Attorney Bio Writing: Guide and Top Tips for Law Firms

A collage of business and professional profile webpages, each featuring individuals with their names, photos, and brief descriptions of their roles and specializations.

Every attorney biography you’ve ever looked at likely showcases the same information. If you’re looking to create or rewrite something unique and engaging you have to consider what every other lawyer biography is missing. At PaperStreet, our content marketing team believes the missing piece to most attorney biographies is the human element. 

Share Something Personal – NOT Related to Education or Law

We consistently see attorney biography pages as the most visited pages on a law firm website. Your clients, competition, and/or prospective clients want to see your background – and what you look like! – and naturally find themselves seeking out your biography page. This creates an opportunity to connect with your client with more than just the typical information. 

  • For example, by sharing your favorite sports team, you create the opportunity for a website visitor to draw a parallel between you and them. “Hey, I’m a Giants fan too. I like this guy!” 
  • Similarly, if you showcase images of your family on vacation, you open the door for others to appreciate you’re a parent. “She can understand what it’s like to face losing your child.” 
  • By sharing the organizations you are active in, you allow others to see what drives you. “I appreciate that she volunteers in my neighborhood.”

Every sentence of your attorney biography is an opportunity to create a human connection that makes you someone they would choose to hire over another firm.

Embrace Creative Writing with a Little Flair

We will be the first to tell you that creative writing rarely seems appropriate for a law firm website, but your biography is a fair exception. Use active verbs that appeal to the senses: seeing, feeling, hearing.  There is nothing wrong with a couple of lines of philosophical musings to humanize your profile. 

  • Consider prompts that are not the norm, but that you would find interesting to read about another person. Jackowiak Law Offices in Chicago, for example,  prompts their lawyers to share “What I Love About My Work…” and “People I’d Like to Meet.” 
  • YLaw in Canada features biographies that are casual in tone but use strong adjectives and power sentences to transition between sections. 
  • Some attorneys even write their biography in the first person. We live in the world of “I” and an argument can be made that people expect to hear from you and not read a piece that was written about you.

When writing your biography page, take off your law school hat, and channel your English professor to infuse some creativity, flair and charm that sets a tone that is different then the other pages on your website.

Consider Storytelling Beyond the Paragraph Format

Your biography should have a narrative that is a few paragraphs long, but that doesn’t have to be the only vessel for sharing your story. Consider alternative options to help break the page up and offer different visual elements. 

Pull Quotes from You or Your Heroes

Feature a small quote that highlights something about yourself, or perhaps is a famous quote from someone you admire. Just be sure it makes logical sense when applied to your practice.

Jacqueline Harounian - Wisselman, Harounian & Associates

 

Personal Videos

Use a short video reel to show users how you interact at the office or home. In less than 30 seconds you can share the who, what, when, and where – all the essential elements someone who is checking you out needs to know.

Amber-Gilormo

Accolade Logos

Instead of writing the names of the awards you received, or listing the organizations you are a part of, highlight their logos for an extra design element. (BONUS: People often associate logos much faster than written names so you benefit from extra brand recognition.)

Michael-Murphy

Word Bubbles

Instead of working a cluster of adjectives into your narrative, pull them out into word clouds. You can use a mix of professional and personal adjectives here to really paint the full picture of who you are as a person, not just a lawyer.

Scott-Hendler

Recognize that Potential Clients Might Not “Get” Your Credentials

If your legal practice is geared toward the general public vs. other law professionals you should consider that organizations like SuperLawyers, BestLawyers, and Million Dollar Advocates Forum will have no or little context beyond the name itself (which, of course, implies you’re “best” and “super” and a hard-hitter.)

If the significance of BestLawyers will fall on deaf ears with your audience consider wordsmithing it a different way. See some examples below.

  • Instead of SuperLawyer try, “In 2022, Betty was rated among the top 100 lawyers practicing criminal defense in Phoenix.”
  • Instead of BestLawyers try, “To legal directories have awarded Betty the title of ‘Lawyer of the Year,’ a title bestowed upon the leading lawyer in criminal defense in 2022.
  • Instead of Million Dollar Advocates Forum try, “John consistently secures settlements over a million dollars for his clients and because of his high-success rate has been included in invitation-only organizations within the legal community.”

Remember, You’re Human First, and an Attorney Second

Throughout all of your bio page planning keep the mantra “human first” in mind. Write about yourself as a person first – one who just happens to be a kick ass lawyer. Your bio presents the opportunity for you to forge a connection with clients, prospective clients, referring attorneys, and businesses by sharing details about your life, career, and family. Don’t pass up the chance to stand out from every other law firm on the web. If you need assistance with an attorney bio redesign or rewrite, get in touch with PaperStreet. Our team of attorney writers can help you plan and write a biography, and create a design that is just as unique as it is engaging.

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