Lindsay Hanoski | Bluesky-curious? The new social network is gaining traction, and now could be the optimal time for attorneys to join the platform.
The post Lawyers on Bluesky: A Guide to the Rising Social Media Platform Attracting Legal Professionals appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.
Bluesky-curious? Discover why this decentralized platform is becoming a preferred social network for legal professionals seeking constructive dialogue and meaningful connections.
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Bluesky, the newest social media platform attracting attention in the legal industry, celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month and notably attracted swaths of new users in the last quarter of 2024. From its approach to content sharing to its reputation for courteous discourse, Bluesky is indeed unique. This overview explores what it is, why it’s gaining traction, and why now might be the optimal time for attorneys to establish their presence on the platform.
A Brief History of Bluesky Social Media
At its core, Bluesky is a microblogging platform and it shares many features with other social media sites, in particular X. In fact, Bluesky began as a Twitter-funded project back in 2019. The initial vision was to create a decentralized social media standard that Twitter would eventually adopt. However, by late 2022 Twitter had ceased supporting the project, and Bluesky established itself as an independent company. After operating as an invite-only platform throughout 2023, Bluesky opened its doors to the public in February 2024. Today, the platform operates as a U.S. public benefit corporation.
Bluesky Basics
Similarities to Other Socials and the Decentralized Difference
The Bluesky user experience will feel immediately familiar to those using other social media sites (particularly those accustomed to X, formerly Twitter). It enables users to post short text updates and share images and videos. You can engage with others through likes, comments and reposts (equivalent to X’s retweets). Like X and Threads, Bluesky allows for threaded conversations and hashtags for organization and topic discovery.
What sets Bluesky apart is its foundation as a decentralized platform and its unique approach to content distribution and user control. Unlike traditional social media platforms controlled by a single entity, Bluesky distributes control and empowers users with impressive customization options. Bluesky has said it is creating a version of social media “where it’s built by many people [yet] still comes together as a cohesive, easy-to-use experience.”
This decentralized approach means that Bluesky users aren’t bound to a single server or controlled by a company’s algorithms and policies. Instead, the platform operates on the AT (authenticated transfer) protocol, allowing for greater user autonomy and data portability.
Key Bluesky Features for Legal Professionals
1. Custom Feeds and Content Control
Bluesky’s approach to content distribution represents a departure from traditional social media algorithms. Instead of being limited to a single algorithmic feed, Bluesky users can:
- Create or subscribe to custom feeds based on specific interests.
- Follow curated content streams focusing on particular topics.
- Filter content based on keywords, topics, or user groups.
- Switch between different algorithmic approaches to content discovery.
Therefore, it’s possible for a user to craft a timeline made solely of content from mutual connections, cat pictures or sports-related posts. Attorneys can create custom feeds based on specific niche legal practice areas or follow content from particular jurisdictions. A family lawyer, for example, could create a feed specifically for family law updates while maintaining separate feeds for litigation news and legal tech developments.
2. Enhanced Privacy and Moderation Tools
Bluesky’s moderation tools offer users a reasonable degree of control over their in-app interactions, including:
- Quite granular control over who can reply to posts.
- The ability to detach quoted posts, custom block and mute lists (that can be shared among users).
- Content labeling services (that help filter inappropriate or irrelevant content).
- The option to control direct message accessibility.
These tools can help lawyers maintain professional boundaries while engaging in discussions without the common disruptions often experienced on other platforms. The ability to detach quoted posts, for example, can be particularly useful for maintaining professional discourse.
3. Custom Domains for Brand Consistency
Another unique feature is the ability for users to use their custom domains to create branded Bluesky handles.
By default, all Bluesky handles contain the suffix “bsky.social” (so you’ll commonly see @firmname.bsky.social and @lawyername.bsky.social). However, a firm could also set its handle to align with a domain it owns — meaning ABC LLP (with the domain name www.abcllp.com) could post with the Bluesky handle @abcllp.com. Any attorneys the firm verifies could then use subdomains to set their custom handles (for example, @jane.abcllp.com).
Such handles provide a personalized touch. They can also help with brand consistency and allow firms to leverage the authority inherent in any established domain names. From Bluesky’s perspective, domain-specific handles help solve the user-verification problem. While other platforms require users to go through a special approval process (to verify who they are and to obtain a coveted “blue tick”), Bluesky has effectively enabled a self-verification process, in which users can verify themselves by changing their handles to a custom domain.
Getting Started on Bluesky: An Attorney’s Guide
A great thing about Bluesky is that it’s simple to get started and to begin enjoying your own, personally tailored user experience — even if your interests are quite niche or you’re not sure who to follow. With Bluesky, you don’t need to waste time finding other accounts or delving into extensive customizations to make the app work for you. Why?
