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Many lawyers live a secluded existence, working long hours in their firm connecting only with their colleagues and clients and struggling to make time to spend with family and friends away from work. This means they rarely venture out into the legal community nor spend time considering the impact this could have on their legal career.

If you look at some of the most successful lawyers, you will find that they are also generally the most visible. This is not always the case but is in the vast majority of cases. Visibility can be a key factor when considering a move in your legal career as being involved in the legal community will make you more appealing to future employers.

It would be difficult to think of any politician who was able to rise to the top without networking. The traditional politician goes out and gives speeches. The traditional politician writes articles, blogs and now even tweets. Most of these postings are similar and focus on the 'need for change'. None of this is an accident, in order to capture the public's attention, politicians, like successful lawyers, must get into the spotlight.

If you were unjustly accused of a crime and needed a criminal lawyer or facing divorce and needed a really good divorce lawyer, I am sure that a few names would spring immediately to mind. They may not be the best lawyer for the job but they have worked hard at self promotion and developing a strong profile and this, in return, brings them in clients regardless of the level of their ability. If they had not worked to put themselves in the legal spotlight, they would not be as successful

The main reason to spend the time building a profile is so that you come into the spotlight of others in the community - both other lawyers (and possible employers) and potential clients. If they see you, they will associate you with whatever you are doing to be visible. If you are making a speech, commenting in a publication or posting on a blog about an area of law, they will associate you with this area of law. Even regularly attending relevant conferences and events can have a positive impact on your public profile. In order to be successful, people need to know who you are and what you do. Rising above the hundreds or thousands of similar lawyers in your niche is a challenge. It will require time and attention but can reap extensive benefits in your legal career. By being a visible and active participant in the community, you open yourself up to a post of possibilities that would otherwise never arise.

Not only will this have a very positive impact when you look at the next move in your career - be it a new job or a promotion in your existing organisation - but visibility also means you are in a position to learn. By getting out in the legal community, you will be exposed to others, gain knowledge about what others are doing, the status of different ideas, who is who and more. By learning all of this information, you will put yourself in a position to even further distinguish yourself, because you can adjust to this information to make your personal PR campaign more effective.

Working in your firm, you learn from your colleagues and clients and from the publications you read and news sources you subscribe to but this is no substitute to the power of knowledge gained through personal contact. You will gain personal insights and information on what others in your market are doing. If you know what other lawyers in your niche are doing in your market then you have a better sense of what you need to do to obtain new clients and keep your existing ones.

Building a strong profile and good network are invaluable when looking for a new position, especially if it is with one of the more prestigious law firms. One of the hallmarks of a law firm is that it is somewhat like a members club. Law firms are often extremely suspicious of outsiders and it is rare for a lawyer to move from a less prestigious to a more prestigious firm. One of the ways to overcome this is to have a strong enough profile that they will know of you, even if they do not know you directly. If they have seen you speak at events, read your articles or seen you in as active in a forum, they are going to be much more likely to want to speak with you. The familiar is always more comfortable than the unfamiliar. If you become familiar to others in the legal community, you will have a better chance of getting the job you want.

Another real benefit is that your efforts can lead to an unsolicited job offer. When you walk around most law firms, probably as many at 20% of the lawyers are there because they knew someone. They knew someone from some sort of involvement in the legal community. When firms identify a need for a new hire, the first questions is "do we know anyone for this role?" and in a good number of cases, the answer is yes. This person may not be the best qualified but the relevant partner/lawyer feels they know them and are comfortable enough with them, based on their previous contact or knowledge of them, to get them in the door first.

As you can see there are many powerful benefits to taking the time and effort to build your profile in the legal community, namely:

• Raising your profile can get you clients
• Raising your profile can help you learn more and become a better lawyer
• Raising your profile can make you much more employable and put you on the path to success.