"I think our profiles on the SBM
Directory and our website need updating," said Lance walking into the
conference room of L & L Law where sister Linda was drinking her
afternoon cappuccino and enjoying a brief break from her busy practice.
Looking up at Lance, Linda asked, "What's wrong with our profiles? We just put them up."
"Not so," said Lance, sitting across
from Linda and setting his cup of espresso on a yellow legal pad. "It's
been over a year. Things have changed. And I've been doing some research
on how to create a more effective profile."
Linda smiled at her fraternal twin, younger by three minutes. "What did you find?" she asked.
A profile, Lance found, is "a
description of someone containing all the most important or
interesting facts about the person." (Cambridge English Dictionary.)
The important facts are education,
experience, any current publications, new board memberships, or recent
awards. If you participated in a community event, add it to your page.
And, if you have a new professional picture, upload it.
Added a new area of practice? Explain
what it is, why you added it, and how it will benefit your clients.
Lance and Linda have added an attorney focusing on stockbroker fraud and
misconduct to help their elder law clients with concerns about their
investments. They will include an explanation of stockbroker misconduct
and how adding the new service can benefit new and potential clients.
Be sure the links to your social media
accounts—Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—are current. Clients then have
another way to get in touch with you. If you want to step up to 2016
where video is surging in importance, add a short video talking
enthusiastically about the law you practice.
Clients and prospective clients need
those informative facts to help make their decision on which lawyer to
contact, but are they the facts that cinch the deal? The ones that make
the prospective client click on the "contact us" button?
Generally, clients hire attorneys based
on their character—lawyers they like and trust—so they turn to the
interesting facts to help with that part of the decision. Let's face it,
clients and prospective clients assume all lawyers have law degrees and
know the law, so the interesting facts may be the most important in the
decision-making process.
What are interesting facts for clients? These questions might help you find them:
- What makes you good at lawyering? It could be a skill in your
field or perhaps you are good at explaining law to clients or helping
them reach a solution to their problems.
- What do you like most about your area of practice?
- What is your favorite law-related quote? Why?
- What types of community-based events do you participate in?
- What are your hobbies?
With the New Year, it's time for you to
review your profile. An updated profile better reflects your current
knowledge, experience, and skills.
Updating your profile in the SBM Directory is simple. Start by signing in to your account.
Your name will appear in the upper right-hand corner, click on it. A
drop-down menu will pop up, click on "edit profile." Make the changes
you need, click "Save," and you're done. Your profile is up-to-date and
ready to bring in new clients for the New Year.
Roberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News.
Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing
articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. She is the
editor of Briefs, the Ingham County Bar Association e-newsletter, and The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.
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