3. Conduct Seminars.
In some areas of law practice, it is common for attorneys to offer seminars to the public to educate them about certain areas of law. This is particularly common in estate planning and elder law, but lawyers in other areas of law practice are starting to get in on the game too. These seminars are a great way to make yourself known in the public, and will greatly enhance your reputation in the community (assuming, of course, that you don't botch the presentation).
Even if you practice in a field where public seminars are not really practical or appropriate, you can still pursue seminar speaking opportunities to legal associations and other attorneys. Does the state association in your practice area conduct an annual seminar or regional seminars? Volunteer to speak on a topic you know well. Does your local bar association have a monthly bar meeting where 1-hour CLEs are presented while everyone grabs a sandwich and chips? Find out who is in charge of scheduling speakers, and volunteer your services. Can't find any good speaking opportunities through other organizations? Organize a seminar of your own, and invite other lawyers to attend.
4. News Media.
Reporters, journalists, and other writers are constantly in need of experts to provide information, analysis, and quotations to go into articles. Ever wonder why you see the same attorneys being consulted over and over about certain legal issues? Sometimes it is simply because that attorney has made himself or herself available to the media. If a reporter knows that a phone call to your office will provide the quote needed for finishing off an article, then that reporter is likely to call again and again.
Some attorneys dislike speaking to the media, and some completely refuse to do it. This is usually the result of that lawyer feeling like he or she was burned previously by being misquoted or having something taken out of context. While it is easy to blame the reporter, many times this is the lawyer's own fault. Remember that when speaking to a reporter, one of that reporter's goals is to find something in your comments that is quotable. Most lawyers want to talk in long sentences that include too many legal terms or complex words. In most situations, those comments are not quotable and your lengthy explanation is just too detailed and/or boring to go in a news article. Good politicians speak in "sound bites" because they have learned how to provide reporters with what they need for writing a story. Learn that skill and the media will like talking to you too.
If you don't have any media connections, it is time for you to establish some. Read How to Become a Media Source for Legal News Articles and Gain Free Publicity to learn how to become the lawyer consulted by the news media when an important legal news story comes up.
Becoming recognized as the expert in your field of law is one of the best steps you can take in your practice, both for improving your competence as a lawyer as well as improving your marketing competitiveness. Use any or all of these four steps and you will be able to gain recognition for your knowledge of the law.