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Knowledge BaseLaw Firms on Facebook: How It Works
Knowledge Base

Law Firms on Facebook: How It Works

By Natalia Klein
www.legalinsight.ru

Does a law firm's social media presence impact client growth? There's no definitive answer. No one has yet been able to precisely measure the direct effect of "likes" on client acquisition and retention. However, incorporating social media into law firm marketing programs has become a global trend in recent years—including in Russia.

Currently, Russian law firms are primarily expanding their presence on Facebook. This is likely due to LinkedIn being blocked in Russia, while platforms like VKontakte and Odnoklassniki are more popular in regional markets than in Moscow.

For Russian law firms, Facebook has gradually become an additional communication channel—contrary to Western trends. Despite Facebook's general popularity, Western law firms rarely use it for business development or recruitment.

"This is primarily due to Facebook's closed nature, where communication happens between 'friends'—mutually authorized connections," explains Evgenia Verenko, Head of Practice at Byfield Consultancy.

In 2014, among the UK's top 100 law firms, most used social media for business development, with 48% securing new clients through LinkedIn and Twitter.

British firms train their partners in social media engagement—clarifying what to post, when to respond, and how to maintain professional connections. The Russian market is gradually moving in the same direction.

According to Irina Bulygina, Marketing Director at KIAP, successful social media engagement largely depends on whether partners, as brand ambassadors, meet the "Three P's" rule: Proactivity, Popularity, and Public Presence.

Interest in this topic peaked in 2015 during LinkedIn's popularity surge in Russia. Legal Success Academy hosted two webinars, and our magazine published related articles (*Miller E., Hodgson K. "LinkedIn: Five Tips for Lawyers"; Nazarova D. "Digital Marketing Tools in Legal Business" // Legal Insight. 2015. No. 9*).

Four years later, we’re seeing renewed interest—this time in Facebook. In our April issue, we explored law firms' use of social media in marketing.

To analyze how market leaders leverage Facebook—their goals, corporate page strategies—we consulted:

  • Natalia Klein (Business Development Director, Pavlova & Partners)
  • Representatives from KIAP, Intellect-S, Pepeliaev Group, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, Baker McKenzie, BCLP

Key Objectives of Law Firms on Facebook

1. Client Acquisition & Retention

  • Publishing media analytics, case wins, event reports to highlight expertise.

2. Employer Branding

  • Showcasing awards, rankings, corporate events, internships (supported by photo reports).

Market Analysis

We categorized firms with the highest Facebook followings into two groups:

  • Russian firms (RULFs)
  • International firms (ILFs)
    (Accounting for differences in their social media policies.)

Read the full study:
[Law Firms on Facebook: How It Works.pdf]