Time to Freshen Up the Old Bio and CV

I spent hours yesterday dusting off my old CV and updating it. I am proud to say it is now up to eight pages and there are NO embellishments. Its kind of liberating and empowering to see in neatly typed print how much I have accomplished over the years. Its a nice reminder when it seems sometimes like I am just struggling to get through all of my daily tasks.

Taking time to reflect on your past accomplishments is an important method to focus on your future. When my CV is ten pages what do I want listed there?

Before the end of the year do the same with your website bio and social media profiles. Start with your CV and see what new articles, speeches and accomplishments you can list to freshen up your online profiles. Think no one will notice? Think again. It is estimated a lawyer actively working in their practice area is googled an average of 10 times a day! And that's not just your mother or an ex-girlfriend from college. These googlers are potential clients, possible referral sources and former colleagues looking to compare career paths.

Consider these tips as you are updating your profile:

• Emphasize your strengths, notable cases and successful litigation conclusions.
• List all your most recent articles, even if they were just blog posts or press releases.
• Speeches are very valuable avenues for exhibiting particular expertise in your practice area. If you aren't already giving at least one a quarter, make that your goal for 2011. The more reputable the organization your are speaking to, the more favorable you look.
  

Consider your online profile just as important as your in-person profile and keep it well groomed!