Reading Between the Lines
When a colleague was searching for a lawyer, she sent me several LinkedIn profiles and asked which one looked most credible. We could compare qualifications and career history, but it was harder to judge actual experience with similar cases. What information can LinkedIn reliably reveal about a lawyer before meeting them?
When a colleague sent me several lawyer profiles, we compared education, years in practice, listed specialties, publications, speaking roles, and recommendations. That gave us a useful sense of professional direction, but not a reliable measure of results in similar cases - profiles are self-written and may omit difficult details. We used LinkedIn to prepare a shortlist and questions for consultations. Brian Ludmer lawyer profile is a practical example of what to look for.
I think that’s a really sensible way to use LinkedIn. A colleague once sent me a few profiles when we were trying to narrow down professionals, and comparing specialties, publications and recommendations helped us form better questions. At the same time, I agree that a profile can only show one side of the picture - it won’t tell you how someone performs in a difficult case or how clients actually experience working with them. The Brian Ludmer profile is a useful example of what to check. Thanks for sharing!