Best Online Forums for Lawyers

Becoming a successful attorney requires more than just practicing law. You also need to network stay up-to-date with legal industry trends and find ways to learn and grow. Joining lawyers’ forums online is a simple and effective way to connect (especially when traditional in-person networking isn’t feasible). 

The best lawyer forums can provide numerous benefits. For example, online lawyer forums can help you network and build deep relationships. They can also help legal professionals stay updated with legal tech, foster discussions with industry experts, and illuminate ways to improve your legal clients’ experiences. But, since you can’t spend all day on lawyer discussion boards, you’ll want to narrow it down to a list of the best forums for you.

To help, we’ve rounded up a list of the best online lawyer forums to consider joining. Whether you’re looking for the latest industry news, lots of open discussions, or a focus on local networking, there are great lawyer forums for you. Read on to consider your options, then get in on the discussion. 

The Law Community

Clio’s newly launched The Law Community—aka “TLC”—is an online network designed to give legal professionals a virtual space to learn, connect, and grow. The Law Community is an online space to share tips and best practices, network, and pick up new tech skills. And, with legal tech at the heart of TLC, it also offers opportunities to be in the know with new products and feature updates from Clio.

The Law Community is currently only available to Clio customers, but is expected to expand in the future.

LawyerSmack

As the leading private community for lawyers, LawyerSmack offers an online space for members to chat about everything legal, connect, brainstorm, and share with peers in the legal industry. In LawyerSmack, attorneys can chat with their peers in their area and around the world. Membership comes with a fee ($199 per year). This membership gives you access to more than 100 channels ranging from state-specific to specific practice area channels. In addition to the lawyer discussion boards, members can also find curated industry news on LawyerSmack. 

r/LawFirm on Reddit

Reddit is well-known for its online forums for all kinds of topics, from news to sports. Did you know that you can also turn to this popular site for legal discussion in the law firm subreddit? While this forum is a more informal option, it’s a good choice to find casual discussion, and talk about the nuts and bolts of running your law firm. If you are a licensed attorney, you can also apply to get access to the lawyer subreddit. 

LinkedIn and Facebook groups

Social media can be a valuable networking, marketing, and communication tool for lawyers—and that includes lawyer forums.

When you’re looking for lawyer discussion online via social media, Facebook and LinkedIn are your best bets. You can search for legal-related groups to join to increase your visibility, enhance your presence within the legal community, and keep in the loop with trending legal topics. One tip? Before you join, make sure your social media is polished and professional. Start by reviewing these LinkedIn brand-building tips for lawyers.

Quora

While it’s not legal industry-specific, Quora is a leading question-and-answer website. Because it’s so wide-reaching, Quora offers a wide range of questions. Because of this, it is easy to see and discuss issues that are trending and topical within the legal industry. You can also search for (and follow) specific topics within Quora to see what issues and questions are popular. And, if you participate in answering questions and become an influential answerer on Quora, that can help boost your credibility and visibility online. This is why Quora is also a top free law firm marketing tool). 

Bar Association Forums

When searching for lawyer discussion boards, don’t forget about bar associations. Your local bar association may have online discussion forums you can join. You may also discover forums that are tailored to your specific area of interest. The Iowa State Bar Association, for example, offers a private online professional community for members to connect, collaborate, and network. 

Thomson Reuters Legal Community 

Available exclusively for small law customers of Thomson Reuters, the Thomson Reuters Legal Community offers a secure online network focused on what’s most relevant to small law firms. The virtual attorney community allows you to network and engage with peers (both in your jurisdiction and nationally) in private and group settings. The online community also lets legal professionals connect and gain insights from industry experts. Because it’s designed for small law firms, you can focus on topics relevant to your firm size.

Lawyer Slack Channels

Slack is a free platform for collaboration and communication. Did you know you can use Slack’s easy-to-use communication channels to connect with other legal professionals? As mentioned above, LawyerSmack is a leading private Slack community for lawyers. A quick online search could bring up interesting private attorney Slack channels to join. If you want to build your community, you can also create a free channel and invite other lawyers to join. 

To learn more about how Slack and online communities are important for lawyers, listen to this Legal Talk Network podcast featuring the founder of LawyerSmack.

Conclusion 

Lawyer forums are a great way to network and stay in the know about topics. But remember that the best lawyer forums to join are those that offer community and content that you’ll engage with. Whether you join lawyer-specific forums, social media-based groups, or a combination of both, opt for online discussion spaces that can deliver useful insights and interesting discussion. Otherwise, you’ll lose interest and miss out on the opportunities within the online legal community. 

We published this blog post in March 2021. Last updated: May 24, 2023.

Categorized in: Business