Just because you keep bios in a consistent format doesn’t mean they have to be carbon copies. Play to your strengths but stick to your brand.

This week we asked: Are your firm bios consistent?

1) Yes – 45%

2) No – 55%

My Thoughts: More than half of you were not convinced that your firm bios were truly consistent. Time to change that. Even in smaller firms, keeping bios in the same format looks more professional, more branded and more cohesive.

The best way to ensure that bios look uniform is to charge one person with the task of organization and upkeep. Be it a marketing director, administrator, secretary or even receptionist, identify someone to take charge of the project and keep it on track.

Tip #1: The first step in a revamp is to create a questionnaire (click here to download ours) and use existing bios to fill in the information. Then send those questionnaires back to each individual attorney so that they can fill in any blanks or update outdated information.

Tip #2: Pick a format and stick to it. In what order do you want to present the information? Will you put dates on Bar Admissions? Undergraduate information before JD or vice versa? Will you separate membership listings in charitable organizations from professional organizations? All questions you should consider.

Tip #3: Look at your head shots. Do they look like they were photographed by the same person? Are they outdated? If you answered no to the first question and yes to the second you may want to look into investing in some new photos. Never underestimate the power of a strong head shot.

Black Pearl: Just because you’re an accomplished attorney it doesn’t mean you can’t have a sense of humor. Not all attorney bios are as serious as you may think. While you don’t have to take it as far as this guy (http://nylawblog.typepad.com/legalantics/2008/09/best-lawyer-bio.html), there are small ways to incorporate a sense of personality. My team and I came across D.C.-based Beverage & Diamond by accident and were impressed and inspired by their “Professionals” section. Take a look at the way they used photography to punch up their bios while still remaining, well… professional. (http://www.bdlaw.com/attorneys.html)