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Episode 35

Growing Your Personal Brand and Legal Network on LinkedIn: Brittany Leonard, GC at Civix

Episode summary

Introduction: 0:00

  • Introducing Brittany Leonard, General Counsel at Civix and LinkedIn legal community influencer.

Starting your career in local government before entering law school: 2:24 

  • Working for the city of Orlando while pursuing a passion for business.
  • Disliking law school and the feeling of alienation in a large, traditional law firm.

Finding a path to your first general counsel role: 3:54

  • Deciding that any role outside of the legal field would be better than repetitive work at a major firm.
  • Applying for a marketing role and eventually working with their legal team.
  • Combatting the idea that in-house roles require decades of experience.
  • Building well-rounded expertise in every aspect of legal. 

Approaching the GC role with a business mindset: 10:03

  • Viewing business teams as a partner instead of a client.
  • Making your legal department approachable, trustworthy, and valuable.

Rebuilding your confidence after working under an abusive boss: 11:43

  • Absorbing harmful feedback and threats as a young lawyer.
  • Developing confidence and a positive mental attitude.
  • Looking back on your experience and identifying abusive behaviors that you never want to enact.
  • Staying close with your co-workers and uplifting each other throughout your careers.

Building a personal brand on LinkedIn: 16:34

  • Turning to LinkedIn at the beginning of the pandemic after being dissatisfied with in-person networking events.
  • Overcoming a fear of posting to cultivate interest, grow a network, and helping other lawyers.

Advice to lawyers who have never posted on LinkedIn before: 19:39

  • Embracing temporary discomfort for permanent growth.
  • Maintaining consistency to harness a sense of camaraderies and community.
  • Dealing with insecurity and accepting that low engagement can come from uncontrollable factors.

Launching a consulting business on the back of your social presence: 24:54

  • Realizing you can share your expertise to help others build their personal brands. 
  • Leveraging requests from new GCs for advice and coaching.
  • Overcoming perfectionism when announcing her new endeavor.
  • Leading group trainings and allowing people to realize they can grow revenue and a client base from home. 

Tips for creating your own business: 28:22

  • Following your gut and chasing what makes you happiest.

Book recommendations: 29:36

  • The Cane Brothers series by Meghan Quinn
  • Never Split The Difference by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz

What you wish you had known as a young lawyer: 32:08

  • Embracing the journey and knowing that every day brings you one step closer to where you want to be.

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Host
Tyler Finn
Head of Community & Growth, SpotDraft
Guest
Brittany Leonard
GC, Civix

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