Less than half the visitors to your law firm’s website enter through your homepage.

Many enter by searching for particular attorneys by name or by punching a particular search term (like New York real estate attorney) into Google and clicking through to the attorney’s optimized bio page.

Some estimates suggest that bios attract 80 percent of legal website traffic.

In short, attorney bios matter. All firms know they need them but few know how to engage visitors with them.

• Should I make it purely professional?
• A mix of personal and professional?
• How much emphasis should I put on my achievements?
• How can I make it less… well, you know… boring?

These types of questions are normal. We answer them here with an overview of the most important elements of any attorney bio page.

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Just before we get to the finer details of a compelling attorney bio, let’s quickly look at what the “big picture” items are with bios…

Getting the “big picture” right with your attorney bios 

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Attorney bios work at the bottom of the sales funnel for law firms.

What does that mean?

Well, people looking to hire a law firm (those “ready to buy”) read attorney bios. They are ready to hire an attorney rather than just looking for general information about a particular area of law.

That’s important to know when it comes to your marketing and messaging for visitors. It means that you need to make your attorney bios:

• Searchable (optimize them for search)
• Readable (write them professionally and make them readable)
• Actionable (include details of how a visitor can contact the individual attorney)

Your attorney bio needs to stand out from the others and be found online, it must convey all the reasons why someone should hire you, and it should convey how interested parties should be able to contact you to start the conversation.

Now, let’s get a little more granular.

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1. Professional photography

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A simple one to start with: the professional photo.

No passport pics. No holiday shots. Professional photos, only.

If you don’t yet have the shots that you are comfortable with, spend some money on a professional photographer and get them done.

That’s what the New Mexico Legal Group did and look at the results:

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Professionals use lighting and ton to capture the style and image they want to portray to potential clients. There is no cutting corners with this – Oykhman Criminal Defence in Canada didn’t:

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You will never regret your decision as these shots can be used across not only your website but all your social media pages too.

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2. A compelling “value proposition”

Depending on who you read, you have six or seven seconds to make a good first impression when someone lands on a webpage.

You need to make good use of those seconds. A professional and eye-catching headshot helps. Next, people need to know exactly how you can help them.

Nobody will care where or when you were born but unfortunately that is how some bios start.

If you are unsure of your value proposition, think of the types of questions that potential clients might ask when they first meet you with a legal issue.

This lawyer from Vogel Verjee in Calgary makes it very clear:

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Here’s how they do it at ITR law in Topeka:

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3. Testimonials or mini case studies

Praise is most effective when it comes from previous clients. So, why don’t more attorneys include testimonials in their bios?

Testimonials provide instant and direct credibility for individual attorneys. Not general statements about the law firm but specific references to the work you’ve done.

That’s pure gold when you are trying to convince someone to hire you – as a bio page should.

This litigation lawyer at the international law firm, Pillsbury, includes a prominent testimonial at the top of his attorney bio and throughout the page:

All lawyers should have usable testimonials in their armory. What better place to use them than to show a visitor that you’re a good match for what they need?

You could even consider including mini case studies in your bio if they illustrate how you can help your target audience.

If a testimonial or short case study resonates with your target audience, it’s a good idea to include it. The lawyers at Kegler. Brown, Hill & Ritter agree…

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Here is how Trey Porter, a DUI attorney in San Antonio, includes mini case studies in his bio:

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4. Prominent contact info

Include the attorney’s formal name, title (partner, associate, etc.), and direct contact information. This makes it easy to get in touch with you without having to “jump through hoops”.

Bryan R. Kazarian in California makes his email address and cellphone number prominent at the top of his bio:

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Here’s an even better example from Affordable Defence in Ottawa (it includes the address)

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Houston and Alexander in Chattanooga place a “free case evaluation” form right next to their attorney bios so that it’s very easy to get in touch…

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Many lawyers use v-cards, which are downloadable virtual contact files that automatically enter contact details into your system.

If you do use them, include a link like this attorney bio from the Bradley law firm:

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This bio from an attorney at Legal Solutions of New Mexico includes prominent social media links too (never a bad idea):

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5. Main practice areas

Including main practice areas in bios is a basic requirement.

Make it very clear to potential clients the areas of law a specific attorney focuses on – especially if your firm covers many practice areas.

Included in each attorney bio at Vogel Verjee is a section like the following, covering the main practice areas that each lawyer can help with – and a link to find out more:

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Even if you have a relatively narrow practice area in your firm, it’s good to define what you specialize in personally as an attorney.

Fady Mansour at Affordable Defence in Ottawa does this:

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At Burwell Nebout Trial Lawyers in Texas, they break it down even more in their bios by indicating percentages against each practice area for each lawyer.

This is in the bio of partner Russell B. Burwell III:

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6. Credentials, qualifications, and honors

No attorney bio would be complete without an overview of your credentials and qualifications – but too many are dominated by them.

Get the balance right. You’re not writing a CV. You’re expected to be well qualified. Most people don’t care where you went to law school or what type of degree you got.

Readers want to know what sets you apart from other well-qualified lawyers in your field and how you can help them.

Bryan R. Kazarian in California includes his credentials and awards/recognition in tabs near the top of the page like this:

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As a general rule, lower on the page (or a tabbed format like above) is best for including information such as education, qualifications, awards, and honors unless there is something that really helps you stand out.

