These serious lawyers are seriously fun on socialBy Helena

The answer is Kevin.

Kevin Kennedy is the Founder of Kennedy Law Firm and every social media manager’s dream. With his iconic suit collection, that hair, a signature catchphrase and a sassy personality to boot, he’s practically the courtroom’s answer to Ron Burgundy. Knowingly, Kennedy Law Firm have set up their TikTok account as Kev’s “personal” account to capitalise on their founder’s unyielding charisma (and 35+ year knowledge in law and legislation)

@thelegalqueen

Here in the UK, @thelegalqueen has put her own spin on Q&A content. At home, Her son holds the camera and starts each video with “hey mum”. For example: “Hey mum, what happens if your ex doesn’t sign the financial order?” and “Hey mum, what are 3 things I should know if I’m going through a divorce?”

It’s a simple, repeatable format that adds a softer, more personable touch to what is usually a very stoic industry. As a result, she has over 550K followers on TikTok and a private Discord community of 7K+

"I’m Elle Woods and this is Bruiser Woods"

Across the legal-verse, we’ve also noticed a running theme of lawyers reacting to movies. Legal Eagle has created an entire playlist of laws broken in some of our favourite classics. The 702 firm lists everything that Harry Potter could sue for. And Phillips Law Group’s attorney reacts to Elle Woods’ Harvard emissions video in Legally Blonde.

What’s so impressive about these examples is that while they’re fun, they clearly demonstrate the depth of knowledge that these lawyers possess. Someone with a limited understanding of the legal system couldn’t tell you exactly which laws Willy Wonka broke in his chocolate factory (reader, it was a lot) or whether you can legally flip off a police officer. It proves that your “educational”, “fun” and “product/service” content pillars can coexist in the same video.

Dive deeper 🤿

꩜ Can lawyers talk about cases on social media? And more important q’s about law firms on social

꩜ A week in the life of a new law grad

꩜ 11 lawyers going viral on TikTok

꩜ This lawyer stitches videos on TikTok and answers the question “who’s viable?”

꩜ How can you say “shut up” in legalese?

Insights from the team

Watch the video : What to avoid and what to focus on as a Law firm on TikTok

In the pool with…@thelegalqueen, Tracey Moloney

Tracey Moloney is a Solicitor and the Director of Moloney Family Law. On TikTok, you might know her as @thelegalqueen.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started creating content?

The biggest shock to me was that people found solicitors to be really intimidating. And I was really kind of saddened by that, because I’ve been doing it for such a long time. But when you’re in it, you don’t really see these things do you? I thought wow, I didn’t know people felt that way—just how unobtainable we seem, as solicitors, by the majority of the public.

But I’ve found that when someone can see my face, when they can hear me and they can scroll down and watch the videos, they are far more confident to then email me.

We love the videos of your son asking you legal FAQs at home. What was the thinking behind this?

Well, when I first started, I kept it quite conservative. I was in my office at home and I was dressed very formally. But when I started to get direct messages from people saying “you’ve just really humanised it” I figured I could go a little bit further.

So he would ask me questions while I was doing other things like folding the laundry or fixing the cushions. I thought, let them see me in my slippers! What I was trying to do was show people that, as solicitors, we’re not as traditional as one would think. We’re not as hoity-toity as one would think. We are everyday people as well. So there was a definite conscious decision to move the videos towards that at the time.

You have a really successful Discord community. Could you please tell us a little more about it?

The Discord community is fabulous. We have three forums: divorce, children and finance, and anyone can go there to ask questions. I think it enables people who are maybe embarrassed about their situation, or again, intimated by solicitors, to get the information they need.

We also do live sessions where people can ask me questions in real-time. If someone doesn’t want their voice to be recognised, or they’re too shy, they can DM one of my helpers and they’ll ask me their question anonymously on their behalf. We then record the live session and put it all on the podcast so they can hear it again.

From a business perspective, it’s great for us. My own clients will share information about costings and the format we use, which gives others a better understanding of what to expect. This ultimately brings in more clients. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.

What advice would you give to a law firm that’s new to creating video content?

Keep it really simple. And just be confident that people are interested. When you’re in a traditional profession, it can be difficult to think outside the box, because we’ve done it one way for such a long time. But I say embrace the change and know that most people will accept the change. The law is known to be convoluted and complicated, so keep your explanations simple and to the point.

Content idea of the week 💡

Is there a character in a film that works in your industry? Create a reaction video to one of their scenes.

That concludes this week's blog on 'boring brands, having fun' on social media. Get ready for the next episode where we jump into another sector breaking the industry mould.