Remember Who’s Reading Your Profile

When did you last review your website profile? Can’t remember? Then it’s out of date and not working for you. 

Lawyer profiles are the most-read section on law firm websites. They are also the most readily adapted law firm marketing materials, so there’s no excuse for letting them languish. If you’re submitting a proposal to, or meeting with, a prospective new client, you can tailor your profile to suit that client’s needs. A profile is a work in progress, like a will.

Like any other piece of good writing, your profile should keep the reader in mind. There’s a very provocative blog post entitled “Your clients don’t care where you went to law school”. I happen to disagree with the title (some clients care very much where you went to law school), but the point is well taken: it’s all about the client.

And that’s what differentiates your profile from your resume. Your profile should present those things about you that help a client choose you and not some other lawyer in your field. Your resume should be a complete summary of everything you’ve done, updated at least annually. Think of it as the database from which you draw items for your profile.

So what does the average website visitor want to find out about you? Most likely four things:

• What kind of work does this lawyer do?
• Has he/she done the kind of work I need done, for clients like me?
• Would I like working with this lawyer?
• How do I contact this lawyer?

What kind of work does this lawyer do? 

A good profile should include several up-to-date examples of the lawyer’s cases or transactions in as much detail as privacy laws will allow. Representative work is the lifeblood of a believable bio: it’s the archetypal example of ‘show, don’t tell’. 

Too often this section of a lawyer’s profile will contain pallid phrases like “has advised and represented numerous clients in the [whatever] sector on a wide range of matters over many years”. That could describe just about anyone! You frequently see phrases like “His/her practice is focused on…” followed by a long laundry list of topics—in other words, no focus at all. The best examples of representative work give a succinct description of the issue, the lawyer’s approach, and the result. 

Since many lawyers have more than one string to their bow, you may need more than one profile. A fairly common example would be the banking lawyer who specialises in financing real estate purchases. I’ve worked with several who by right of experience straddle both sectors very comfortably. They’re listed on both the Banking and Real Estate pages of their firms’ websites and they attend meetings of both groups. They maintain two separate print profiles, but their websites can accommodate only one, so they steer carefully down the middle, giving examples of representative work from both areas. 

Has he/she done the kind of work I need done, for clients like me? 

Again, an up-to-date list of representative work is essential. Think about the kinds of clients you want and include examples of your work that will convince them you’ve been there, done that successfully—and could probably repeat the process for them. 

It isn’t essential to name the client, but at least give the reader the chance to judge whether the client was comparable to their situation. An in-house counsel for a multinational looking for local representation will be interested in your local knowledge and standing. A mid-market client takes a Goldilocks approach: are your clients too big, too small, or “just right”? A client needing specific expertise is more interested in the nature of the issues you’ve dealt with.

Would I like working with this lawyer?

Now we’re moving into the subjective realm. If you’re thinking that no one can tell whether they’d like to work with you without meeting you, of course you’re right. But prospective clients can check you out any time, long before you’ve even heard of them or know that they’re looking for a lawyer in your field. 

You may love golf, while the client prefers opera: so what? If the client gets the sense from your profile that you’re someone who takes an interest and makes an effort, that’s what they’re looking for. Your objective is to position yourself as someone whose main focus is on the client’s issue. You need at least a sentence that sums up not just your experience but also your attitude to your work. In a comment on Robert Ambrogi’s The Art and Science of Lawyer Bios, Corinne Tampas said: 

What I do look for from a website is whether I get the feeling that a particular attorney is willing to roll up his or her shirt sleeves and work on my file without vying for the billable hours of the year award. Simply put, the fact that a lawyer is a lawyer presumes a basic level of competence. What I am looking for in a lawyer is to get a matter resolved in a fair and expeditious manner. I think that other than at the corporate level, most prospective clients are looking for the same thing.

This point is particularly important for those lawyers whose practices are to all intents and purposes indistinguishable from the practice of any other lawyer in that field. Maybe you’re a real estate lawyer who works hard to ensure that your clients know what they’re getting into and understand the implications of the advice you’re giving them. Even though the deals you’ve done are the same as those of every other real estate lawyer, you can differentiate yourself by making a statement about the way you approach your work.

How do I contact this lawyer?

Don’t make the client search for this information. Organize all your contact information and unchanging details like year of call and law school in one easy-to-find place on the screen or page. Professional graphic design is well worth it: this is your most-read marketing piece, remember. It’s also worth remembering that the people you want to reach are busy and mobile: ensure that the design of your firm profiles is optimized for mobile devices. If you’re on Twitter or LinkedIn, insert links to both in your contact information. If you promise 24/7 availability, make sure your contact information includes a cell phone number or other alternative to your office phone number. 

Ah yes, the Year of Call. Very junior and very senior lawyers often object to stating their year of call in a profile and will argue that it doesn’t matter. I happen to think clients have a right to know the seniority of the lawyer they’re hiring, but if that argument doesn’t sway you, here’s another response to The Art and Science of Lawyer Bios:

For me, the most telling indicator is a negative one, the absence of basic quantifiable data. Year of graduation from law school, year of admission, that sort of stuff. Its absence is a big red flag, telling me that this is a newbie trying to pretend he’s experienced and willing to conceal material data to do so.

What do you look for in a lawyer’s profile? What do you think make one lawyer stand out from the crowd? What do you find irritating about lawyers’ profiles? What do you find useful? All comments welcome.