#InstaLaw: what are the best law accounts to follow?

Dec 11, 2019

Written By Becky Kells, Editor, AllAboutLaw

Take everything you know about Instagram and set it aside. Scrolling through your feed doesn’t need to be procrastination—thanks to a new spate of law accounts out there, you can boost your commercial awareness, get application tips and narrow down your firm options—all from visually interesting, perfectly-filtered posts.

Instagram has a lot of purposes: documenting holiday snaps, replicating live gigs through shaky filters, seeing what people from school are up to, and even flogging fashion and beauty via sponsored posts. But no longer are people’s scrolling habits fed by influencers and fashion brands. Law, too, is having its moment on the grid.

It might sound like a bit of a contradiction. Earlier in your education, you probably heard the digital-age-old adage: keep your social media private, and don’t mix it with your career.

But with jobs being filled on LinkedIn and work-experience placements being arranged in Twitter DMs, the justification for keeping your career plans off your social feeds—provided that your social feeds aren’t offensively unprofessional—has shrunk to obsolescence.

Now, you can use Instagram to boost your commercial awareness, follow trainees in their first few months at a law firm, and even interact with graduate-recruitment teams at law firms. There are law influencers, law bloggers, law advisers and (for when you’re exhausted by all three of these) law memes. We’ve curated a list of the most inspiring accounts for aspiring lawyers. Happy scrolling!

AllAboutLaw

Follow for: 60-second commercial awareness boosts while you wait for the bus!

There’s always room for a bit of shameless self-promotion… the AllAboutLaw Instagram is where some of the brightest stars in law come to share insights, career updates and snapshots of law life. More recently, we’ve launched a new video series: Commercial Awareness in 60 Seconds. We’ve dissected artificial intelligence and its place in law firms, analysed the laws governing art and looked at why businesses go bust—all in less time than it takes to microwave a can of baked beans…

The London Law Student

Follow for: law careers inspiration, honest takes—and great London content!

Simra (aka thelondonlawstudent) is the perfect example of how you can blog about your career journey without compromising on your personality and honesty. She’s put the same energy into documenting her journey through law school, graduation and getting her first law job—complete with study help, commercial awareness tips and application advice—as she does her travel, food and fashion posts.

She’s also not afraid to admit that going for opportunities in law can be difficult, and a lot of her posts have a strong focus on preserving and prioritising mental health at the most stressful times. She takes the stereotype of “law robot” and turns it on its head—all while keeping you informed with application tips and commercial awareness pointers.

Shoosmiths Grads

Follow for: a comprehensive guide to getting into law

It’s no accident that Shoosmiths won our Best Social Media award in the AllAboutLaw Awards 2019. The firm has put significant effort into not just demystifying the law application process, but also—dare we say it—making it fun. Their grid is a perfect blend of informative Q&As, Monday Motivations, and humanising “meet the trainee” profiles. If you aren’t following them already, now’s the time.

SimplyLawStudyBlog

Follow for: motivation to clean your desk at the start of a long study session!

Not only will Rebecca (simplylawstudyblog)’s feed send you on a deep spiral of stationary envy—it will also give you some top tips on everything from essay planning to revision tips. Her rose-gold-tinted desk pics are aesthetic, but don’t skip the captions—it’s here that this law grad and future trainee really shares her wisdom on how to juggle the many demands of a law degree (without compromising on style!).

Macfarlanes Graduates

Follow for: a starting point in researching the firm—plus insight into what trainees get up to!

You’ve heard it all before—before you apply for a vacation scheme or a training contract, research is key. While we’d never recommend doing all of your research into a firm on its Instagram page, in the case of Macfarlanes, it’s a good place to start. With snapshot breakdowns of the firm’s practice areas—including Private Client, Tax and Finance—the firm’s Instagram page offers an initial glimpse to help you figure out if your interests align with it. It’s not all work, though! Check out snaps of Macfarlanes lawyers on volunteering days, at dinners and even taking part in a charity triathlon.

Law School Memes

Follow for: when you need some light relief

Of course, nestled among the exciting and flashy, hidden beneath the informative and creative law accounts, there are memes. They might not get you a training contract, or help you to write your essay at 3am the night before a deadline. It’s unlikely that they’ll increase your commercial awareness. But the fact is, you don’t always want these things. Sometimes, you just want to laugh at the law-specific versions of that "is there a doctor on board?" meme. For those times, Law School Memes has your back.

Legal Spotlight