I’ll be doing some training for a NY based law firms with offices in Stamford CT and Philadelphia. The firm with 100+ attorneys are doing very well and are now getting serious about training their associates. One of the first things they want their associates to look at is their bios. Let’s face, regardless of whether one is resistant to technological changes or is a luddite. The fact of the matter is simple, potential clients will do their due dilience before calling.
Law firm bio pages are the most frequented pages of law websites. Most bios are very similiar. One of the purposes of the bio is to prompt not discourage inquiries from potential clients, press or conference planners. While gathering materials together I came across this great post by Janet Ellen Raasch called “Buff Up Your Bio” on attorneyatwork.com.
Here are some of Janet’s suggestions:
- Do as reporters do. Rather than start your bio with a boring reference to being a partner in a certain practice area, why not have the first paragraph grab your reader by covering the key parts of your story; that is, newsworthy problems your clients have experienced and you solved. Leave your education, licenses, articles, etc. for the end or a sidebar;
- Tell a “case story” or stories. Write a narrative about a client’s problem (not by name unless you have permission), relate the “cost-effective solution you provided,” and what the positive benefit to the client was;
- Show your values beyond your legal skills. I completely agree with Raasch that “all things being equal, (clients) retain lawyers they feel they can trust and like.” She suggests “short quotes” interlaced outside the narrative itself that address such things as what you love about “your area of practice or industry…favorite case, and why…best advice from a mentor..community or family” involvement…or whatever to show your core values; and
- Expand your media tools. Don’t just have a photo, link to articles and consider making your bio more like a “personal home” page that could include audio and video, and links to your “social media sites.”
If you want to knock the socks off visitors visiting the firm’s resource page on bio pages, be different and tell a story.
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