Corporations and big businesses are turning to Facebook to promote their brands, but one lawyer in Massachusetts is using the site with some success to add to his client list. Richard Vetstein began his private practice, the Vetstein Law Group, about 6 months ago, and has been promoting his practice and blog through Facebook, where he has a little more than 600 Fans. It’s unusual for a small legal practice to have numbers this high, and Vetstein attributes a commitment to the Page and a high-profile recommendation for his large Fan numbers.

While Vetstein is bringing in new potential business to his page, he is also using it to build stronger relationships with current clients.

“People do business with people that they like,” Vetstein said in a recent ABAJournal.com blog post. “Facebook enables you to get to know people in a way that strengthens the overall relationship.”

Vetstein’s success on Facebook is an extension of his traditional approach to business; he is a self-proclaimed networker, and used all the available tools on Facebook to get in touch with people in his email lists, as well as his past and present friends. He also received a nod from David Barrett, director of social media legal marketing at the Rainmaker Institute — who touts 11,800 LinkedIn connections.

The Massachusetts Real Estate Law Blog, which Vetstein authors, is also posted on the Fan page, and Vetstein notes that this has also helped the page’s search ranking. He also uses the Fan page to post notes about his practice and related legal topics.

Using Facebook to promote a legal practice has the potential to be a powerful tool to attract new clients, but it does raise a few questions. There could be possible problems with personal and professional relationships becoming intertwined, much like the concerns recently raised over Facebook pages for those in the medical field.