The term ‘legal influencer’ is probably a misnomer, as these people are not like the Kardashians of the Internet (although Kim Kardashian has legal pretensions, of course) where they seek to endorse and pocket indecent sums of money from their ‘influence’.
Remember, they are (mostly) lawyers, or former lawyers. Or legal academics. Or lawyer politicians. Their ‘influence’ is therefore directed towards the issues that directly concern them and – very often – all of us.
So when a lawyer seeking to garner the attention of a legal ‘influencer’ seeks to do so via the names on our ‘Power List’, they need to be awake to the fact that any mention of their fabulous law firm or recent litigation victory will generally only resonate when it is accompanied by a genuinely thoughtful, useful or insightful factoid that assists the ‘influencer’s’ work in highlighting their key interest-area.
Legal marketing initiatives come in many forms of course, and perhaps the best work any legal marketer seeking the assistance of a law influencer can do is to provide genuinely useful or interesting comment or insight.
Some of the legal marketing influencers will be interested in something purely marketing-oriented and to build a relationship with any of them as a law firm or attorney seeking to build a reputation, the best way forward is always to contribute to the discussion in a meaningful
There are other opportunities, such as building your own social profile on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and others, or by signing on for Influence.co.
There are plenty of resources out there that will teach you how to build your influence online, however when it comes to seeking out legal influencers who can play a key role across a variety of areas of legal interest, this is the Power List of 24 such folk.
The LawFuel Power List of Top Legal Influencers
1. Laurence Tribe
The Law Scholar Influencer
He’s not your influencer in the normal sense of the word perhaps, but legal scholar and activist lawyer Laurence Tribe is a highly popular teacher and influencer in some of the headier echelons of the law, having influenced everyone from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to former President Barack Obama.
His canonical 1978 treatise, “American Constitutional Law,” transformed the field and helped put him on the course to becoming one of the nation’s foremost legal scholars.
However, Tribe is not averse to stirring legal pots, including his prominent criticism of former President Donald Trump and other issues.
He also enjoys a growing audience on LinkedIn.
Recent Tweet –
Twitter Followers – 1.1m
2. David Lat
The Law Writer Influencer
Co-founder of the almost institutional Above the Law, a near-death COVID victim and now the founder of the new newsletter Original Jurisdiction, Lat is a key influencer and identity.
Lat’s writing has also appeared in various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, and Washingtonian.
In 2014, Lat published his first novel, Supreme Ambitions, to favorable reviews and great sales and his social media influence continues to cement his influencer role.
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Instagram Followers – 3k
3. Joshua Rozenberg
Leading UK Legal Influencer
Brainy and aware, Joshua Rozenberg is the best known of Britain’s legal commentators, having worked as the BBC’s legal correspondent for 15 years before moving to The Daily Telegraph.
After resigning as the newspaper’s legal editor in the summer of 2007, he continued to write a weekly column for the subsequent year, presented the popular Radio 4 series Law in Action and started writing a commentary for the Guardian. He also writes twice a month for the Law Society Gazette and for BBC news online.
He also has the honour of being the only full-time journalist to have appointed as Queen’s Counsel and to have a range of honours and successes as a writer, commentator, keynote speaker and ‘thinker’. And influencer.
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4. Eric Holder
Legal Political Influencer
Another of the former political figures who continues to hold sway on social media and elsewhere, Eric Holder, the first African-American attorney general of the United States who oversaw some of the country’s largest cases and he’s overseen some of the biggest cases our nation has ever seen.
He returned to Covington & Burling but suggestions of a presidential run and a high profile ensure he remains a cornerstone legal/political influencer.
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Twitter Followers – 576k
5. Megyn Kelly
Major Media Legal Influencer
Megyn Kelly, the former defense attorney turned journalist, news presenter and political commentator has created a massive following with her ‘Kelly File’ show on FOX followed by her additional network show on NBC and and her best-selling 2016 autobiography “Settle for More”.
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6. Kevin O’Keefe
Legal Blogging Influencer
With 26K+ followers on Twitter, 13K+ followers on LinkedIn and droves of people that head to LexBlog.com – which he is founder of – Kevin O’Keefe is no small player in the world of legal social media influencers.
His presence on social media isn’t just bland industry jargon, but rather chock full of useful resources, TED talks, engaging blog posts and more.
