The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Episode 27: Professional Branding
Creating a professional brand is essential for lawyers navigating the competitive world of big law. This episode of The Grace Period explores the importance of authenticity, consistency, and how one can weave their personal identity into professional pursuits to enhance both well-being and career satisfaction.
• Defining your professional brand as a unique identity
• Recognizing the firm's interests versus personal branding
• Crafting authentic content on social media
• Emphasizing consistency in content creation
• Strategies for integrating branding efforts into daily routines
• Navigating firm politics with transparency
• Self-reflection to identify what you stand for
• The importance of community and support in professional growth
Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.
Welcome to the Grace Period where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Steadman. In this demanding profession, it is crucial that we don't lose ourselves in the hustle for billable hours. On the Grace Period, we have honest conversations about finding consistency, minimizing chaos, developing coping strategies and destigmatizing mental health. It is time to prioritize our shared humanity, to find our grace period this season. On the grace period, I've talked about the partner track and the lessons I took away from my first year as a partner. I shared how I regained focus and motivation when I inevitably lose it. I talked about how to build better billing habits, embracing the entrepreneurial mindset and networking. Today, I want to talk about your professional brand. At its core, your brand is your reputation. It is your professional identity.
Speaker 1:If you're like me, you once thought about this in terms of doing good work, being professional in the workplace and at networking events and climbing the ladder. You know risky why? Because you are not your firm. I've talked about this before. I'm an intensely loyal person. I love being a corporate employee Technically, as a partner, I'm not an employee but the idea of being a corporate human being still fits the machine of a big office, a big business. It makes my life easier. The people become my dear friends. Work is most of my life, so I invest heavily in the work environment. I spend so much time within. But a firm is not loyal back to you. I know it sometimes feels like they are, but they're not why? Because it's a business. It's out for itself, for its bottom line. So, as a firm takes from you, take from it, Gather opportunities and skills, build real relationships with people within the firm and grow as a human and attorney and, if you're interested, build something alongside your firm, alongside your working identity. That's what I did In 2020, I started to create something for myself and that's what your professional brand ultimately is Something you create, that you build, that is wholly yours.
Speaker 1:You take it with you into every room, every client meeting, every networking event. You take it to a new firm or venture. If that's where your journey takes you. Your journey takes you. Without a professional brand, you might be invisible. For some, the work speaks for itself. They find a niche, they find a key partner or client early on and ride that wave the rest of their career. That happens, but for most of us in 2025, it happens less and less often. Today, what makes you stand out is not just your legal skills. Those are the table stakes. Many, many people have the skills. What distinguishes you is your unique perspective and how you share it, how you use it to grow as a firm citizen, as a go-to client connection, as a leader and influence in your firm community practice area, and more In 2020,.
Speaker 1:When I started playing around on LinkedIn, I knew it was a risk. I imagine that curmudgeonly old partner seeing my posts and thinking we don't do that. Big law attorneys don't need to promote themselves or create content outside the normal channels of firm marketing. I listened to that voice, I recognized the thought and I did it anyway. I chose LinkedIn over Instagram, twitter and TikTok because it comes with some guardrails. I know myself. I know my tendencies to go down negative rabbit holes on social media or pop culture rabbit holes because I love the Real Housewives and crime procedurals on CBS. So LinkedIn kept me in my lane.
Speaker 1:The law, milwaukee, wisconsin, big law those were my themes in the beginning, when I really had no plan. When I prepared to look for a new firm. I took a class on leveraging LinkedIn, maybe even more than one webinar. I updated my profile and I started following other lawyers. I saw folks using LinkedIn like a blog.
Speaker 1:I've dabbled in blogging since high school. I've journaled since probably fourth or fifth grade. I love writing, so creating written content is a natural fit for me. So I started doing it on LinkedIn, creating original content that was separate and distinct from the legal writing I do every day. To start it was random posts about random articles I found interesting, or I would repost others' posts with my own thoughts Around. The same time, I had joined the Wisconsin Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being and I ended up chairing the subcommittee on the business case for Lawyer Well-Being. So naturally, I started posting about that work Immediately, legitimately. Almost instantly people started DMing me expressing gratitude for sharing openly about the challenges of the legal profession. I knew I was on to something. I knew there was something there, so I kept going.
