lawyer bio how to wrtie

How to Write a Biography for Lawyer

• Write your name at the beginning, followed by your roles and responsibilities. Do not hide such information, but supply...
• Have a professional photo: A good headshot is essential for a good lawyer bio. They will be able to see the person that...
• Write a summary of what you’re doing. This information will tell your clients about you as...

Full Answer

How to write a lawyer bio?

For ways on how you can write the lawyer bio, you may also want to check our lawyer biography examples for justice practitioners and lawyers working in the law field. Write your name at the beginning, followed by your roles and responsibilities. Do not hide such information, but supply it from the start.

What makes a great attorney bio?

Cookie-cutter bios just don’t cut it any longer. It’s all about compelling content, sharp layouts and contemporary photography, and meaningful insight into the attorneys’ lives, in – and outside the office. Hope the examples illustrated above have given you some needed inspiration.

Who is behind lawyers biography service?

Nancy Slome heads up Lawyers Biography Service and is a seasoned legal marketing consultant with more than a decade of experience advising attorneys on strategic marketing initiatives and creating compelling content for law firm websites. She was recently the VP of Content Strategy at Jaffe and a principal with One to One Interactive.

Should you change your attorney bio format?

It’s just so easy to follow the usual attorney bio format and rarely update or change it — unless there’s a big pitch underway or the firm’s website is being redesigned. The bio becomes an end product of your CV — told in prose form.

How do you write an attorney bio?

5 Tips for Writing an Attorney BioBe Genuine. Clients want to learn about the attorney they're hiring and what to expect—especially if they'll be interacting with you often. ... Show Your Passion. ... Talk about Your Success. ... Be Succinct. ... Keep it Up to Date.

How do you write an attorney bio for a website?

10 Tips for Writing The Perfect Attorney Website BioKnow Your Audience. Plan to speak to clients and potential clients. ... The Intro is Important. ... Use First Person (but wisely) ... Talk About the Client “Problems” You Solve. ... Be Clear About Your Industry and Practice Area(s) ... Include Accolades. ... Demonstrate vs. ... Avoid Legalese.More items...•

How do you write a lawyers Title?

When you correspond with a lawyer, you have two choices:Write the person using a standard courtesy title (“Mr. Robert Jones” or “Ms. Cynthia Adams”)Skip the courtesy title and put “Esquire” after the name, using its abbreviated form, “Esq.” (“Robert Jones, Esq.” or “Cynthia Adams, Esq.”)

What is a good description of a lawyer?

Lawyers are expected to display sound judgment and decision-making with outstanding problem-solving and communication skills. To ensure success, lawyers should be determined, professional and well informed with a keen interest in upholding the law while protecting a client's rights.

What is the suffix for a lawyer?

Another distinction you may see when searching for a lawyer is the suffix attached to a name: “J.D.” or “Esq.” J.D. stands for juris doctorate and indicates that a person has obtained a law degree. “Esq.” stands for “Esquire” and indicates that a person is licensed by their state bar association to practice law.

How do you write JD after a name?

Use abbreviations without periods—such as AB, BA, MA, MS, MBA, JD, LLB, LLM, DPhil, and PhD—when the preferred form is cumbersome. Use the word degree after the abbreviation. Example: Louise has a JD degree from California Western School of Law. On occasion it may also be appropriate to use formal names of degrees.

What are the initials for lawyer?

The attorney abbreviation “Atty.” is commonly used while referring to lawyers who practice law in the United States. It is mainly observed in legal circles where it can be found in reference to lawyers as shorthand during note taking and in correspondences within and between law firms.

What are 5 responsibilities of a lawyer?

Duties of a lawyerProviding legal advice and guidance.Writing contracts.Meeting clients (individuals or businesses)Attending court hearings.Reading witness statements.Collating evidence and researching case studies.Keeping up to date with changes in the law.Representing clients in trials.

What is a lawyer's annual salary?

127,990 USD (2021)Lawyer / Median pay (annual)

What is an attorney called?