Are you an attorney or law office with a desire to been seen as an influential and authoritative source for all things legal within your community? At UpCity, we can connect you with the agency that can help make that dream a reality. We pride ourselves on connecting businesses of all sizes with the best marketing agencies around the nation. Contact UpCity and check out our list of legal marketing agency partners today.
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7. Carolyn Elefant
Entrepreneurial Law Influencer
Legal entrepreneur and lawyer Carolyn Elefant may be low on Instagram followers, but her 17k followers on Twitter demonstrate her position as a key influencer.
The successful, entrepreneurial lawyer has displayed how a sole practitioner can take a law practice national – or international – using some tech smarts and drive. An inspirational figure for many lawyers and others seeking to run their own shop successfully.
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8. Gloria Allred
Leading Law Case Influencer
Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred who describes herself as a feminist, fearless lawyer has certainly secured a place as a major influence as a successful litigator handling some major cases with a knack for headline-hitting sexual abuse and related issues.
Allred’s public statements have created some criticism in relation to her highly public legal cases. Allred is representing at least 28 women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and/or other sexual misconduct. She is also representing three women who accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct and she represented three women testifying at Weinstein’s trial.
As a consistent presence at Weinstein’s court appearances—to the irritation of his defense, who unsuccessfully tried to bar Allred from attending the trial.
Twitter Followers – 35k
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9. Eve Cornwell
Young Lawyer Influencer
Eve Cornwell is known to the masses for many things: her popular YouTube channel which has amassed a loyal following of 278,000 subscribers with an incredible 20 million views, and, of course, her die-hard commitment to all-things coffee.
A recent profile on the legal influencer read –
Trainee lawyer by day, coffee-fueled comedian by night, Eve Cornwell is a big dose of Gen Z realness. From her trendy outfits and quick edit shorts, to creative vlogs and impressive law degree, Eve effortlessly sails through young adult life, taking her followers on the ride too.
Whilst on the surface Eve appears to have her future planned and life together, she would argue otherwise – her content focuses on showing the reality behind life as a young, aspiring, London-based law student.
Eve’s content is just as witty, relatable and hilarious as she is, and her engagement thanks her for it.
An influencer who provides a unique take on law and life.
Sample Tweet –
Twitter Followers – 62k
Also on Instagram and Facebook
10. Stacey Burke
Law Firm Marketing Influencer
Young legal influencer on the rise, Stacey Burke blogs and tweets about everything from legal marketing to baking and dogs. Practising law since 2001 she has become a significant voice in legal marketing. Working from her firm Stacey E Burke PC she has worked to increase the digital footprint of law firms, offering full service law marketing consultancy.
Blogging regularly on law marketing issues,she also provides contacts via all social media, including her Facebook page.
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11. Nicole Black
Legal Tech Evangalist
The ‘legal technology evangelist’ from MyCase has a major Twitter following. A glutton for bright, shiny objects in the latest technology she has some serious messages about technology and the law
She’s been blogging with her ‘Sui Generis’ blog since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyer.
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12. Greg Siskind
Law Industry Influencer
Siskind is an industry innovator who has garnered a significant reputation and following for his work with his immigration website – the first in the world – www.visalaw.com, the first immigration law firm website in the world and he then began his Siskind’s Immigration Bulletin, a newsletter that was the first electronically distributed law firm newsletter, which still goes out to tens of thousands of people monthly.
Siskind also became the world-first legal blogger and published tools and content for lawyers on artificial intelligence, immigration and more.
So social media was a doozey for the communicative lawyer and his various platforms provide him with a voice in the industry that few can ignore.
Twitter Followers – 62k
13. Bob Ambrogi
Law marketing influencer
Journalist and lawyer Bob Ambrogi is not exactly an unknown when it comes to law marketers, being a leading influencer in the law marketing and blogging area with his LawSites blog network, his contributions to other legal publications like AbovetheLaw and his overall experience and expertise in the legal arena.
With 25k followers on Twitter, Bob Ambrogi is has sealed his position as one of the leading influencers, particularly with his LawSites blog network. when added to his LexBlog, billing itself as the world’s largest blog community, and other contributions to legal publications.
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14. Teri Kanefield
Legal Ethics Influencer
Teri Kanefield, a graduate of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, is the author of numerous books, essays, and articles. For 12 years she maintained an appellate practice in California representing indigents on appeal from adverse rulings.
