Top Legal Podcasts of 2022

In the legal industry, podcasts have been all the rage for a few years now. They’re a great way for firms to connect with their audience and build relationships with those who want to consume information in a more easily digestible way. However, with such a saturated landscape, many firms mistakenly believe that starting a podcast is a lost cause. Fortunately, these 5 firms prove that it’s still possible to produce a podcast that stands out, builds relationships with your audience, and positions your firm as an expert in your industry.

As a part of our annual study of America’s top law firms’ digital usage, The Social Law Firm Index, we studied the top 200 law firms to learn how they’re leveraging podcasts. 

You can download the Social Law Firm Index here to learn about trends from last year, predictions for this year, rankings of top firms, and feature profiles of the top firm’s strategies.

There were a few law firms that ranked and stood out amongst the rest. If you’re looking for ideas to help your firm launch a successful podcast, keep reading.

Our Favorite Top Legal Podcasts

1. Steptoe & Johnson LLP

With over 400 episodes, Steptoe & Johnson’s Cyber Law Podcast proves to be both entertaining and educational. The show covers complex cyber law topics that align with their audience’s interests, breaking subjects down so they’re easier to digest and providing show notes to further aid listeners’ understanding. Steptoe & Johnson also posts episodes weekly, ensuring their audience is able to easily stay up to date. And with consistent, optimal social promotion of the show, it’s no wonder the podcast is such a hit.

2. Norton Rose Fulbright 

Norton Rose Fulbright understands the importance of market segmentation in podcasting. They host a number of shows on various topics relating to their practice areas, so there’s truly a show for each member of their audience. To aid listeners as they search for content of interest, each topic is broken down into its own show right under their insights tab on their website. Their shows focus on providing listeners important insights on the latest news in relation to their industries. For example, their FinTech Pulse Podcast helps listeners stay up to date on the latest FinTech news with 2 hosts and a rotation of expert lawyer guests.

3. Lowenstein Sandler LLP

With 7 shows total, there is truly a podcast for every member of the Lowenstein Sandler audience. The firm covers various topics, including industry news, and provides answers to their audience’s most pressing questions not easily found elsewhere, such as: ‘Why do lawyers talk like they do?’. Lowenstein Sandler also understands how to appeal to different audience demographics with important initiatives like their Women’s Initiative Network: Real Talks show.

4. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Akin Gump makes the search for information easy, with a podcast search engine page that allows users to search for relevant episodes by any number of ways. The podcast previews on the search pages are detailed and include information on specifics audience members are likely to be looking for, including speaker info, their expertise area, and more. They successfully position their team as experts in their industry and discuss all the latest topics that have sparked ongoing conversations in their practice areas. For example, their Accelerate ESG Podcast goes over news and insights having to do with Environmental Social Governance.

5. Reed Smith LLP

Reed Smith understands that consistency is key when it comes to podcasting. They never leave their audience guessing by going dark for weeks at a time, instead they keep their show up to date with relevant episodes on news, developments, and analysis of legal industry topics. Reed Smith converges entertainment and education into a successful show that discusses topics most pertinent to their audience. Such as in their Disputes in Perspective show where they have lawyers sit down and breakdown hot topics in the legal landscape.

Takeaway: 

Podcasting continues to be an important digital marketing channel for law firms. Whether you host one show or multiple, the philosophy remains that consistency is key, be educational always, and ensure you get inside your audience’s head and provide episodes on the topics most relevant to them.

If you’d like to start your own podcast but don’t have the time, consider reaching out to us for a free consultation. We’ve helped many law firms, including Lowenstein Sandler, create podcasts that are reputable and memorable.