In the United States, the terms lawyer and attorney are often used interchangeably. For this reason, people in and out of the legal field often ask, “is an attorney and a lawyer the same thing?”. In colloquial speech, the specific requirements necessary to be considered a lawyer vs attorney aren't always considered.

Your Bio is Not Your CV

A CV, even when done well, is still a laundry list of past employment positions and accomplishments. A list tells people nothing about you as a practicing attorney (and they are, honestly, quite dull). The last result you want from your About page is to lull your readers to sleep.

The 7 Most Important Items to Include in Your Lawyer Bio

Now that you know what your bio is not, it is time to learn what to include to make you stand out from the crowd.

A Note on Length

If you include everything in the above list, you could end up with a bio that is either two paragraphs or ten paragraphs long. Length does not matter. It is all about presentation:

Personality, Please

The best thing you can do for your bio is to bring your personality to the forefront. If you are laid back and casual, then your bio should express that. If you use humor in all you do, make sure it comes through in your bio. As long as you are genuine, whatever you care to share will hit the mark.

The Great Debate

I find they spend more time than they need to necessary on this question: “Should my bio be in first or third person?” You should determine the answer by asking two questions:

Still Stuck?

Writer’s block is a bear to break through. If you find you are still stuck when it comes to getting started on your bio, try starting with one of these options:

Keep It Current

The last thing you want to do is create a great bio that becomes stale with age. To avoid this, schedule calendar reminders to revisit your bio every three-to-six months. Review your photos, practice areas, years of experience, and any other time-sensitive items to ensure you do not lose prospects.

How to write a lawyer biography?

Writing the perfect lawyer biography does not have to be a difficult exercise. Like any other marketing exercise, start with your potential client and work backward. Your biography is a great opportunity to connect with people before you meet them. Create text that is search-friendly, concise, and filled with the highlights of your career . This will allow potential clients and colleagues to “cut through the noise” and recognize you for the great lawyer that you are.

How to make your biography stand out?

You can make your biography page stand out even more by incorporating engaging elements like vcards, printable versions, or introductory videos - as long as they are professionally produced . Another wise choice is to include a disclaimer if you list your email address stating that sending an email to you does not indicate a legal attorney-client relationship unless an engagement letter has been signed.

What is a professional biography?

This gives each of your biographies a unique content score with the search engines which improves your overall search results rankings. It also means that potential clients see unique pieces of content that have not been cut-and-pasted to save time.

What is the most visited page on law firm websites?

A t least 73% of everyone looking to hire a lawyer search online long before they ever make that first call. In addition, it is said that the attorney biography page is the most visited page on law firm websites. This makes having a good set of online biographies a requirement for driving business to your legal practice. It should be simple: just write a little bit about yourself and your accomplishments, right?

How to write a biography in third person?

This sounds pretentious and can be off-putting for new clients. Instead, simply use your full name once at the beginning and your first name after that. It is important to note that t here is a lot of debate about whether you should write your biography in third person (he, she, them) or first person (I, me, my). The answer will come from your target audience, your practice area, and your personal brand.

How long should a legal biography be?

Skip the fluff and focus on the highlights. The ideal length is between 300-500 words.

What is a biography in real estate?

The biography is a vehicle for selling legal services so even if it is in a third person voice, it should be about connecting your experience with the legal problems you solve. The first paragraph of your biography is important real estate for starting a conversation with the person you are trying to connect with.

Who was the first female solicitor general?

At an early age, Kagan began to develop a strong passion for law. She became the first female Solicitor General of the United States. She achieved it under the Obama’s administration. Through her biography, people can get a general idea of her background, career path and the awards and achievements she has won.

How to get clients to see what makes you tick?

Focus on why you do the job you do rather than just explaining what your position entails. Your clients will want to see what makes you tick. If your reasons fit in with their preconceived notions of what they’d expect from their attorney, then it’s all the better for you.

Why is Ben Stein so famous?

However, it may shock you that he is famous not because of his legal work , but because of his Emmy award-winning game show . Stein’s biography is a truly inspiring read. It is also entertaining as it includes many of the various features he rocked as a lawyer.

