Attorney biography playbook
Practice area, jurisdiction, and the work that survives discovery.
What the reader is hiring this bio to do
Attorney bios are read by prospective clients, referring counsel, opposing counsel, and law-school recruits. Each looks for different markers, but all expect the bio to be tight, jurisdictional, and conservative in tone.
Credibility signals to include
- Practice area and sub-specialty (M&A, white collar, IP litigation, immigration).
- Bar admissions by state and federal court.
- Representative matters or transactions, with appropriate confidentiality markings.
- Education, with honors and journals.
- Bar association service, pro bono work, and publications.
Avoid in this industry
- Naming clients without authorization.
- Disclosing matter details inappropriate for a public page.
- Self-superlatives ('top attorney', 'best in class').
- Mixing practice areas without indicating depth.
Structure
Preferred structure for the bio
A reliable order that performs in this field. Adjust to the venue.
- 1Name, title, firm or practice, primary practice area.
- 2Sub-specialty and the kinds of matters or transactions you handle.
- 3Representative engagements, anonymized as needed.
- 4Education and bar admissions.
- 5Professional service, publications, and contact.
Tone
How this industry's bios should sound
Conservative, third-person, and dry. The bio should sound the way a firm letterhead reads.
Lengths
Recommended lengths by venue
Openings
Opening formulas that work in this field
Open with practice area and firm.
Jonathan Reyes is a partner in the corporate practice of Sullivan & Cromwell, focusing on cross-border M&A in the energy sector.
Worked examples
One hundred words. Fifty words.
Jonathan Reyes is a partner in the corporate practice of Sullivan & Cromwell, focusing on cross-border M&A in the energy sector. Over the past twelve years he has advised on more than thirty announced transactions, including the 2023 acquisition of NorthStar Pipelines by Crescent Energy and the 2024 spinoff of Vermillion's Canadian gas operations. Mr. Reyes is admitted in New York and Texas and to the Southern District of New York and the Fifth Circuit. He received his JD from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review, and his BA, summa cum laude, from Rice University. He is a member of the New York State Bar's Energy Committee and contributes to the firm's pro bono asylum practice.
Jonathan Reyes is a partner in the corporate practice of Sullivan & Cromwell, focused on cross-border energy M&A. Admitted in NY and TX; SDNY and Fifth Circuit. Harvard Law (Law Review editor), Rice BA (summa). NY State Bar Energy Committee; pro bono asylum work.
Vocabulary
Words to reach for — and words to handle with care
Cross-references
Frameworks and voices this playbook pairs with
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