A new report by the ABA shows 43 percent of lawyers are members of an online community, Facebook, Linked In, Legal On Ramp, etc.– up from just 15 percent one year ago. While some social media sites have faltered or shown they have limited business development potential for a lawyer– think My Space with Twitter, possibly– this form of communication is not going away.

Our recommendation: your law firm marketing plan, in the absence of that your practice group marketing plan, in the absence of that your personal business development plan, should include automatic reminders to update your profile and participate in such a community regularly.

How often should you update? While weekly postings are the standard you will often hear, we think that’s a stretch for many successful lawyers. Twice a month, please.