How many times have you described the same piece of work, from scratch, for a submission, a pitch and a bio?
If the answer is ‘more than once’, you’re in good company. We see it in almost every firm we work with: brilliant work, written up in a rush months after it happened, by someone digging through old emails to remember who did what. Then written up all over again the next time a pitch lands.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Get the description right once and it works hard for you all year, in front of researchers, clients and the people who refer work your way.
Pick matters that tell your story
Your biggest matter of the year is an obvious pick, and it probably belongs in there. Now step back and look at your matters as a set. What do they say about your team? Would a researcher reading them know exactly what you do, and who you do it for?
Aim for a set that:
- Shows the work you want to be known for. Building a name in a particular sector? Make sure it’s front and centre.
- Has range. Five versions of the same deal tell a researcher far less than a mix of clients, matter types and sizes.
- Puts your people in the spotlight. Anyone hoping to be ranked should be visibly involved.
- Is recent. Stick to the period the submission covers.
Tell them why it mattered
This is where most matter descriptions fall flat. They explain what the team did, and stop there.
Look at the difference here:
- “Advised X on the acquisition of Y.”
- “Advised X on the acquisition of Y, its first move into the German market and a key part of its three-year growth plan.”
The first is a fact. The second tells a researcher the work was significant, and tells a prospective client you understand what’s really at stake for their business. That’s exactly what they want to see in a pitch.
So for every matter, ask yourself: what would the client say this work allowed them to do? Then write that down.
Give researchers what they’re looking for
Researchers get through a lot of submissions in a short space of time. Make their job easy and yours will stand out.
Include:
- Value. Share the deal or claim value where you can. If it’s confidential, say so.
- Complexity. What made it hard? Multiple parties, a tight timetable, a novel point of law or a regulatory twist all count, so spell it out.
- Cross-border elements. Name the jurisdictions and any firms you worked alongside.
- Who did what. Name the lawyers and their roles, so the researcher can connect great work to the people in your submission.
Can’t make a matter public? Make a judgement call – it can be included as confidential, excluding the client’s name if the matter is highly sensitive.
Start a matter log (your future self will thank you)
The best time to write up a matter is the week it closes, while the detail is fresh. Leave it six months and you’ll be piecing it together from memory.
Your matter log can be as simple as a shared spreadsheet, with a row for each matter:
- Client and a one-line summary of the work
- Why it mattered to the client
- Value, complexity and any cross-border elements
- The lawyers involved and their roles
- Whether it can be made public
- The client contact, in case they’d make a good referee
Add to it as matters close, or block out fifteen minutes once a month to catch up. When the next submission comes round, you’ll be editing notes, with no blank page in sight.
Then use it everywhere
Here’s the best bit. Once you’ve written a strong matter description, it can work for you well beyond the submission (with client permission where needed):
- Pitches and tenders. Relevant experience is often the first thing a prospective client looks for.
- Your bio. Swap the list of practice areas for two or three recent matters that show what you actually do.
- LinkedIn. A short post on a completed (and public) deal keeps you visible to clients and intermediaries.
- Conversations with referrers. When an introduction is on the table, you’ll know exactly which examples to mention.
You’ll tweak the length and tone each time, but the hard thinking is already done.
Start with one matter
Think about the last matter you closed. Give yourself ten minutes this week to write it up: what you did, why it mattered to the client, and the detail a researcher would want.
That’s the first row of your matter log, and next year’s submission is already under way