Q&A

TikTok improved more than this firm's marketing

Criminal defense lawyer Elena Fast tried short-form content, and it's paying off

(Image Courtesy Elena Fast)

Unintended consequences are often a bad thing, especially if you are a criminal defense attorney. So Elena Fast was pleasantly surprised to discover that her firm’s foray into short-form video-based marketing on TikTok was doing more than boosting The Fast Law Firm’s reputation.

What began as a creative marketing experiment has turned into something far more valuable: a way to connect with clients and their families, prep them for court and answer common questions about the legal process. The result? Happier clients and a surprising boost in overall efficiency.

—Interview by Emily Kelchen, edited by Bianca Prieto

Why did you decide to start using short-form content (TikTok) to reach potential clients?

We had a summer intern in 2024, who was really into TikTok and social media. We started doing it very half-heartedly. Then, we started getting DMs with questions and continued on.

What kind of questions?

The same kind of questions our clients and their families ask. What should I do after getting arrested? Do I need an attorney? Basic stuff.

And you answered them?

We always encourage people who reach out to us to set up a consultation so we can talk about their specific case. But we did start making more videos answering these basic questions. And covering topics like: How do you manage stress with a criminal case? What do you wear to court? Why being late to court can derail your case.

It turns out many of our clients or their family members follow us on social media. Because they’ve seen our videos, we don’t have to cover these topics and we can spend more time discussing case-specific concerns. It’s a real efficiency booster.

How do you come up with new topics to cover in your videos?

We have a running list where attorneys and staff from the firm add topics based on questions that come up in our practice or important decisions being handed down by the New York State Court of Appeals, the Second Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court.

The one thing that we don’t cover are new indictments being handed down. I don’t know about you, but I would not want to hire a lawyer who did a TikTok about my indictment.

Do you script your responses, or are they more off the cuff?

We do not script responses. I do look up the case citations beforehand, so make sure I am accurate if we are discussing a specific statute or a certain case. Getting the subsection of the Bail Reform Act incorrect would be embarrassing.

How do you measure success on these platforms? Is it brand awareness, client leads or something else?

Our attorneys are former state prosecutors, former federal prosecutors and former appellate law clerks. We will always care more about serving our clients than social media stardom.

As the firm’s founder, I don’t measure success by views, likes and comments. To me, success looks like happy clients, happy colleagues, going to verdict several times a year and having the flexibility to be there for my children’s milestones.