Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Law Firm Marketing and Business DevelopmentCareer DevelopmentCommunications and MediaFeaturesLaw Firm ManagementMarketing the Law Firm

The Topography of a Strong Attorney Biography

By John Buchanan

Bios. The bane of every law firm marketer's existence. How can something so seemingly simple be so hard to handle? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are types of bios — but the basic issue is that attorneys are generally not great salespeople (caveat: some are great salespeople, aka rainmakers) and they are often introverts. While lawyers may like to speak about themselves, many are not effective in how to speak about themselves and their work in a way that is appealing to clients.

Survey Says …

So, why are bios so important? Survey results and research routinely show that clients check out attorney website bios a lot. For example:

  • 90% of in-house counsel rely upon attorney bios when researching and retaining outside counsel.
  • Attorney bios account for 80% of all law firm website traffic.
  • 65% of all law firm website traffic begins with a Google search.
  • General counsel rank lawyer bios number two in terms of influence in the retention selection. (The number one spot belongs to personal recommendations.)

With clients so focused on bios, it is critically important that attorney bios be concise, updated and speak to clients.

A Strong Bio

There are many elements that contribute to crafting a robust attorney bio, though there are three over-arching elements that all professional bios include:

  1. They present the primary information in a manner that is quick and easy to read.
  2. They focus on an attorney's representative matters/cases, for whom he/she has provided these legal services and what the result was.
  3. They don't include everything an attorney has done or achieved.

Get to the point, quickly. If you take nothing else away, remember this: attorneys should not include everything about themselves and their experience in their bio. Instead, lawyers should focus on what they do well, what they are experienced with and — almost most important — what they enjoy and want to do.

Stay on point. Leave out laundry lists; if an attorney must include a list, bullet it and only include matter details from no more than the last five years — unless the attorney has a Supreme Court win or a multi-billion-dollar deal in her past.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

Beach Boys Songs Written Decades Ago Triggered Current Quarrel With Lawyers Image

There's current litigation in the ongoing Beach Boys litigation saga. A lawsuit filed in 2019 against Nevada residents Mike Love and his wife Jacquelyne in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada that alleges inaccurate payment by the Loves under the retainer agreement and seeks $84.5 million in damages.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Transfer Tax Implications on Real Property Leases Image

The real property transfer tax does not apply to all leases, and understanding the tax rules of the applicable jurisdiction can allow parties to plan ahead to avoid unnecessary tax liability.

Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York Image

In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?