Now more than ever, people are searching for authentic online relationships. They are at home, isolated from friends and family, looking for community. For lawyers, the time for developing these online relationships has never been better.

Building community and networking online is a lot simpler than you may think. In fact, depending on your interests, practice areas or location, most of the work has probably already been done for you. The key is getting online and actively participating.

What does an online community look like? It could be a number of things, including closed and open Facebook groups, Slack channels, virtual happy hours and good ole’ fashioned chat forums. This is where hundreds, if not thousands of like minded attorneys and individuals congregate to discuss what is going on in business and in life.

Facebook Groups For Lawyers

If you are searching to build online relationships, joining Facebook groups is a great place to start. There are many Facebook groups for lawyers, for example, where attorneys from all over the country share helpful tips and resources. And during COVID-19, these groups have never been more active or more helpful.

In addition to Facebook groups for lawyers, there are also Facebook groups created for other industries, interests and communities. For example, if you serve farmers, you could join Facebook groups created specifically for farmers. Facebook groups are a great way to learn about what your clients may be experiencing and providing value to those communities by responding to questions and sharing helpful information.

Then there are Facebook groups created for different interests and hobbies. Ride a motorcycle? Like to sail? Love crafting? Whatever your after-hour passion may be, there is probably a Facebook group for it. In these groups, it is important to refrain from wearing your “lawyer hat” - it’s all about engaging with people with similar interests and developing those authentic online relationships.

Pro Tip: Create a closed Facebook group for your people in your community that you identify as ideal clients. Are you a family law attorney? You could create a local Facebook group dedicated to sharing tips for home education, co-parenting during quarantine or dealing with divorce during COVID-19.

Lawyer Slack Channels

Slack is a collaboration hub that can replace email to help you and your team work together seamlessly. It’s designed to support the way people naturally work together, so you can collaborate with people online as efficiently as you do face-to-face.

However, Slack is also great for non-work related communications. In fact, there are a number of closed Slack channels for lawyers where attorneys communicate asynchronously about a range of topics. In fact, Slack allows users to build out channels dedicated to different topics, meaning that one Slack group could talk about a variety of topics that you could engage with.

Pro Tip: Create your own Slack channel and invite other attorneys in your jurisdiction to join. In your slack channel, encourage members to share information about the local and state court system, recent state orders and other issues that may be affecting the legal community and the clients it serves.

Virtual Happy Hours For Attorneys

Virtual happy hours are popping up everywhere. Honestly, they may be better than the real thing. Rather than going to one location with a limited number of people, you can now hop between multiple virtual happy hours and connect with hundreds of people all over the country. The best part? You’re able to join from the comfort of your home with drink in hand.

Virtual happy hours are typically conducted on Zoom, Google Hangouts or a similar type of teleconferencing software.

Pro tip: Host your own virtual happy hour for colleagues, friends and family. You can set up a free Zoom account and send the link to your contacts. Simply set a date and time. To keep the virtual happy hour organized, come prepared with questions you would like to ask, then conduct a round robin discussion so everyone has a chance to speak. And, if you are feeling generous, you can buy everyone’s drinks. How? Simply ask participants for their Venmo username and send them $5.