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Twitter Followers – 145k
15. Adrian Lursson
Legal Thought Influencer
JDSupra founder Adrian Lursson has developed leading expertise running the media company that lets lawyers achieve greater visibility online, distributing content – blog items, videos and more – to targeted audiences and with an (unknown) subscriber base numbering in the hundreds of thousands, including large and small law firms.
JDSupra, with an authority ranking of 82 is one of the Net’s largest providers of legal content and insights.
Although a retweeter rather than a tweeter himself, the JDSupra connection makes Lursson a key influencer if he can be reached via social media outreach or otherwise.
Twitter Followers – 6k
JD Supra Authority Ranking – 82
16. Ari Melba
Legal Reporting Influencer
Attorney-Journalist Ari Melba is chief legal correspondent for MSNBC and host of The Beat with Ari Melber. His show, which has run since 2017, has received consistently top ratings and is one of the most viewed online shows with 13 million viewers each night on YouTube, according to the Daily Beast.
Columbia Journalism Review dubbed Melber “a remarkably effective interviewer”,while New York Times columnist Peter Wehner called him “an outstanding interviewer, among the best on television”.
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Twitter Followers – 318k
Melba’s YouTube Channel
17. Charlotte Proudman
UK Law Activist Influencer
Not your ordinary influencer, but this UK Barrister and academic carries heavyweight influence as a human rights barrister working on
feminist and other issues, notwithstanding she may not have the largest Twitter following in this set of influencers.
Billing herself (correctly) as a #Metoo pioneer on her website, she is a legal influencer well beyond the normal bounds of marketing, management and law tech. She is also an academic and campaigner who specialises in human rights cases, particularly those involving women and children.
Twitter Followers – 11k
18. Joe Patrice
Working with leading legal news site AbovetheLaw since 2013, Joe Patrice has a 15k Twitter following and the leading ATL blog provides an important staging post for news and views on all things law.
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Twitter Following – 15k
19. Andy Stickel
Mr YouTube Law Marketer
SEO and marketing manager Andy Stickel is low on Twitter followers, but high with his YouTube channel which provides advice on marketing for lawyers with his brash and ‘out there’ style.
YouTube Followers – 5.3k
20. Andrew Arruda
TED Talker & LegalTech Influencer
CEO and co-founder of Ross Intelligence, TED talks speaker and overall legal tech leader, Andrew Arruda has made a major impact on the profession through his tech success and ability to communicate effectively.
Plus he adds a welcome dash of humor.
Ross Intelligence is designed to augment lawyers’ abilities by using lawyers, engineers and others to solve the most difficult legal problems.
Sample Tweet –
Twitter Following – 6.5k
21. Nicole Black
Legal Tech Evangelist
With the distinctions of lawyer, author, analyst and speaker to her name, Nicole Black is an influential force to be reckoned with – and her more than 21K Twitter followers prove it.
Her focus is on legal technology, and she has gone so far as to describe herself as a legal technology evangelist. After seeing the influence she has on the industry, we can’t help but agree.
22. Bryan A Garner
Legal Writer Influencer
As editor in chief of Black’s Law Dictionary and author of Garner’s Modern English Usage, you’re not going to find many in the legal industry who aren’t well acquainted with Bryan A. Garner’s voice and contributions.
As if being a professional lecturer and lexicographer wasn’t enough, he’s also the founder of LawProse. Bryan A. Garner isn’t someone who’s influencing just social media with his contributions, but also the future of law.
23. Rachel Gurvich
Academic Law Influencer
A legal academic she may be but Rachel Gurvich has also accumulated a significant social media following through her #PracticeTuesday hashtag, stirring up issues within the law, which accompanies her much-followed #PracticeTuesday Blog where the will impart knowledge and views to stimulate and sometimes even surprise.
Twitter Followers – 11K
24. Preet Bharara
Former US Attorney of the Southern District who lost his job under President Donald Trump, Bharara is a highly regarded lawyer and an increasingly significant influencer with his huge social media following (think 1.7m Twitter followers.
He has wide respect and an ability to share his views on legal issues with his podcast ‘Staty Tuned with Preet’ put out by Cafe Studios and recently bought by Vox Media where he has recently launched podcast ‘Doing Justice’ is a further addition to the social media influence exercised by the former Attorney General.
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Twitter Followers – 1.7m
The legal influencers are a field that continue to ebb and flow, but monitoring the top voices in the profession is important, if only to be awake to the legal, marketing and ethical issues that continue to abound in a profession that is also changing quickly as the legal world enters a new world of tech changes, work-life pressures, gender issues and differing expectations.
