What is the Bare Minimum for a LinkedIn Profile? What is Overkill?

A surprisingly large number of lawyers have a LinkedIn profile that says nothing of value about them. Yes they might post a picture and list their schools and employers. That is not enough.

The minimum on top of that is to explain what you do, either in the About Me section, title, or description under your employer. Nothing fancy, a few words will suffice, e.g., “Lead counsel for [commercial] [corporate] [employment] [product] matters.” Even better if you add metrics like you supported the company through XYZ growth, launched ABC products, saved $$, etc. This will take a few minutes but pay dividends.

You may be using LinkedIn in to attract new clients, validate your record for prospective employees, or serve as a resource to your network. In all cases, your profile should lay out what you do. Otherwise what’s the point of having one?

And to make you feel better about investing those two minutes of time to say what you do, you do NOT have to follow all these rules on how to spruce up your LinkedIn profile. You do not need a brand, to tell your unique story, etc. No one expects all that from a lawyer!