11 Lawyers Going Viral on TikTok Right Now

Think that TikTok’s not for you because you’re a lawyer?

Think again. Because you’re throwing away a fresh audience of 26 million and counting.

Right now, there are lawyers reaching and helping millions of people on TikTok. The best part? They get more followers by being themselves and leaning into their strengths.

In the coming months, I will be interviewing the most followed lawyers on TikTok and getting their tips and tricks to succeed on this new and exciting platform.

This post features Ethen Ostroff, a distinguished trial lawyer from Ostroff Law practicing in Pennsylvania. His firm does business in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

This post was recently updated in 2021 to also feature Michael Mandell (Law by Mike), a skilled and experienced trial lawyer in California specializing in personal injury cases.

1. Michael Mandell (Law by Mike) @lawbymike

Mike has grown an incredible audience on TikTok – up to 3.5 million followers in just 7 weeks!  He is currently the most followed lawyer on TikTok. His TikTok videos are sharp, informative, and engaging.

I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Mike about using TikTok as a branding tool. You can watch the video of our conversation below:

The Magic Of TikTok as a Branding tool With Jacob Sapochnick and Mike Mandell from jacob sapochnick on Vimeo.

Some key highlights and takeaways from our conversation:

• Never underestimate the power of TikTok!
• You can use social media to promote yourself but if you’re working for a big firm, you have to make sure to stay within their guidelines.
• When setting off on your own with your own practice, find your unique angle.
• Using social media, you can reach so many more people than traditional or “old school” media. People are on social media all the time – they don’t have to “tune in” to see you.
• There’s a system to getting people’s attention so that they actually listen to the information you’re giving – you must either educate, entertain, or inspire.
• TikTok and social media have a learning curve that you can perfect as time goes on. You don’t have to get everything right at the beginning. As your platform grows, see what works and tweak your process to reflect that.
• 50% of messages Mike receives off TikTok are from people who want to go into law as a profession. The other 50% are about cases that people have across the country. If Mike believes he can help them, he takes them as clients whether they’re in California or not.
• To excel on TikTok, present people with information that they would otherwise have to pay for in-school or pay a lawyer to tell them – what are their legal rights, what should they do in court, what can they expect in their situation. Focus on education.
• TikTok is the newest and most popular platform out there right now. Everyone is using it so it’s not “just a fad.” You want to get on the platform when it’s new so you can use its benefits to reach more people early on before others crowd the market.
• TikTok is a great way to nurture a warm and loyal following.

I also asked Mike about his goals for the next 6 months and whether he has any advice for people who are dealing with tough times because of the pandemic.

• Mike’s goals for the next 6 months focus on educating people so that they can become more well-informed, one video at a time. First, he wants to educate people about their rights then move into deeper topics like how to better communicate, persuade, and negotiate with others. All of which are relevant even outside the law!
• If you’re going through a tough time, Mike recommends optimism, which he believes wins every time. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, find ways to see the positive in your situation and be grateful for what you do have. If you have more free time because of COVID, spend that time doing what truly makes you happy. Remember that tough times are temporary – this too shall pass.

If you’re motivated and you put out your good thoughts into the world, it helps no matter what situation you’re in. Focus on perseverance and believe in yourself – good times are bound to come.

2. Ethen Ostroff (The TikTok Lawyer) @ethenostrofflaw

I had the pleasure of meeting Ethen when he reached out to me on the TikTok platform. That’s what the platform is really all about – connecting with others. Ethen does an amazing job, which shows on his account. As of this writing, he has 150K+ followers and 3.4M+ likes.

Recently, we had the chance to talk about his tips and tricks for lawyers on TikTok. His approach to this platform is all about consistency, persistence, and picking a niche.

Ethen’s first two weeks on the platform were wild. He got started in October 2019 by posting a video about something that was trending at the time. A song, actually.

@ethenostrofflaw My introduction to Tik Tok. Please ask me any legal questions you may have. ##e40 ##tydollaignfeate40 ##lawadvice ##law ##lawyer ##injury♬ Choices (Yup) – E-40

What makes TikTok unique compared to Instagram or even Snapchat are these trending sound bites. Many record companies contract with TikTok to get songs trending on the platform. When a song trends, the platform encourages its users to create videos to the song. That way, the song gets exposed to tens of millions of people quickly and repeatedly.

You can join in these trends to reach more users yourself as Ethen did. As a lawyer, he used the nope/yup sound to post about common misconceptions about lawyers. The organic reach on this post was the first time he realized how simple it was to tap into trends.

Since his first post, Ethen has been building content and growing his following. He gets questions from his followers every day about legal topics – like whether a teacher can take a student’s phone and look through it. These questions give him inspiration for the content he creates and he responds by posting more videos.

Ethen’s Advice to Lawyers for Building a Tiktok Following

If you want to get into video marketing for your law practice, there is no better platform than TikTok right now. Especially because the market is still so new.

Think of TikTok as a long-term branding strategy rather than a short-term plan. Ethen’s followers may not have legal issues right now, but if any of them get hurt in a year, they will already know him. They can just reach out instead of searching online for a lawyer who pays an astronomical amount of money every month for PPC advertising.

