Now Where Did I Put My Public Reputation?

Partners are the pillars of any successful law firm, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones who should be focused on building their brand. Associates, even first-years, may still be learning the ropes of law firm life, but they are still wholly responsible for marketing and building up their own public reputation.

A public reputation can't be built in a day. Stellar attorney reputations are built step-by-step, a little at a time, through a collaborative effort by peers, clients, reporters and the attorney.  So, how should associates get started? My colleague Shannon Stevens and I co-authored an article in this week’s New York Law Journal outlining several easy steps associates should take to get started. Yes, some firms encourage associate marketing and others don’t, but each associate can and should still develop a personal plan of building a public reputation.

I’m curious to know what others think about these issues. Attorneys – what do you think is the most important issue facing junior associates today?  Legal marketers – are more and more firms embracing associate marketing as part of an overall PR strategy?