Why video is the secret weapon for lawyers' marketing
Video content has emerged as a significant tool for law firms seeking to establish authority and attract clients. While traditional marketing methods remain valuable, video has become increasingly important for legal professionals in building trust, demonstrating expertise and connecting with potential clients.
In LinkedIn’s 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark, 65% of B2B leaders identified video as the top technique for brand building, emphasizing its importance in the legal industry. This trend is further supported by a survey of 205 marketing professionals and consumers conducted by video production company Wyzowl, showing that 87% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video, demonstrating the persuasive power of video content in legal marketing.
For law firms specifically, the impact of video extends beyond direct engagement. Video content can improve search engine rankings, as Google often gives preference to pages with video content, potentially leading to higher visibility for law firms online.
Video content strategy
Educational video content in legal marketing takes several distinct forms, each serving specific purposes in the client journey.
Foundational knowledge videos address basic legal concepts and processes, helping potential clients understand their situations better. These typically run three to five minutes and focus on single topics like “Understanding Child Custody Basics” or “What to Expect in a Real Estate Closing.”
Process-explanation videos walk potential clients through what they can expect when working with a law firm. These videos typically cover initial consultations, document preparation, timeline expectations and fee structures. By demystifying the legal process, these videos help reduce client anxiety and set realistic expectations from the start.
FAQ-style videos address common client concerns and questions. These shorter, focused pieces allow firms to efficiently address recurring inquiries while demonstrating their expertise. The key is identifying genuinely valuable topics through client intake conversations and consultation questions rather than producing generic content.
Legal updates and analysis videos keep clients informed about changing laws and regulations affecting their interests. These timely pieces demonstrate ongoing expertise while providing genuine value to existing and potential clients. They also serve as excellent content for social media sharing and email newsletters.
Strategies for success
Successful video implementation begins with proper planning. Create a content calendar that aligns with your practice area’s natural cycles. For instance, estate planning firms might increase content production before year-end when clients typically review their arrangements. Tax law practices might focus on updates and explanations during tax season.
Quality production doesn’t require expensive equipment, but key elements demand attention. Professional audio quality ranks as the most critical technical factor—viewers will tolerate imperfect video, but poor audio immediately diminishes credibility. A quality microphone and a quiet recording space are essential investments.
Develop a consistent format for your videos. This includes standard introductions, consistent backing music—if used—and professional closing segments with clear calls to action. Maintain brand consistency in visual elements like lower-third graphics and end screens.
Different practice areas require tailored video strategies. Family law practices benefit from compassionate, empathetic, explanation-focused content that helps clients understand emotional processes like divorce or custody arrangements.
Corporate law videos should be authoritative and precise, typically focusing on education and analysis. These might include regulatory updates, compliance guidance or transaction process explanations.
Estate planning practices can effectively use video to explain complex concepts like trust structures or tax implications while emphasizing the importance of proper planning.
Personal injury firms benefit from videos demonstrating their expertise and sensitivity while explaining client rights, documentation requirements and interactions with insurance companies.
Real estate practice videos often focus on explaining transaction processes and common pitfalls to avoid. These can include explanations of contract terms, closing procedures and property law basics.
Distribution and engagement
Effective distribution requires a multichannel approach tailored to your target clients’ habits, with LinkedIn emerging as a particularly powerful platform for legal professionals.
LinkedIn users are 20 times more likely to share video content, and video content generates nearly five times more engagement than static posts, indicating a higher potential for connecting with potential clients.
Regular video content sharing on LinkedIn can lead to increased referrals. When fellow lawyers consistently see your video insights on complex legal matters, they’re more likely to think of you when referring cases outside their specialty.
Platform-specific optimization is crucial. On LinkedIn, short videos perform best in terms of views. Consider creating brief video analyses of recent court decisions, quick legal tips or concise commentary on emerging legal trends.
For more comprehensive content, longer educational videos perform better on YouTube with proper indexing and descriptions. Your firm’s website serves as the primary hub for video content, with videos strategically placed on relevant practice-area pages and resource sections.
Success measurement extends beyond view counts. Meaningful metrics include engagement duration, consultation conversion rates, client acquisition sources, website behavior patterns and long-term client value. Track how video viewers interact with your website compared with nonviewers, analyzing metrics like resource downloads and contact-form submissions.
Future-proofing
The evolution of video technology and client expectations requires ongoing strategy adjustment. Virtual reality and augmented reality are now influencing legal services, particularly in litigation preparation and client education.
Mobile optimization becomes increasingly critical as more clients access legal information through smartphones.
Artificial intelligence is transforming video production and distribution, making video marketing more efficient and effective. However, lawyers should be careful not to outsource too much of their responsibility to AI. The most effective legal videos showcase the actual attorneys and staff who will be handling client matters. This authentic approach, even if imperfect, builds far more trust than a polished but artificial AI presentation. Remember, clients hire lawyers, not avatars: They want to see and connect with the real professionals who will handle their legal matters.
As technology continues to evolve and client expectations shift, video will play an increasingly central role in legal marketing and client communication. Firms that establish strong video foundations now will have significant advantages in connecting with and serving clients in the years ahead. The future of legal services marketing is increasingly visual, interactive and accessible. By embracing video as a core marketing and communication tool, firms can build stronger connections with potential clients while maintaining the professional standards that define excellent legal service.
This story was originally published in the June-July 2025 issue of the ABA Journal under the headline: “Ads Valorem: Why video is the secret weapon for lawyers’ marketing.”
Kerry Barrett is an Emmy Award-winning former news anchor turned on-camera coach who helps lawyers refine their video presence, improve communication skills, and use video strategically to attract high-value clients, referral partners and build authority in their field.
This column reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Association.
