I
do
not
check
LinkedIn
too
much
these
days.
Although
I
used
to
think
that
LinkedIn
was
a
solid
way
to
develop
new
business,
more
often
than
not,
LinkedIn
is
mostly
a
means
for
people
to
spam
my
inbox
and
post
career
accomplishments
for
the
affirmation
of
people
users
might
not
even
know.
One
interesting
phenomenon
I
often
see
on
LinkedIn
is
that
numerous
lawyers
post
about
purported
accomplishments
that
do
not
require
any
kind
of
recognition
or
skill,
seemingly
in
order
to
generate
content
for
people
to
see
and
like
on
the
platform.
I
understand
the
need
for
people
to
generate
content
on
such
platforms
as
LinkedIn
to
get
noticed,
but
I’m
not
sure
why
users
announce
certain
underwhelming
career
updates.
One
supposed
career
accomplishment
I
see
lawyers
post
all
the
time
is
when
they
are
admitted
to
a
new
state
or
federal
bar.
Of
course,
it
makes
sense
for
lawyers
to
want
to
advertise
to
others
that
they
are
now
licensed
to
practice
law
in
a
new
jurisdiction
in
case
contacts
have
referrals
in
that
state.
However,
some
lawyers
seem
to
suggest
that
becoming
admitted
to
a
new
bar
requires
some
kind
of
recognition
or
skill.
Indeed,
I
often
see
people
posting
about
how
proud
they
are
to
be
admitted
to
the
bar
of
the
Supreme
Court
of
the
United
States
even
though
the
requirements
to
have
this
status
are
relatively
minimal.
If
attorneys
need
to
pass
the
bar
exam
again
to
be
admitted
to
a
new
state
bar,
I
think
that
the
admission
is
an
accomplishment
since
it
is
genuinely
difficult
for
someone
to
take
time
out
of
their
career
to
study
and
pass
a
bar
exam.
However,
most
states
and
federal
bars
have
reciprocity
that
allows
lawyers
admitted
in
other
jurisdictions
to
gain
reciprocal
admission
in
the
desired
area.
All
the
lawyer
must
do
is
fill
out
the
necessary
paperwork,
pay
related
fees,
and
not
run
into
character
and
fitness
problems.
Meeting
this
low
threshold
is
not
much
of
an
accomplishment.
Sure,
it
can
be
a
pain
to
assemble
all
of
the
certificates
of
good
standing,
reference
letters,
and
other
accompanying
documents
to
apply
for
such
admission.
However,
pretty
much
any
lawyer
can
submit
such
paperwork
to
be
admitted
in
a
different
jurisdiction,
so
lawyers
should
not
post
about
reciprocal
admission
as
if
it
is
a
big
accomplishment.
Lawyers
also
post
incessantly
about
chintzy
awards
that
they
were
given
and
how
the
award
proves
that
they
are
at
the
top
of
their
fields
and
have
achieved
lofty
accomplishments.
Regrettably,
many
lawyer
achievement
awards
are
not
something
to
celebrate.
Pretty
much
any
lawyer
can
usually
either
apply
or
pay
to
be
granted
such
awards,
and
most
of
these
awards
do
not
come
with
a
rigorous
selection
methodology.
Companies
make
money
selling
plaques
and
other
hardware
showcasing
that
the
lawyer
has
won
a
supposedly
prestigious
award,
and
ad
space
is
sold
in
publications
that
print
the
names
of
people
given
the
award.
The
lawyer
awards
industry
serves
the
egos
of
lawyers,
and
makes
the
public
think
that
lawyers
are
accomplished,
when
in
reality
most
lawyer
awards
are
not
a
reflection
of
the
lawyer’s
skill,
but
perhaps
on
the
size
of
the
lawyers
ego.
Some
lawyer
awards
are
true
accomplishments,
but
these
are
far
outweighed
by
the
superficial
awards
that
people
often
post
about
on
LinkedIn
and
elsewhere.
It
is
difficult
for
lawyers
to
distinguish
themselves
in
the
legal
marketplace,
and
they
may
struggle
sometimes
to
produce
content
for
social
media
in
order
to
get
their
names
in
front
of
more
people.
However,
lawyers
should
consider
highlighting
genuine
victories
and
accomplishments
rather
than
posting
about
hollow
career
milestones.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of
The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of
Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at
[email protected].