Speaker 1:Today I focus on three content buckets lifting the veil on real life and big law, lawyer well-being, and being a commercial and civil litigator. Today I have over 18,500 followers on LinkedIn. I have this podcast. I've received awards. I've had more speaking opportunities than I could have ever dreamed of. Internally at my firm, externally through bar associations and even paid opportunities to speak to large groups and law and law firms. It's not an exaggeration to say that for some people, I am the face of lawyer well-being in big law. For others, I'm the face of Hush Blackwell, my firm, and I'm lucky. My firm has been incredibly supportive. Thank you for that, hush Blackwell. I'm extremely grateful for the platform they've allowed me to build.
Speaker 1:When I started this professional brand, I didn't have a clue where it would take me. I didn't even have any goals for it, but I knew this After a year or more of struggling with my mental health and well-being at my first firm. I would take the lessons I learned and implement them immediately at my new firm. I would have better boundaries, more confidence and be true to myself whenever, wherever and however possible. If the new firm wasn't a fit, if they weren't supportive, I knew I could and would leave. Four and a half years later, this has been some of the most rewarding time of my entire life, and definitely in my career.
Speaker 1:Having this professional brand, though, is not enough. Every day, I have to do the client work and bill my hours and try to build a book of business, but this professional brand is wholly mine. It will go with me wherever I go and it benefits my firm through recording, marketing and more. Am I bragging about my professional brand? Yes, full stop. I am proud of this and I have big dreams for the future. But here's the thing anyone listening to this podcast can do it too. Almost everything you hear from me across all my content is replicable. You have a voice, you have a story, you have a unique perspective and skills. If you're not bringing that into your work every day, ask yourself why and go, go until you find where you can bring your whole self to your daily work, until you find the people and systems that support you all of you and all of your goals.
Speaker 1:Your professional brand isn't about becoming an influencer or constantly talking about yourself. It's about consistently showing up as yourself and adding value to the conversations that matter to you, to your clients, to your colleagues and to the audience you want to build. When I first started posting on LinkedIn, I worried Would other attorneys think I was trying too hard? Would people find it unprofessional? But here's what I learned Authenticity resonates when I started sharing genuine thoughts and experiences and insights about big law, about lawyer well-being about litigation. It all sort of clicked, it locked in. I found a community and an audience that I cherish, a community and an audience that supports me, pushes me forward and gives me encouragement. Here are some lessons that I've learned along the way of building a professional brand.
Speaker 1:First, figure out who you are and what you stand for. For me, it's being a commercial litigator who believes in both legal excellence and lawyer well-being. I don't just handle cases, I advocate for a more sustainable approach to practicing law. That clarity helps me create content and do work and take positions that feel genuine to me. Second, consistency matters, and it matters more than perfection. I decided early on that I'd share regular insights about both the law and life as a lawyer. Some posts get huge engagements, others don't. That's fine. What matters is showing up consistently and providing valuable insights. Building a brand takes time. It's taken me four and a half years to get to 18,500 followers on LinkedIn. It didn't happen overnight, but it came from consistently sharing valuable insights, engaging genuinely with others' content and being willing to take positions on issues that matter to me. I definitely want to address firm politics before I go for the day.
Speaker 1:How do you build a personal or professional brand while staying aligned with your firm's interest. My approach has been transparency. I keep my firm informed about my content initiatives, ensure compliance with our social media policies and use my platform to highlight what makes my firm uncommon. Another question I get is how do I find time for all of this? The truth is, I integrate it into my daily routine. I spend 15 minutes to an hour every morning on business and branding development. When work is slow, I spend my downtime on business development, content creation. I take notes, I jot down content ideas whenever they come to me and for this podcast, because I do voice memos, it keeps it real and manageable.
Speaker 1:Batching content is really the way to go. Your professional brand will evolve as you do so. Don't be afraid to let your brand grow with you. For those of you just starting out, pick a platform. Commit to sharing one thoughtful post or comment each week, maybe for the next month. Don't worry about followers or engagement. Just focus on adding value and finding your voice. Build a routine of consistent content creation. Remember your professional brand is not about creating a perfect online persona. It's about authentically sharing your expertise and perspective in a way that helps others, while also building your practice and professional identity. Until next time, keep showing up as yourself. Your unique perspective matters more than you think.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. I hope this discussion has provided some insights about building a professional brand. Next week, we'll talk about mentoring being a mentor and being a mentee. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your well-being for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.