Can you follow a lawyer's lead?

Some of the most famous lawyers in history have been quite some characters, to say the least. There’s no reason why you can’t follow their lead in the age of the Internet. Your bio doesn’t have to be a boring and straightforward outline of your admission to the Bar and your professional and academic qualifications. It doesn’t hurt to show a little personality and it may even attract a whole new set of clients who couldn’t otherwise relate to you.

Can you write a biography of a lawyer?

However, you choose to proceed with writing a biography of a lawyer who deserves to work with all the best clients, make sure you proofread your work before publishing it. A spelling error here or a grammatical mistake there can turn you straight from a hero into a zero, so beware.

How To Write The Best Attorney Biography For Your Website

Before a client schedules an appointment with any legal counsel, they will first want to know everything they can about you. Unlike your physical office, a potential client's perspective of who you are and what you do as a firm is dependent on the details you present online.

1. Make Your Name And Title The Most Visible

Don't make it difficult for anyone to find your full name and the role you do. Prospects will become irritated if you keep this information hidden from them, and they will leave your bio or website altogether.

2. Use A Professional Photo

Clients who are interested in working with you want to know who they will be working with. A headshot or photo of you will help them associate your website and blog posts to a real person, not just some faceless law firm putting out content for them to read.

3. A Concise Rundown Of Your Services

Take your potential clients through the steps of your work process. Tell them how a meeting between you will go, how you will conduct investigations, and how you'll work alongside them for their legal concerns.

4. List Your Most Notable Accomplishments

List your most notable accomplishments, like awards, recognitions, and most significant verdicts. However, this doesn't mean you should list and disclose every award or name of every county bar association you belong to. Instead, list the ones that matter to your practice.

5. Tell Them A Little About Yourself

You're more than just a lawyer. Potential clients appreciate it when you show a more humanizing side of you.

6. Make Sure It's Written For Online Readers

When writing a lawyer's bio, make sure you're not writing walls of text that might get boring fast. You also don't want clients to dismiss or not finish it for being too long.

How to write a good attorney bio?

Seven Steps to a Better Attorney Bio 1 “His/her/their practice focuses on ….” We ran a Google search and this phrase appears 174,000 and 92,000 times respectively. 2 “He/she is uniquely qualified.” That’s right, you and a couple hundred thousand other lawyers out there are “uniquely qualified.” 3 “Handles a variety of complex ….” This phrase appears 40,000 times in mostly lawyer-related pages. To differentiate, identify the specific variety (a couple of bullets work well here), and then show how you advised on or solved your clients’ complex matters.

Who wrote the digital trail to your website bio?

In “Create a Digital Trail to Your Website Bio” Jay Harrington lays out the case for using thought leadership to pull prospects back to your attorney bio.

What is Larry's experience in IT?

Larry first worked as a programmer, then a systems analyst, and finally an IT director for a prestigious law firm. Although the technology has changed since Larry’s early days in IT, his real-world experience in IT project delivery gives him a unique perspective and insight into his clients’ businesses, and enables him to offer a blend of legal experience and business strategy to complement corporate management.”

Who is Vinita Mehra?

Doesn’t get more authentic than this. “Vinita Mehra is an attorney who cares — about her clients and her community. Her professional and personal philosophy includes giving back in ways that make a meaningful difference to the local and global communities to which she dedicates her practice. Vinita is a firm believer in Gandhi’s idea of ‘being the change you want to see in the world.’”

Who is Nancy Slome?

Originally published June 30, 2020. Last updated April 17, 2021. Nancy Slome. Nancy Slome heads up Lawyers Biography Service and is a seasoned legal marketing consultant with more than a decade of experience advising attorneys on strategic marketing initiatives and creating compelling content for law firm websites.

Who is George Whipple?

Now that’s fresh. New Yorkers will recognize George Whipple, the bushy eye-browed media darling, from his NY1 TV “On the Town” segments. But who knew he was also a lawyer? George’s bio includes links to his regular client-related video series, “Employment Law This Week.”

