Emma Lilley, UK and Ireland head of legal at HR and payroll management company SD Worx, has built an audience of over 10,000 followers on Instagram, and leveraged that platform to successfully lobby the Law Society to hold its first-ever regional admissions ceremony in Leeds
What drew you to using social media as a tool in your career and why Instagram specifically?
It started about four years ago because I was fed up and wanted to challenge the information that was out there about in-house. I used to read that information when I was training and, thankfully, I ignored it. I shot for that route because that was where my career direction was going, but if I would’ve listened to the advice I was reading, I would not be qualified. So that started off as the reason I wanted to share my journey after I qualified to challenge and prove wrong the inaccurate information that was out there about in-house roles.
I started off anonymously and chose Instagram because that was where the audience was that I wanted to reach. I was a similar age to my audience, and I also felt most comfortable there. I don’t think I would have felt comfortable starting off the way I did on LinkedIn, TikTok wasn’t around then, and Facebook was being phased out. Instagram was the easiest for me to use and get the information out there. I didn’t start with a business agenda; I just wanted to share my journey and contradict the narrative that was out there.
How beneficial have you found it for your career and in terms of other goals like campaigning for the first regional admission ceremony?
Yeah, it’s been incredibly beneficial career-wise, and also outside of the career in terms of passion projects. It’s also benefited me as a person – I’ve learned so much through it, about myself and about the industry. I always tell my followers that they keep me in this job because if I didn’t have the opportunity to change [the industry], I would not be in it.
On a bit more of a granular level, I’ve had the opportunity to change the industry for the better alongside the community, who voted for the petition and helped me – I wouldn’t have been able to do it without social media.
I’ve also been able to have opportunities like teaching and designing courses, which is of course the paid business side of it, but I also love the mentoring side of it. I can have a positive impact on someone’s journey, which was something I didn’t have, and I enjoy being able to provide that to somebody who might be from a similar background to me or who doesn’t know about lawyers and training contracts or the industry – just to be that person for them as I needed when I was in their shoes. That’s a huge benefit.
How about the cons? Have you had any negative experiences using social media?
Yeah, there are negatives, and they can vary from platform to platform. I’ve stayed away from TikTok despite its growth just because of the hate, and I can’t deal with that. Some people are a lot stronger in that sense, but it can be a very toxic environment. As long as you can adapt then the negatives don’t linger, but when you get those comments, you realise they aren’t your people, so it balances out.
Another negative is that it takes up so much time. I beat myself up a lot more about my activity on socials than I do about my full-time work sometimes. You can feel the pressure but you just have to step away and realise that this is an extra, it’s a benefit. It’s not life, social media isn’t real, but in the early days I definitely got dragged into that mindset.
Also, if you’re not feeling great in yourself it can be tough. My socials are me, it’s not a corporate stance. It requires my face and my voice and that’s hard to manage when you’ve got responsibilities and you’re not feeling great. If you’re at work and behind on your inbox, you can manage that a little better than socials that expect you to be on all the time. I do want to be realistic – it’s not all ‘Oh, look at all the positives’. There will be downsides.
Finally, would you recommend it?
Yes, I would recommend it if you have the capacity, both mentally and in terms of time.
I didn’t know what it came with when I started, and it’s taken me four years to become quite balanced with it – to know what I can manage and what I can’t. I’m not afraid to delete Instagram, put the phone down and walk away. You need to be able to do that.
Another caveat is that I could not have done this when I was studying. I see a lot of people making a huge success of it and it’s so helpful for students to have someone who’s also going through it but, for me personally, I know I couldn’t have done that. To have Instagram and all of the projects on top of a training contract, studying and a masters would’ve absolutely crumbled me, so for students I’d say wait, hold off and focus on qualification. That is, unless you want to pivot early on.
I think I’d also add that I’d encourage GCs and partners to embrace this new generation because social media is going to stay and it’s growing. It’s not just a handful of lawfluencers anymore; a lot of people are wanting this to be part of their life and so, if you want to retain and attract legal talent, you’re going to have to embrace some sort of social media presence.
We don’t want to encourage diversity and people from different backgrounds coming into law and then stifle it unnaturally by putting too strict parameters on social media and similar creative outlets.
Return to our social media influencers feature ‘Social circles’.
