Utilize Your Attorney Biography Page as a Marketing Strategy

By Jim Froehlich, FindLaw Copywriter Team Lead

The attorney biography page can be a valuable element of your law firm marketing campaign. FindLaw Copywriter Team Lead Jim Froehlich offers tips on creating your biography page in Utilize Your Attorney Biography Page as a Marketing Strategy.

The attorney biography page of your FindLaw Web site is a valuable but often underutilized element of a comprehensive marketing campaign. Most people today do not interact with attorneys on a regular basis. Those needing legal services are often intimidated by the process of locating an attorney and tend to make snap decisions based on information immediately available on a Web site or other marketing vehicle.

Your FirmSite is designed to give potential clients easy access to crucial information that will help them in the decision-making process. The average consumer of legal services is seeking to answer the following basic questions:

Does this attorney handle my type of case?
Does this attorney have the experience and skills to successfully represent my interests?
Can I trust this attorney with my personal business?

The correct presentation of this information within a narrative attorney biography will answer these important questions and establish the necessary personal connection that might compel a new client to secure your services. A well-written attorney biography should be concise and easy to read. It should flow from one idea to the next and not be cluttered with superfluous information.

The most important factor to determine before you begin is the identification of your target customer—who do you think will view this information and in what context will it be viewed? The average consumer will not be interested in a laundry list of courts where you practice or in complex case citations understandable only to other attorneys. However, in many cases, you may be soliciting referrals from other lawyers; more technical information about your abilities would then be appropriate.

The following is a list of questions you should consider when creating your narrative attorney biography:

Are you a native of the city or state where you are currently practicing law? In many parts of the country, it will be very important for an attorney to be a native of the location where he or she practices. If this is the case, you may wish to highlight this fact. If it is not the case, you will want to downplay it in favor of other factors.
Where were you educated? This should include information on the institutions where you received your undergraduate degree and your law degree. Be sure to include information on awards and citations you have received.
Do you have previous experience relevant to your current practice? This could include experience as a prosecutor, insurance defense investigator, or corporate counsel.
Are you engaged in the ongoing mentoring of your peers? Do you teach college courses or CLE seminars?
Have you authored papers or articles on legal topics? Have you commented to the media within your area of practice? These types of activities will establish a sense of authority and trust for potential clients.
Are you actively involved in the communities you serve? Are you involved with charitable organizations? Do you sit on committees or boards of community outreach groups? Do you perform pro bono work through any government organizations?
On which specific areas of practice do you focus? Remember that new clients will generally scan your Web site looking for keywords and phrases that match their immediate legal needs. Bullet points and numbered lists can effectively present multiple practice areas without the disengagement often caused by large blocks of text.

In conclusion, a clear concept of the goals of your attorney biography page, coupled with the identification of your target consumer, will determine the content and layout of the page. Once you have written the content, have someone (preferably not a lawyer) review it. Looking at content through the eyes of potential customers is the best way to craft effective marketing copy that offers a clear vision of your services and approach to the practice of law. Contact your FindLaw representative for more information on effective marketing partnerships.