LinkedIn is the fastest growing and most powerful networking tool for professionals. Every year, LinkedIn is getting more powerful as more people begin using it to network. LinkedIn makes sense to business professionals and particularly paralegals as they are using it to network, acquire knowledge, get referrals, and more.  LinkedIn Groups are becoming a powerful place to acquire new connections, meet people with like-minded interests, and share knowledge and information.

Here are a handful of LinkedIn Groups every paralegal should belong to:

1. Paralegal Network, with 20,894 members and counting, was created to expand the paralegal’s “network of people and ideas.” It is a very active group with frequent postings and interactions. The group forbids postings that advertise paralegal schools, blog postings, or any other forms of solicitation. Instead, postings are strictly limited to paralegal-related questions and issues.
2. Paralegal Jobs & Continuing Education is a private group with a membership of 19,618 individuals. In order to join, you must submit a request to join. The purpose of the group is as explained in its title; to post paralegal jobs and continue your education as a paralegal.
3. Paralegal & Legal Support Jobs (a subgroup of Law Jobs Network – #1 Legal Careers Group) is another private group. They boast a membership of 18,885 people. Job postings for temporary or permanent positions are frequently posted, ranging from paralegal, legal secretary assistant, virtual assistant, support staff clerks in corporations, law firms, government in-house banking finance, etc.
4. National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. is the official LinkedIn group of the NFPA with 10,141 members. One must request membership. In their group profile, the NFPA states their core values which are:
   1. Being responsive to member needs
   2. Being committed to honesty and integrity
   3. Supporting unity within the profession
   4. Providing visionary leadership
   5. Being open to the exchange of ideas
   6. Embracing diversity
   7. Being committed to the profession’s Code of Ethics
5. The Paralegal Society is a private group (with 1,691 members) that was created to be a positive movement in exchanging information for new and seasoned paralegals. According to their group profile, members share articles, share information and career tips, ask questions and seek advice from experienced paralegal mentors. Their mission is to help change “the social aspects of education, mentorship and camaraderie for paralegals throughout the country.”
6. Virtual Paralegal, a private group, with 1,040 members was created to serve individuals interested in becoming a virtual paralegal or already are. Here, they discuss trends, career and networking opportunities in order to help aid paralegals in their career.
7. E-LEGAL, another private group with 90,449 members since November 21, 2008. It claims to be the #1 group for lawyers, attorneys, corporate in-house counsel, paralegals, law students, recruiters, etc.  E-Legal is one of the largest groups for professionals involved in the legal field and is a great platform for networking professionals.

Search LinkedIn’s Groups directory to find industry groups and networks to take part in. Once you have found several groups you are interested in, ask to join.  The group’s moderator will approve your request and add you to the group.  Once you have joined the group, you should get involved in discussions on a regular basis.  This will allow you to continue to learn from others and continue to connect to more and more people.  The larger your network is, the more useful it can be in the event you are looking for advice or information from others.

If you liked this article, you might also like “3 Organizations That Could Help You Advance Your Paralegal Career”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Kay is a Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

Tags: Paralegals, tips for paralegals

This entry was posted on Friday, October 18th, 2013 at 8:15 am and is filed under Paralegals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.