How to build your profile
Your profile on myBarrister is your face to the world, letting potential direct access clients know your areas of expertise, how you can help them solve their legal problem and something about you as a person. Remember, many people are awed by barristers, so you should take the time to write about yourself in a way that makes you approachable and easy to deal with.
Here are the important points to know:
(1) Customise your Profile.
It is not enough simply to copy over your Chambers’ profile, where you are a member of Chambers. That is aimed more at firms of solicitors whereas you should be directing your profile to direct access clients, whether businesses or individuals.
(2) Choose your Specialisms.
Each barrister is allowed up to three specialisms. The specialisms are fairly broad, and are couched in non-technical language. Note: we count some specialisms as one, as follows:
- Construction/Adjudication
- Employment (Employer)/Employment (Employee)
- Immigration (Business)/Immigration (Individual)
- Insolvency (Corporate)/Insolvency (Personal)
- Mediation (Business)/Mediation (Personal)
- Planning (Commercial)/Planning (Residential)
- Property & Housing/Landlord & Tenant
- Insurance (Business)/Insurance(Personal)
(3) Use Keywords.
Keywords are a VITAL part of your profile because the search engine will look for words entered by clients in the 'Keywords' section of the search panel. In the Introduction sections of your profile, make sure you use words that clients might enter into their search. You will appear in more search results if you add a good number of appropriate keywords. For example, if your specialism is Property & Housing, then you could enter words along the lines of "I specialise in landlord and tenant, dealing with leases; I also deal with boundary, squatter, re-possession and planning issues."
(3) Include a photograph of yourself.
The photo can be black-and-white or colour. The photo should not be too close-up: head and shoulders works well. Make sure it is clear and in focus. Don't look too austere or intimidating. Research shows that people select lawyers who look friendly and approachable as well as professional and competent.
(4) Select you location.
- You can select one, two or three locations - or none at all, depending on the following factors:
- Barristers with a more localised practice, or whose clients may want to meet in person, should consider selecting locations.
- If you get a high volume of contacts from myBarrister, you might prefer these to be closer to you - if so, select some local locations.
- If you have a national or international practice, and are prepared to travel, then you can select “All Locations”.
- If a search finds no suitable barristers in a particular location, then barristers from the broader region appear in the search results.
(5) Using Analytics to Improve your Profile.
Our analytics feature is unique to myBarrister. You can monitor which client search terms have been most effective in generating leads for you and then use this information to improve your performance on the site, as well as offering very useful market intelligence. It’s a form of search engine optimisation actually within the site itself.
The most important aspect is to provide specific examples of your expertise within each specialism since our search engine will pick up on these when we are providing clients with three barristers who are available to assist them solve their legal problem.
How to enter text
It is very straightforward to enter text in your profiles. Once you have logged in, click on Profile Builder and complete your specialism profiles. You can paste in content you’ve used elsewhere or produce your own.
Remember to click Save at the bottom of the page.