JD Supra’s client service team is regularly asked to help with a specific onboarding task as a marketing team welcomes a new partner or lateral recruit to their firm. The request is usually something along the lines of:
Please set up this new author as part of our JD Supra presence; they had JD Supra at their previous firm and don’t want to lose their thought leadership audience and visibility.
I always enjoy hearing news of loyal users, but it occurred to me recently in a conversation about lateral growth that this common request reflects something much larger.
It points to the way that law firm content not only supports client development but also how it can help firm leadership identify, attract, evaluate, integrate, and ultimately grow business through lateral talent.
Here’s how:
1. A Window Into Expertise (Before the First Conversation)
For firm leadership and recruiting teams, a candidate’s body of thought leadership offers something uniquely valuable: a clear, public record of how they think. Not just what they know, but how they interpret developments, advise clients, and position themselves in the market.
Reviewing a prospective lateral’s articles, alerts, or commentary allows stakeholders to assess:
- depth of expertise
- clarity of communication
- alignment with the firm’s client base and strategic direction
In many ways, this content serves as a living portfolio, often more revealing than a résumé or deal sheet.
There’s also a more proactive angle to this approach. JD Supra’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards (which recognize authors with the highest readership in their respective subject areas), offer a data-informed view of who is resonating most with specific audiences. While not designed as a recruiting tool, these kinds of data points can help firm leadership identify lawyers who are already demonstrating strong market visibility and engagement.
In a competitive lateral market, visibility is not incidental. It’s often indicative of both credibility and demand.
2. A Way to ‘Sell’ the Firm
We often talk about thought leadership as a way to influence clients, but it’s equally influential in shaping how your firm is perceived by prospective hires.
A robust, high-quality content program showcases:
- intellectual rigor and professionalism
- a firm culture of sharing insight and engaging with the market
- a commitment to supporting lawyers by marketing credibility and building reputation
For a prospective lateral, reviewing your firm’s content can provide an immediate sense of whether this is a place where they belong and where their voice—and expertise—will be amplified.
In that sense, your thought leadership program is doing double duty: attracting clients and attracting talent.
3. A Way to Integrate and ‘Onboard’ Your New Arrival
Once a lateral hire joins your organization, thought leadership can become one of the most effective tools for integration. In fact, content provides a natural way to:
- introduce the new arrival internally, by sharing their past work with colleagues
- connect them to existing practice groups through shared topics and co-authorship opportunities
- signal their arrival to clients, prospects, and the broader market
A well-timed article, alert, or Q&A can do more than announce a hire—it can immediately position that lawyer as a valuable voice within the firm. Post that Q&A on JD Supra; share it with industry media, because…
4. A Way to Demonstrate Marketing Commitment From Day One
Early promotion of a lateral’s content is also a great way to start and build a trusting, collaborative marketing and business development relationship.
When marketing and BD teams actively elevate a new partner’s work (for example through email features, homepage placements, social amplification, or targeted campaigns) it demonstrates a clear commitment: we are invested in your success here.
Simple but intentional steps can make a meaningful impact:
- ensure their author profile is fully built out and active
- feature their work in firm and platform-level promotions
- highlight a flagship piece to introduce their expertise to a broader audience
These efforts drive visibility and help to establish trust at a critical moment in the relationship.
Next Level: Create Strategic Content Moments Around New Talent
Some of the most effective firms go a step further, building content around the arrival of new talent. This might include:
- a short Q&A highlighting the lawyer’s perspective on key developments in their field
- a co-authored piece with new colleagues to signal integration and collaboration
- a forward-looking article tied to the firm’s strategic priorities
- on JD Supra specifically, a Featured Author campaign showcasing the firm’s new arrival on our homepage and in subject-relevant emails
For example, you might start a focused, five-question Q&A piece: “With her arrival in our AI practice, we asked Jane Jones to share her insights on emerging IP considerations in generative technologies. Here’s what we learned from Jane, who comes to our firm after…”
This approach shifts the announcement from a personnel update to something more valuable: a piece of insight that immediately reinforces the firm’s expertise and proactive growth strategies. A win for everyone.
Thought Leadership & Lateral Recruiting: How Individual Visibility Becomes Firm Growth
At its core, lateral hiring is about growth—of capability, of client relationships, and of market position. Thought leadership supports all three.
It helps firms identify the right talent, present themselves as compelling sources of expertise and authority, and ensure that new hires quickly gain traction with both internal and external audiences. And, as that initial onboarding request suggests, it also provides continuity—allowing lawyers to carry forward the audience and visibility they’ve already built, rather than starting from scratch.
For firms thinking strategically about lateral recruitment, the question isn’t whether thought leadership plays a role. It’s whether you’re fully leveraging it.
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Robin Howorka is JD Supra’s VP of Global Business Development. Connect with her on LinkedIn.