ABA Family Advocate and Personal Photos: Our Fall 2006 issue of the ABA Section of Family Law “Family Advocate” arrived today. The topic is “Marketing Your Family Law Practice.” There is so much good stuff packed in this issue, but unless I missed it (quite possible) the one thing missing was any mention of the personal photos on your web site.

So, before you put a photo of yourself on your web site (or in any of your brochures or professional publications, hard copy or otherwise), please, please, please, get an honest opinion on whether or not it’s a good likeness of you and, please, whether or not you look daft, silly, sober, intimidating (do you want to look intimidating?), as if the photo is a mug shot, etc. And please ask people of different ages, sexes, professions, etc., each of whom could represent potential clients. In other words, do you look like the kind of lawyer the clients you want would hire? (Forgive the awkward sentence, but you know what I mean 🙂

As you’ve probably deduced, I’ve seen some bad photos of some truly terrific attorneys. (No, I’m not going to get myself in trouble by linking to them, but you know because you’ve seen them too.)

You don’t want someone you do know and who respects you to look at the photo and bite a lip, stifle a snort, sigh, or even just roll the eyes towards heaven. If someone who loves you does this, just imagine what a stranger looking at your photo would do. And if you think people don’t hire attorneys from their pictures, well, welcome to the real world.