When it comes to legal professional groups, LinkedIn is a great place to find news, people, and discussions within your own professional field. There are tons of forums on the Internet, but LinkedIn really does have some of the best content and possibilities online. No matter what the topic, there are likely groups about it. Many of these groups are open, which means that you can come in and view as well as post without access, while others are closed and are members only. Here are some of the best LinkedIn groups for attorneys as well as legal professionals. Check them out!
Association of Litigation Support Professionals
With over five thousand members, the Association of Litigation Support Professionals is an organization whose members belong to every part of litigation support. This group is committed to contributing to career development of litigation support professionals and advancing the profession. It sets standards for many areas of Litigation Support and has many topics as well as posts about seminars and educational opportunities.
ASTC’s Jury and Trial Research Interest Group
A smaller group, this group works to facilitate collaboration, networking, and discussion about applied research and how it relates to jury or juror behavior. This group is not exclusive and includes many professionals from all areas of the legal system: judges, law students, lawyers, paralegals, trial consultants and more. There are many topics to talk about, from juror behavior to witness preparation. Members share information and talk about a variety of topics and the legal process in general. You do not have to be part of a legal career to join here; even a slight interest in behavioral sides of the legal/law system will be enough.
DRI- The Voice of the Defense Bar
This fairly large group was established in 2008. It’s the Voice of the Defense Bar and is a collection of thousands of attorneys that defend their clients’ interests when in civil litigation. This group provides resources to DRI members and offers networking opportunities for many individuals. This group has an international presence. It’s DRI’s goal to educate and improve defense law practitioners’ skills, strive for the civil justice system’s improvement, and to be a counterpoint to the bar and to seek balance in the minds of potential jurors, to assist individuals in dealing with the economic reality of defense law, to be professional, ethical and responsible, and to provide good advice. With over 10,000 members and one of the largest growing groups on LinkedIn, the DRI is the largest civil litigation group on the site.
KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals
KNOW has over five thousand members and is designed to be a place of discussion for paralegals who work in law forms. Topics discussed are success stories, current issues, trends, careers, job opportunities, and more. Paralegals all over the world in any specialty or experience level can join.
Legal IT Network
Legal IT Network is a global virtual community for people in the legal technology industry. This group discusses topics and has great discussions. The group is members only to ensure that the discussions stay enjoyable and at ‘the highest level’, however, it’s easy to join. There’s a ton of great content here, questions being answered, and engaging dialogues happening all the time!