what makes a TC offer holder more qualified to give advice, the answer is nothing makes them more qualified. Some of the best advice on this forum comes from users who have yet to secure a TC - the fact that they haven't made it out to the other side doesn't change that its great advice. Although I think it's somewhat fair to say people who've secured a TC offer or multiple TC offers have a slightly better understanding of what it takes to be successful, the reality is there is a huge amount of luck involved in the process and just because someone has found an approach with applications, interviews etc that works for them doesn't necessarily mean it will work for everyone else. I think all "legal influencers" know this themselves, and although they don't caveat every video/post/article saying something to that effect, I expect they assume you know it too. Like everything else on the internet, you just have to be mindful about what you choose to take seriously and what advice is actually applicable to your circumstances.

If the humble bragging annoys you (it used to annoy me too) just don't go on Linkedin, you can avoid most of it that way.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I think the success of some influencers, including some who have helped with TCLA content, have led to more people getting into it too.

Also, at a time when people might be struggling to build up their CV with traditional experiences because they are either not on campus or can’t gain work experience, it’s also one way to develop your skill set and put something on your CV (and quite a bold one where it is so publicly available - no ability to hide behind a padded out CV entry!).

Like most things in life, if you don’t like it, just ignore it . You can always use the block button on LinkedIn, which I often use with content I don’t want to see all the time.

 

[Jaysen]

From the ones I have seen, I don't think they actually tend to call themselves 'influencers'. Rather, others seem to give them that title. I also sometimes disagree with the advice given, but I usually find that those with a larger platform are generally clear that their posts are just based on their experiences and that others should research for themselves.

I think it's a very natural tendency to dislike others who publicly post, especially when they are seen to be in the same position as you. Society generally celebrates the idea of the quiet and humble victor, rather than someone who shares their journey/showcases their success.

In my view, I think it's a good thing. It's a brave thing to do, and it often leads to lots of opportunities (alongside the criticism). I'm sure many of these people will go on to build businesses in the future. I also think they are most beneficial for those starting on their journey. Stuff that seems obvious when you've started your journey and/or have secured a training contract really isn't obvious to those at the beginning.

 

[ChantelleTen]

What are people's view on these self-proclaimed "legal influencers" on linkedin that constantly pop up and clog the feed? I am a bit confused as to why there are so many of them in the legal profession in comparison to other fields like investment banking and consulting?

They have now even invaded instagram and tiktok and just seem very humble-braggy to me!

I know getting a TC is a big deal and extremely difficult to do, but how does that make someone qualified to be giving out advice to TC seekers? Just confused and would appreciate people's views on the matter

It's very much like it or lump it, I think that some "influencers" are genuinely helpful and offer free resources to help people in their TC journey, and the advice they offer in some cases is invaluable. However, there are some people that charge vulnerable and in some situations desperate aspiring trainees for mediocre content (it is this side of the coin that I can't stand personally).

In general, I don't believe they do too much harm. the "humble-brag" issue is one that is very prevalent on LinkedIn and isn't novel, unfortunately, but I think that this is a problem coming from a small minority of people.

My way of navigating this is to look past the initial impressions made and actually see what they're saying and the help they're offering. I've had some brilliant (and free!) help from some of these well known legal influencers (if that's what we're calling them).

Got to choose to view things positively while on this TC journey otherwise you will be absolutely drained by it all