LinkedIn for Lawyers: How LinkedIn’s Privacy Settings Can Help You Connect Safely

    May 17, 2016

    Because LinkedIn does not solicit much personal (i.e., non-work related) information, there are relatively minimal privacy concerns. A carefully developed profile will likely convey similar information to what would appear on a law firm’s biography for the lawyer.

    However, if a lawyer has privacy concerns and wishes to establish some privacy settings, hover the cursor over the lawyer’s photo in the upper right corner and a list appears. Select Privacy & Settings. A new screen appears and the lawyer has a series of privacy controls to choose from at the bottom of the screen.

    Control How a Lawyer is Notified that Another User Viewed Their Profile

    LinkedIn notifies a lawyer every time another user views their profile. LinkedIn then stores this information and tracks a user’s viewing history. By selecting the Flag Icon in the top right corner of the Home screen, a lawyer can see when other users have viewed their profile. If the lawyer selects one of those Notifications, a new screen will display a graph of viewing activity and list all of the individual viewers.

    A lawyer may wish to remain anonymous when viewing another user’s profile. To remain anonymous, access the Privacy & Settings page again. Click on Select What Others See When You’ve Viewed Their Profile. A lawyer has the option of changing what appears in the notifications sent to the viewed user. For example, a lawyer could wish to remain entirely anonymous or be characterized by industry and employer without attaching the lawyer’s name.

    When a lawyer selects the option to remain anonymous, the lawyer may lose access to the viewing history and the ability to see which LinkedIn users are viewing their own profile, which will prevent the lawyer from learning who is interested in them.

    Control Who Can See a User’s Activity Feed and Connections

    1. LinkedIn provides the lawyer an option to limit when other users can see their posts and activity. Specifically, LinkedIn allows the lawyer to limit the audience to their “entire network,” “your connections,” “everyone,” and “only you.” On the Privacy & Settings screen, click on Select Who Can See Your Activity Feed and then click on the drop-down menu to select the desired audience.
    2. LinkedIn similarly allows the lawyer to limit who can see their connections. On the Privacy & Settings screen, click on Select Who Can See Your Connections. From the drop-down list, select “only you” or “your connections.”

    Blocking a User

    LinkedIn provides the lawyer with the option to block an individual from viewing their profile. On the Privacy & Settings screen, select Manage Who You’re Blocking and a list of all blocked users will display. To block another user, go to that user’s Profile page and select the arrow icon next to the Endorse link. Select Block or Report from the drop-down menu. Check the box next to Block and select Continue. This user will no longer be able to access the lawyer’s profile, send the lawyer a message, and, if they were connected, that connection will be severed.


    Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation