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<\/a>Scroll through TikTok or Instagram and it won\u2019t take long to find them: law students documenting \u201ca day in the life,\u201d showing off aesthetic study setups, late nights in the library, and carefully curated outfits for court internships. Users commenting, \u201clegal baddie\u201d and \u201cWhat, like it\u2019s hard?\u201d Many have built large followings by sharing their law school experience. But for many of these people who have found success, what comes next? Does law school lead to legal practice, or has it become a launching pad for content creation? And is the prestige of law school becoming more valuable online than in practice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawfluencers are lawyers or law students using their legal knowledge and identity to make online content.[1]<\/a> Many attorneys and law students have found success with influencing. For example, Lawbymike has amassed over 11 million followers by sharing his legal expertise.[2]<\/a> He relies on his professional legal experience following his graduation from Duke University Law School in 2012 to generate content.[3]<\/a> His content is classified as knowledge influence, where a person uses their expertise in generating content.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Law students represent a different side of lawfluencing. Unlike practicing attorneys, they are not yet experts in the law, and frequently, are just starting law school. Yet, many have built large platforms by documenting their experiences in school by sharing their study routines and the aesthetics of legal education. Their content is less about educating others on legal concepts, and more about the identity of becoming a lawyer, turning law school into something to consume. For many of these creators, it is not just a side project, it becomes a career. Many go on to not even practice law, but to take on influencing full time, turning their side project into a career. But how can these influencers who built their audience based off of going to school maintain this when they leave the legal practice or the law school content ends? <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the age of content monetization, many law firms are still trying to navigate the issue of attorneys and law students using social media in such a public way, and the policies of employees using social media platforms.[5]<\/a> Law has long remained one of the most traditional and conservative jobs, defined by strict courtroom etiquette, formal speaking and writing, and even high standards of dress. Many law firms frown upon moonlighting. Moonlighting is the act of someone working a secondary job outside of the hours of the primary job.[6]<\/a> Many firms have policies against this to avoid any potential conflicts of interest, effects on job performance, and misuse of employer\u2019s resources.[7]<\/a> As social media content can be monetized, this can be considered moonlighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some cases, this has led to an attorney being forced to choose between their job and social media. [8]<\/a>For social media personality, Eni Popoola, also known as Enigivensunday, resigned from her big law job after the company discovered she was getting paid for brand partnerships.[9]<\/a> Her company claimed this was a direct violation of their policy prohibiting moonlighting.[10]<\/a> Eni had built her platform when she was attending Columbia Law School.[11]<\/a> However, her content was not primarily law school based. She dedicated a significant portion of her content to beauty. [12]<\/a> Since leaving big law, Eni has found large success in influencing. Her TikTok bio reads \u201cused to work in law, now I do what I want.\u201d[13]<\/a> She is seen traveling around the world with a lot of beauty brand partnerships and overall success. However, her story is rare, and many others have not achieved the same success when making the transition between legal content to other social media endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond career trajectory, the rise of lawfluencers also raises important ethical considerations. The legal profession is governed by strict rules of professional conduct designed to protect clients and maintain public trust. Law firms have high expectations and attorneys are expected to prioritize work and maintain a level of professionalism that reflects positively on the firm. Under ABA Model Rule 1.7, attorneys are not allowed to represent a client if their professional judgment may be materially limited by personal interests.[14]<\/a> Attorneys taking on brand partnerships outside of their legal work creates a competing obligation. Their personal brand can directly or indirectly conflict with the interest of their clients or firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rise of the lawfluencer reflects a competition between professional and personal identity. Law school that was primarily a pathway to a stable and prestigious career, is now functioning as social capital and something that can be monetized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> chrome-extension:\/\/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj\/https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/legal-ethics-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2024\/12\/GT-GJLE240023.pdf<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@lawbymike<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a>https:\/\/maximumlawyer.com\/michaelmandell372\/#:~:text=Subscribe,firm%2C%20Reed%20Smith%2C%20LLP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> chrome-extension:\/\/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj\/https:\/\/moritzlaw.osu.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-03\/HowardBlog3.pdf<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/a> https:\/\/hellobeautiful.com\/3821218\/beauty-influencer-eni-popoola\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [11]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [12]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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