What Makes a Good Lawyer Biography?

Recently, I have been involved in writing content for several lawyer websites. The bio or “About” page is one of the most viewed pages. This bio or profile helps new connections or potential followers make decisions about whether or not to interact with the lawyer.
What are the elements of a good biography?

• Description of who the lawyer is
• Reference of how the lawyer got where he/she is
• The knowledge and experience of the lawyer
• The fields of expertise, including court cases on
• The personal touch or other unique traits of the lawyer (or the law office)

An about page is what potential clients want to know about the lawyer. It must address what the clients want to know. This isn’t necessarily the same as what you think they should want to know.

Therefore, the lawyer’s bio should focus on:

• The target audience
• The target audience’s problems or challenges
• The solution and expertise the lawyer offers (how the lawyer helps clients or solves problems for them)
• How the lawyer’s approach is different from other law firms’ solutions

What clients want:

1. Clients do not care who you are; they want to know how you can solve their problems. Lawyers need to address their concerns. 
2. Clients don’t really care which university their lawyer graduated from; they just want to the credentials of their lawyer.  
3. Clients want to understand what their lawyer is about. Labels, such as “lawyer” or “securities lawyer” confuse. Be specific and talk (or write) about the people the lawyer helped or the problems he/she solved.
4. Clients want to see a realistic photo of their (potential) lawyer. People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. Posting a photograph helps (potential) clients to feel that they ‘know’ their lawyer.
5. Use social media. A lawyer’s (potential) customers are on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, so the lawyer should be there too. Blogs are a great way to engage. If you as a lawyer do not have the time, use an expert to do the social media for you!

Want help to write content for your website and colletaral? Contact Tip Top Writer or Debra De-Jong.

A painful lesson in copyright and graphic design – inspired by Steve Jobs

Social media has changed the game; in more ways than one. Let’s look at the case of Mr. Mak.

Mr. Mak, a university student in Hong Kong who is an aspiring graphic designer. Upon the passing way of Steve Jobs, he designed a graphic of the Apple logo with a silhouetted profile of Mr. Jobs. It went viral and was even picked up by news media. Even actor Ashton Kutcher posted the design on his Twitter account. So far, so good...

But then, it was noticed that his design has an uncanny resemblance to the design of Chris Thornley, a British graphic artist.

Mak developed his design in late August using a white Apple logo on a black background. He used a black silhouette of Mr. Jobs indented in the apple as a tribute to Mr. Jobs after he stepped down as chief executive of Apple.

Although Mak said he had searched across the Internet both to ensure he was not infringing on another design, he did not come across Mr. Thornley’s design.

But his design turned out to be similar Mr. Thornley’s. Thornely designed a black Apple logo on a white background, with a white silhouette of Mr. Jobs. The angle is slightly different from Mak’s design.

A shocked Mak said he had received notification from Mr. Thornley’s wife, Julia, about the similarities of the two designs.

In the world of graphic design, similarities between images are quite common. This case illustrates once more how easy it has become to unearth similar images or outright copies. Mr. Thornley, a 40-year-old living in Darwen, England, acknowledges the dangers the digital age presented to creativity.

He is following the controversy while receiving treatment for a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He stated that he first developed his design in May 2011. He wanted to celebrate the fact that someone who had cancer was still working, still driving forward and still thinking positively about the future.

“The Internet can be a double-edged sword,” he said. “You need to use the Internet in order to promote yourself, but in order to do this you are making yourself vulnerable to these situations.”

Mr. Thornley went on to say that he hoped to speak with Mr. Mak soon about the two designs.

“J. Mak has been as honest as he can about the situation, I think,” he said. “It is important to have the debate about this, and J. Mak has to be credited for opening up the debate and not hiding from it.”

Mr. Mak said that he learned a valuable lesson.. “It really taught me to be very careful about what I say and do. With all the negative publicity I received in Hong Kong, it taught me to be very careful. At the same time, I need to stay true to my sense of aesthetics.”

Posted by Tip Top PR at 5:39 PM 0 comments

How The Use of Social Media Can lead to Mistrials