Outsiders to the legal profession tend to believe that you as a lawyer are measured primarily by your ability to perform in court. Anybody who’s ever worked within the industry, however, realizes that your success depends just as heavily (if not more) upon your written presence. Indeed, the documents you compose should serve as your central channel for bolstering your value - both internally (within your firm and court system) and externally (to your clients). Legal documents are not simply vehicles for your thoughts and ideas; they are weapons of tremendous impact that directly affect your odds of winning a case, swaying a potential client, or becoming partner at your firm.

Across industries, career advancement is dependent not only upon merit, but upon “who you know” - and the power of network influence is growing steadily as more opportunities for connectivity emerge. The legal profession is far from an exception; as many brilliant, hard-working, yet overlooked attorneys can confirm, navigating through the legal industry is difficult when you lack the proper channels. Fortunately, it’s never too late to start building a strong network - and, thanks to these five developing avenues, it’s easier now than it’s ever been before.

Whether you’re new to #LawTwitter, the legal community’s cherished social media nook, or have some experience navigating through its tangled webs of sardonic jokes and SCOTUS references, you’ve probably noticed that there are a few “must-follow” legal tweeters who tend to dominate the platform. With thousands of followers and a seemingly endless content pool, these esteemed members of #LawTwitter set the community’s topics of discourse each day - and for good reason: I can’t imagine how dull Twitter might be without David Lat (@DavidLat) and Bob Ambrogi (@bobambrogi) among others.