Are you worried that you might be over-sharing and sound unprofessional in your professional biography?

Do you need permission to be personal? Well, you have mine.

Most legal marketers in your firm would love you to add an “out of the office” section. They know how valuable your personal part can be when you are under consideration for a matter or case.

Yet, this is precisely where I get push-back from the attorneys I’m interviewing for their bios. Some have told me, “I don’t think my clients care what I do outside the office,” or believe their clients might sense their attorney is not focused on their matter.

Still, it all comes down to the saying: People do business with people they know, like, and trust.

Prospects tend to know (or know about) you. And when they’re referring business, they already trust you. Yet the “like” part can be tricky. That’s your opportunity to create some connection, starting with that “personal” side in your bio.

It's okay to reveal personal interests in your bio. Doing so can be a differentiator, and you can start by demonstrating the following:

• You have a life outside the office.
• Your hobbies can range from family activities, love of travel, and food – to some very unusual hobbies. I once interviewed an attorney who wore stilts during a Mardi Gras parade.
• You are involved in charities, community activities, or helping recent law school graduates.

When I write bios, my go-to approach is this: "Start with a hook – and end with a kick, which is why I recommend adding a quote (either first- or third-person) as the entry point on the bio. That's my hook.

Though not a lawyer, here's a memorable hook from Andrea Fabbri, Managing Director/NY at BrandingBusiness. Andrea was 'our client' at Intelsat when I worked at Addison years ago. Fast forward to today, and you can see why I chose his current bio for my example. Andrea’s bio on his agency’s website is presented in super-large type, and the statement combines his range of talent that makes you want to read more.

"For Andrea brings a musician's heart and mind to his work. As a business-minded brand strategist, Andrea is both highly analytical and intuitively creative. He is the ideal strategic partner for clients encountering disruptive change or reinventing their brands."

I wish I had written that hook.

I recently spoke with Heather Morse, Chief Business Development Officer at McGlinchey Stafford, to ask her why prospects might choose one attorney over another. If you're involved in legal marketing, you likely know this one, and Heather confirmed: "Attorney bios are the most frequently viewed pages on any law firm website."

She continued, "Why? Because when a potential client wakes up at 3:00 am with a business problem needing a legal solution, they don't pick up the phone and call; they Google. They pick up the list of names their peer GC or friend sent over for them to check out, and then they Google. What they find on your bio page may determine whether you get a phone call the next day or not. And you will never know how many times you have been passed over because your bio does not answer the 'price of admission' questions:

• Does this person understand my business?
• Do they understand my problem? “
• Do they have the solutions that can help me?"

Heather added, "So what does your biography say? If it's ‘just the facts,’ then you might get passed over for another attorney who might not be as qualified as you but could better present themselves virtually.

With all things being equal (similar law degrees, years of experience, expertise, understanding the business problem and solutions), the client will want to hire the lawyer they ‘know, like, and trust.’"

She offered a few more pointers, starting with, "So how can a website bio help get you on that shortlist, worthy of an email or phone call? By proffering differentiating details. From how you deliver legal services and collaborate with your team to nuances into who you are as a person (those pesky personal details).

Your bio can provide more insight into who you are as a person and how someone might work with you:

• Include references to non-profits in which you are involved and mention where you serve in leadership positions.
• Strategically make certain photos from your personal Facebook or Instagram page public to show a recent trip or activity that might provide a potential client an 'uncommon commonalities' that help sway you from the 'no' pile to the 'shortlist.'
• Add video or audio (a link to a presentation, interview, or podcast) to allow the potential client to hear your voice.

Comments or posts seen as politically or socially charged could lead you to the 'no' pile, no matter how qualified you are to provide the legal service. Make sure to neutralize your personal social media accounts unless taking certain positions is deemed a positive for those who would engage your services."

Heather wrapped it up with, "We live in a buyer's market for legal services. Google, websites, blogs, and social media are all tools that help to democratize the services offered, no matter the size or location of the firm. So why not make a choice to hire you easier on the purchaser of those services?"

If you recall, I started this post with the hook. Now here are a few examples of how to use that kick to make your last few sentences memorable:

• "Tom found his passion for breadmaking during the COVID lockdown. And if you're lucky, he might share one of the loaves still taking up space in the freezer."
• “Jane enjoys her time out of the office, recently signing up for a weekly pottery class. She loves the satisfaction she gets from throwing clay."
• "When Norine isn’t working at our office in Columbus, you might find her exploring the caves at Hocking Hills State Park."

Not only are the personal interests good conversation starters when you’re out networking for business or looking to bring on a new lateral. These days, sharing a bit of your personality on your bio is perfectly acceptable – dare I say, expected?

Final thoughts

Go ahead. Include a few unusual, entertaining, or relatable sentences in your bio. It just might sway a prospective client or a potential lateral hire to choose you over another attorney or firm.

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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. Among other things, she has held marketing director positions at Pillsbury and White & Case and served on the Board of Directors for the Metro New York Chapter of the LMA.