Can you reference your law school in the first sentence?

5. Yes, your law school credentials are awesome. But that doesn’t mean you reference your alma mater in the first sentence.

A good bio can help to bring in new business. A bad one can put you out of the running

Creating an effective attorney bio for your website can have an immediate, positive impact on both your personal book of business and your firm’s bottom line. A personal bio helps interested parties get to know you and validate your legal prowess, long before they pick up the phone to call.

Attorney Biography Must-Haves

Data tells us the type of information law firm website visitors expect from an attorney bio. Every bio should include the attorney’s formal name, title (partner, associate), city and state, detailed contact information, and social media links (as long as those social media profiles are kept up to date), and a professional headshot.

Attorney Biography: Beyond the Basics

A good bio can help to bring in new business. A bad bio can put you out of the running before you even know you were in it. Once you’ve double-checked your dates and made sure the basic information is accurate, review and revise your bio with the following tips in mind.

Part 1 – Research

Before you can start writing your attorney bio, you first need to know what’s going to go in it. To determine that, it’s a good idea to make sure you understand the requirements of such a bio.

Part 2 – Planning

Now that you’ve gathered all the information you need to start creating a great professional attorney bio, it’s time to synthesize that information into a usable format. More specifically, you’ll be creating a plan to follow in the next part.

Part 3 – Drafting

This is the part where you take all the points you’ve gathered and turn them into a fully written bio.

Part 4 – Editing

We’ve written an attorney bio, and now we’re going to turn it into something fantastic. This stage is all about honing, perfecting, and optimizing your bio until it’s highly professional and absolutely ideal.

Part 5 – Publishing

This is the final step. Your attorney bio is now ready, which means it’s time to put it out there and let your prospective clients see it. As you’re publishing your bio, it’s a good time to ensure that the rest of your website is fully ready as well.

Tips To Keep In Mind

There are a few things to remember to make your job easier as you craft a stunning yet professional attorney bio. First, you’ll want to make it as easy as possible for your clients to find you. That means giving them access to your VoIP phone number, where you can always be reached, somewhere in the bio.

Why do we love this bio?

We love this bio because it starts with a testimonial. Where bios typically represent an attorney’s description of himself or herself, here are glowing words of praise from a very reliable source. The content of the quote in addition to its placement make it a compelling reason to pick up the phone to call Colin.

Can a law firm speak their language?

While not all law firms can get away with this hyper-casual approach and emphasis on personal interests and fun facts, this law firm knows its audience and shows it can speak their language.

Do cookie cutter bios cut it?

Cookie-cutter bios just don’t cut it any longer.

Your Bio Is Not Your Cv

The 7 Most Important itemSTO Include in Your Lawyer Bio

• Nowthat you know what your bio is not, it is time to learn what to include to makeyou stand out from the crowd. 1. Your name and title right up front.Do not make folks work hard to find your full name and the role you play. Hiding this information is irritating for prospects; it will cause them to navigate away from your bio or your website altoget...

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A Note on Length

Personality, Please

The Great Debate

Still Stuck?

Keep It Current

Open with A Strong Statement

Cover The Basics

• Make sure to include all the nuts and bolts that people will want to follow up on to ensure that you are who you say you are. Specifically, you should cover: 1. Contact Information:Location, phone number, social media links, email address. 2. Education:Undergraduate and law school credentials, as well as any post-graduate degrees. 3. Work History: ...

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Cover The Extras

Have A Relevant, Professional Photo

Create Several Biographies For The Best Web Engagement

Avoid The Biography Pitfalls

Try Creative, Interactive Elements

Conclusion

Examples of The Best Biographies

How to Write The Biography of A Lawyer

• You’ll quickly see from the most popular lawyer bio example texts that length is not your primary consideration, unlike when writing a resume or other such document. The most useful lawyer bio example for you is anyone to which you feel a personal connection, and it should be noted that your clients feel the same way. Learn from the positive aspect...

See more on biographywritingservices.com

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