Trey Porter Law includes a logo section at the foot of the main lawyer bio, showing professional associations, memberships, and honors:

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Here’s how a managing partner at eclat Law in Florida details bar and court admissions on their bio:

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7. Links to articles/publications/media

Another important way to establish credibility in your bio is to provide links to any documented work you have done.

For instance, if you have published articles about matters relating to client issues, provide links to these.

Here’s how attorney Samuel Bryant at Bryant Taylor Law in Florida does it at the end of his bio:

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At Hoyt & Bryan in Florida, attorneys have tabs for “Author”, “Selected Presentations” and “Radio/Television:

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Any way that you can demonstrate your expertise in your bio is fair game. Robert Scott, a technology attorney at Scott & Scott, LLP includes links to his podcasts in his bio:

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8. Video/multimedia

Video is used more widely on all aspects of law firm websites and your attorney bios should be no exception.

You don’t have to be a TV celebrity and well-known lawyer like George Carroll Whipple III (of employment law firm Epstein, Becker Green) to include video on your bio:

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For instance, the attorneys at Colorado Legal Group all have videos featured on their bios:

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Here’s another good example from a DUI lawyer in Edmonton:

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At the Nebraska Law Group, each attorney includes a personal video message “popup” on their bio page:

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9. Personality

If you like mountaineering or sky-diving, show it.

We believe that personality counts – and you shouldn’t hide it.

Depending on the main practice areas, the outlook, and positioning of your law firm, you may be restrained by certain conventions when writing your bio. This is common.

If you have some freedom to express yourself, we suggest using it to convey some personality like David Crum at Colorado Legal Services:

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You might be thinking “David’s bio looks great but I defend hardened criminals” or “I’m a bankruptcy attorney and my clients expect a certain level of professionalism” – and that’s fine.

It’s your call. We know David and he’s a consummate divorce law professional. He just prefers to display some of his personality in his firm’s bios, encouraging his team members to do the same as him.

Of course, he also includes education, awards, speaking engagements, and publications in his bio – but at the foot of the page:

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Here’s another great example from ITR Law in Kansas, where the attorney focuses on activities outside of the office or courtroom:

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How much personality you inject into your bio depends on your law firm’s outlook and how comfortable you are talking about your life outside of law.

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10. Uncluttered and sharp layout

Take a look at how tidy this bio looks from Houston & Alexander in Chattanooga:

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The bio uses “accordion-style” expanders to display information. All the information is there but “hidden” until a visitor clicks on the + sign. Then the information is revealed but it doesn’t clutter the page unless you want it to.

Another good way to present a lot of information in a neat and tidy format is to use tabbed headers and bulleted content like the bios for Vogel Verjee in Calgary:

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Simply click on the tab and the information is revealed.

Finally, check out the design of the following bio. This is typical of the bios at Pillsbury – clean and uncluttered with a mobile-first design:

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Focus on organizing your content so that it is easily digestible and displays well on mobile. That applies to every page on your website, not just the attorney bios.

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11. Simple and relatable language

Whether you use the third person or first person is up to you. There is no prescribed “best way” for that and it will probably come down to what you are most comfortable with.

However, it is important to keep the language simple and relatable to your audience. Avoid legalese.

Try not to repeat your name fifty times (“Larry specializes in…”. “Larry’s achievements include…” “Larry spends his spare time….”) You want to prevent it from sounding like a legal CV in prose form.

In his bio, Ryan DeHoyos of DeHoyos Law in Texas talks directly in plain language to his target audience:

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Be authentic – make sure that your bio reflects who you are. People hire professionals who they know, like, and trust.

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A final word on language. If your firm targets people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, you may want to offer bios in languages besides English.

This lawyer from Friedman Mansour, a criminal law firm based in Ottawa, includes s version of their bio in English, French, and Spanish:

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Is there an ideal length for an attorney bio?

Anywhere from two to six paragraphs is a good guideline but length is not the most important issue. Content and design are.

A well-designed bio using tabs/accordion style expanders can include a significant amount of information but look succinct on the page and be easy to digest.

On the other hand, a shorter bio can look difficult to read and cluttered.

Longer bios with plenty of your keywords are generally better for searchability on Google so going long is probably better than going short.

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Final tip: keep it up to date

You now know what goes into a compelling attorney bio. But don’t make the mistake of writing it once and leaving it for years.

Nobody wants to read a tired, out-of-date, 10-year-old bio. That would only stand out for the wrong reasons.

Attorney bios should be updated as circumstances, experience, honors, and skills develop and change. Most lawyers should take a look at their bios annually and make any necessary changes.

Start talking to the people who count

Nobody sets out to write a boring bio but so many out there read like a CV. You can be the most qualified and skilled lawyer in the world but unless your bio speaks to your target audience, it probably won’t do what you want it to do.

Don’t write your bio to impress other lawyers. Try to impress potential clients. That’s the first thing to get clear on when you start.

Imagine your ideal target client is in the next room and will read your bio after you complete it:

• What do they want to know about you?
• What will put their mind at ease about their legal problem?
• How can you help them solve an issue?

Think of that, including what you have seen above, and your bio will stand out for the right reasons and talk to the people who count. That makes it more likely that they’ll pick up the phone.