Common Errors in Law Firm Publishing (#6)
So much of what large law firms publish is marketing material — client alerts, newsletters, press releases, and so on. It has a purpose — pitch the firm.
Consider practice area descriptions. Properly done, these are not simply objective descriptions of what a firm does. They’re promotional. They persuade the reader that — should he or she be looking for representation in a particular area — “our firm is a most excellent choice.”
Take a look at some practice area descriptions. See how your firm describes its practice areas. Do those descriptions have frequent changes in point of view.
Point of View? It’s perspective — the relationship between the writer and what the writer is writing about. If the writer is writing about himself or his own experience, that’s one point of view: first person. If he’s writing about something or someone else, that’s another point of view: third person.
Typically, a writer describing something objectively uses third-person point of view to describe something objectively. Rather than “my law practice,” there’s “the law practice.”
Practice area descriptions can be written using either point of view. They can also be written using both points of view; but when that’s done, some care is required. Shifting between points of view without rhyme or reason tends to drive readers away.
Consider this copy:
“Alpha Baker attorneys provide our clients with expertise in all aspects of Intellectual Property law. The firm has signficant experience in this area and our clients include some of the biggest names in media and entertainment. We regularly provide counsel on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets and the firm’s attorneys practice before government agencies to secure those rights.”
It starts in third-person, then shifts to first-person, then third-person followed by first-person, and then third-person again. Whew!
Compare this to copy produced by a good ad agency. Copywriters stick to one point of view (usually third-person for this sort of material). They don’t use two points of view in one clause or shift point of view from clause to clause, and there’s a good reason for that — they’re trying to attract readers, not drive them away.
