Lawyers: Remove “Specialties” from Your LinkedIn Profile…Now.
Why it’s important to do this now: Whenever you advertise yourself as a lawyer, ethics rules prohibit using the term “specialize” or “specialty” (see ABA Rule 7.4).
As I am perusing (some may call it stalking) various LinkedIn profiles, especially attorney profiles, the attorney side of me always cringes when I see they haven’t edited their Summary section to remove the word “specialties.”
Because we are guilty of not visiting our profiles enough, there is a good chance that you haven’t updated your profile since 2012, when LinkedIn instituted major changes to their platform.
One of the major annoyances for some, but essentially a blessing in disguise for attorneys, was the disappearance of the “specialties” section from LinkedIn profiles. For non-lawyers, the specialties section was a great way to showcase keyword rich content (think SEO) relating to skills and expertise. However, for lawyers, the word “speciality” is highly discouraged due to ethics rules throughout the U.S., stemming from the ABA Rule 7.4 – Communication of Fields of Practice & Specialization, Section (d): A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless: (1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an organization that has been approved by an appropriate state authority or that has been accredited by the American Bar Association; and (2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.
In 2012, LinkedIn decided remove the “Specialties” section and to preserve the content, appended all of the keywords to the “Summary” section. Well, it’s time to re-visit your LinkedIn profile and edit your “Summary” section to: (1) remove the word “specialties” and (2) add the keywords to your “Skills and Endorsements” section.
I know you’re thinking it, so I’ll address it very quickly: doesn’t “endorsing” someone for a skill essentially the same thing as having a specialty? GREAT question. Unfortunately, this is still an ongoing debate in the ethics world. I personally agree with David Kennedy in his ABA Journal article “Is LinkedIn’s endorsement feature ethical for lawyers?” where he says “To endorse someone on LinkedIn means something like ‘agreeing that this person has that skill.’ It’s like a little yes vote. It’s not a rating or a detailed analysis, just an acknowledgement that you think the person has the skill…”
Thankfully there is a way to manage your endorsements and which ones show on your profile. And if you accidentally make an endorsement, you can always undo it. Here’s the LinkedIn Help summary on how to manage your endorsements.
Take control of your LinkedIn account today and remove the word “specialties” from your “Summary section.