Leveraging Starter Packs (for Professional Networking and More)
There’s no need to build your Bluesky feed from scratch (or passively let an algorithm choose your feed for you). Leverage the numerous Bluesky “starter packs” to get a running start. These packs are unique to Bluesky, and you can use them to quickly find people to follow and begin building your feed around your personal and professional interests.
Starter packs are essentially lists of Bluesky users created by other users. They are usually focused on a specific topic or geographical area. You can peruse all Bluesky accounts included in any pack. You’ll find all of a pack’s people included under the “People” tab, and you can see the posts for these people under the “Posts” tab. You can then choose to follow some or all of the accounts in the pack.
Starter packs are an excellent way for lawyers to build their networks and discover any number of law-related conversations. A fantastic directory of nearly 250,000 starter packs is available to search.
Image 3: There are almost 250K starter packs to explore within Bluesky’s Starter Pack Directory
Here are a few law-specific packs:
- Bluesky Attorneys (#Lawsky) is “Attorneys / Lawyers / LawProfs / Law Students who are active on Bluesky.”
- LegalTech Starter Pack is “a curated list of legal entrepreneurs and legaltech enthusiasts.”
- Legal Aid Starter Pack is “comprised of Legal Aid and pro bono programs across the US.”
- AI Law & Policy Starter Pack is “thought leaders in artificial intelligence law and policy.”
- Law Reviews on Bluesky is “student edited law reviews.”
- #LawProfs is a “list of law professors on Bluesky.”
- There are also many practice-specific packs, including commercial law, personal injury, family law, immigration and IP.
Keeping Your Old X Connections
If you are active on X but also Bluesky-curious, you should know that it’s simple to find and follow many of the same accounts you follow on X. Third-party tools like Sky Follower Bridge can help you find your existing X connections on Bluesky. Sky Bridge scans your “Following” list on X and then follows accounts with the same names on Bluesky.
It’s not a perfect tool (you’ll get a few false positives), but overall, the Bridge works very well. I used it a couple of months ago and was pleasantly surprised to find around half of my X follows also on Bluesky.
Why Now Is the Time for Lawyers to Join Bluesky
The Twitter Diaspora Is Gathering There
With just over 30 million users, Bluesky is not, by any means, the largest or most popular social media network. However, it continues to collect new sign-ups steadily, adding 20 million new users since September 2024.
Much of this growth seems to be driven by “Twitter Quitters,” that is, users who have left X in search of better alternatives. Professionals who populated various Twitter communities — scientists, MedTwitter and Legal Twitter — have been leaving X as spammy content (and worse) has consumed the site. (Anecdotally, I heard from an attorney who had acquired a staggering 90,000 followers on X but felt compelled to leave the platform for Bluesky, saying, “I didn’t want my clients to see what I was seeing [on X]”).
Indeed, many lawyers and legal organizations are choosing Bluesky for its current emphasis on constructive dialogue and factual information. Users have described the platform’s environment as reminiscent of early Twitter, focusing on professional discourse and meaningful connections without the noise and disruption often found on other platforms.
Low Competition and High Community-Building Opportunities
Bluesky’s nascent stage offers attorneys a chance to stand out in what is now a relatively uncrowded space — establishing their firm’s brand and digital presence before an increase in user numbers (i.e., the early-mover advantage). Unlike more established social networks, where paid advertising dominates the conversation, Bluesky’s current environment allows organic content to shine through, making it easier for lawyers to connect with potential clients, colleagues and referrals in a less cluttered space. The absence of algorithm-driven advertising means that quality content has a better chance of being seen by relevant audiences.
Additionally, early adopters can help shape the platform’s professional discourse norms and establish themselves as thought leaders in specific legal niches. This is particularly valuable for building meaningful professional networks before the platform becomes saturated. The network effects of early adoption may be substantial. Those who can establish their presence now could be more likely to benefit from stronger connections and increased authority within their niches as Bluesky grows.
There’s No Better Time to Stake a Claim in the New Space
With its decentralized structure, unique features and growing legal user base, Bluesky offers attorneys a chance to build (or rebuild) their online presence in a more controlled and possibly more professional environment. As the platform continues to attract lawyers from X and elsewhere, early adopters have a unique opportunity to shape the conversation — and establish helpful connections along the way.
For lawyers looking to maintain a professional social media presence, without the noise and disruption of traditional platforms, Bluesky’s timing could not be better.
Find Attorney at Work at @attorneyatwork.bsky.social.
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