Ethen’s Top Tips for TikTok Success:

– Consistency is key, especially at the beginning. Ethen puts out 1-2 videos every weekday. At the least, aim for 2-3 times per week.

– Weekdays are more active than weekends. People use TikTok to pass the time at work and they’re more likely to be out and about on the weekends. Focus on putting out your content on weekdays for more engagement and better reach.

– Self-promotion will backfire. The best approach is to provide value. Think: “reach out to me for questions” instead of “contact a lawyer.”

– Respond to comments and messages, especially right after you post. This helps drive engagement early on to your content and helps you go viral.

– Don’t be above asking your followers for advice. Ethen often direct messages followers to ask what they’d like to hear about. It’s the best way to know your market.

– Get over yourself. Don’t get caught up in what other people think about your content because other people will always judge you. Whether the content you put out is helpful or not, people will still have positive and negative reactions. You can’t control how other people react. You can just do your best.

In the end, whoever puts out the most value as a lawyer will get the most followers and clients.

The reason Ethen has so many followers is not that he put up one video and gave up. It’s because he put out almost 200 videos in the six months since he started. The more content you put out, the more people learn about who you are and what you do.

3. Anthony Barbuto @thelawyer

Anthony is a leading lawyer on TikTok.  He creates a lot of fun and entertaining content.

@thelawyer##internationalwomensday ##iwd ##alfaromeo ##alfaromeospider ##respectwomen ##UltraSmoothMoves♬ Make You Mine – PUBLIC

You’ll notice that most of these lawyers do more than just post about legal issues. Don’t be afraid to have fun on the platform. Authenticity is important on TikTok.

4. Brad Shear @bradshear

Brad is a business, privacy, social media, and tech lawyer with 850K+ followers and 22.4M+ likes. Considering his niche, TikTok is an amazing place for him to be visible.

@bradshearWhen can a public ##school access your ##cell ##phone? ##finalsweek ##howidothings ##everwonder ##todaywelearned ##lawyerup♬ original sound – bradshear

5. @GALawyer

A family attorney with 200K+ followers and 5M+ likes. She does an amazing job incorporating aspects of both her work and family life on her account.

@galawyerI smile a lot more when @vong_glitch is in town! So blessed she is mine. ##bi ##mygirl ##loveher ##normalpeople ##attorney♬ fine by me – favsoundds

6. Attorney Tom @attorneytom

Tom is a personal injury attorney with 85K+ followers and 1.2M+ likes who often mixes informative legal videos with funny videos.

@attorneytomuseless legal analysis ep. 3 Star Wars ##starwars ##law ##random ##oshaviolation ##lawyer ##information ##help ##tips ##viral ##foryou ##fyp ##bored ##story♬ original sound – attorneytom

7. Adam Juratovac @adamjthelawyer

Adam is a California employment lawyer in the Bay Area with 68K+ followers and 809K+ likes.

@adamjthelawyerLife in the Bay Area ##ontherunway ##smirk ##sfbayarea ##lawyer♬ original sound – adamjthelawyer

Adam recently put out a great video that brought together many lawyers on TikTok, including both Ethen and myself.

@attorneytom@adamjthelawyer thanks for putting this together! I love how basically all of us swipe in a different direction. ##lawyer ##lawyers ##squad♬ We Will Rock You – Queen

8. Ryan Chenevert @attorney.ryan

Ryan is a Louisiana attorney with 38K+ followers and 400K+ likes. He has so many informative videos and he regularly gets legal questions in his DMs.

@attorney.ryanIs the ##Life360 app legal? Users beware. Parent don’t spy on your kids.♬ original sound – attorney.ryan

9. Ali Awad @ceolawyer

Ali is an injury lawyer with 32K+ followers and 611K+ likes. In some of his videos, he presents legal information in 3 different languages.

@ceolawyerCan your lawyer do this? ##ceolawyer ##attorney##UltraSmoothMoves##MakeTheLeap##foryou##fyp##tiktokarab##tiktokmexico##tiktoklawyer##foru##viral##viralvideo##law♬ original sound – ceolawyer

10. Lawyer Kelly @lawyerkelly

Kelly is a California divorce attorney with 19K+ followers and 240K+ likes. Her videos are dynamic, entertaining, and informative.

@lawyerkellyLawyers can’t CHANGE the law ##normalpeople ##divorce ##lawyer ##foryou♬ Galactic Mermaid cover by Lollia and Kuraiinu – тαуℓσятσт

11. Tori @tiktortok

Tori is a Washington, D.C. immigration lawyer with 18K+ followers and 882K+ likes. She posts both informative and relatable videos.

@tiktortokIf you’re confident, people will get mad. Be confident anyway. ##PlayWithLife ##makeuphacks ##ChilisBirthday ##normalpeople♬ Hips Don’t Lie – soymiguelgon

TikTok Bonus: Networking With Lawyers

TikTok is also a great place to network with other lawyers on the app. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other lawyers. It’s all about community. Ethen and I connected because he messaged me on the platform and I’m so glad he did.

If you’re a lawyer on TikTok, reach out to Ethen or myself @sdimmigrationlawyer.