If you’ve stumbled onto this post, or had a little helping hand with receiving a link to this page from yours truly, it's probably because I’ve viewed your LinkedIn profile recently—a warm hello, and I'm delighted to meet you!

And yes, before you ask, I did notice that your profile is… how do I put this politely… delightfully minimalist.

In fact, it made me wonder whether you ever intended to use LinkedIn at all, or whether you set up your account purely as a defensive manoeuvre to stop someone else nabbing your name and running around impersonating you. If so, that’s admirable foresight — very lawyerly.

But here’s the thing: for someone who has clearly worked hard to get where you are, you’re not exactly giving the world much to work with.

A bare LinkedIn profile is a bit like a professionally wrapped gift box that turns out to be empty. Lovely ribbon, shame about the contents.

And it reminded me of a junior lawyer I once coached who proudly announced, “Chris, I’ve finally updated my LinkedIn!”
I went to take a look… and found a solitary line: ‘Lawyer. Based [somewhere.]’
No photo. No job history. No headline. Not even a location.

At that point, even my own deceased cat had a more revealing online presence.

And that’s a pity, because imagine what people could know about you in 20 seconds flat:

• That you’re a qualified solicitor / attorney.
• That you conquered law school with the PCLL, SQE, PRC Bar (or insert other overseas equivalent).
• That you survived — and possibly even enjoyed — studying one of the hardest degrees on the planet.
• That you’ve built genuine legal expertise in a particular practice area.
• That you’ve made progress in a profession most people wouldn’t touch without protective gloves.

Only a tiny fraction of the world’s population has studied law, let alone practised it. So yes — you absolutely have licence to boast. Modestly, of course. But boast nonetheless. LinkedIn is one of the few platforms where you should be telling the world what you’ve achieved so far.

And let’s face it: most law firms don’t publish detailed profiles of associates or paralegals. Even when they do, you can’t control what’s written about you. LinkedIn is the one place where you control the narrative. It’s your space to tell your story, in your voice.

Which brings me to another small detail…

Your profile photo. Or, more accurately, the noble blank silhouette where your face should be.

LinkedIn users with profile photos get far more views and connection requests than those without one. People like to see who they’re dealing with — whether you’re a future colleague, potential hire, or their next trusted adviser. A face adds trust. A grey outline adds mystery… but not the good kind.

And that’s really the point: it’s not just recruiters like me who want to know what you do. Prospective employers want to know. Prospective clients want to know. Even the partner you work with wants to know you’re visible and engaged in the profession.

Notice how big a difference a warm, smiling photo staring at you makes?

A casual pose in an office setting…

...works just as well as a formal studio photo. 

We live in an age of extraordinary connectivity. If your LinkedIn has no narrative, no detail, no face, and no sense of who you are… why be on LinkedIn at all? Even retired professionals keep their LinkedIn profile live even many years after they have since finished their daily work routine for good. Why? To stay connected with business contacts—people they wouldn't ordinarily have on their Instagram or Facebook connections. 

At the very least, your profile should say what you specialise in, what you’ve done, and why what you do matters.

Because when people don’t know what you do, they can’t appreciate you. You'll end up like ships in the night passing each other.

And more importantly — they can’t find you when they need you or someone like you.

I hope this has given you something to mull over as you think about raising your professional visibility. If you’d like tailored coaching on elevating your personal brand — from narrative to positioning to career storytelling — feel free to drop me a line at chris@yuzulegal.com.

With always your best foot forward in mind,
 

Chris Tang

Entrepreneur, Coach, Mentor, and a verifiable Solicitor (non-practising), England & Wales